The prevalence of internationalization in universities today is affecting the cities in which they are located. As the integration of international students adds to the ambiance and culture of a city, the authors argue that mutual participation of universities and communities will influence the development of a city. The aim of this thesis is therefore to explore the collaborations between the two, using Jönköping’s International Business School (JIBS) as a case study. In focusing our attention on international students and their part-time employment, we wish to gain a better understanding of the potential effects a university may have in enhancing a city. Research was conducted in an effort to obtain diverse views and uncover underlying themes that may exist between different stakeholders. Respondents from the following organizations were interviewed to clarify the different perceptions: The University Service’s Career Center, International and Recruitment Offices at JIBS, and Jönköping Municipality. It was found that networking between JIBS and Jönköping exists, but that the relationship appears to be complex as each party has different dimensions to consider, making true collaboration difficult. However, communication and cooperation could be useful in steering the direction of city development. The presence of international students is seen as influencing the culture, knowledge, and image of the city, but a true integration of these students is lacking. A further contribution through the inclusion of international students in part-time employment is believed to be beneficial to both the city and students, but barriers such as language make this a difficult task. An alliance between JIBS and Jönköping is therefore encouraged, as their combined efforts are crucial in solving these types of issues. We claim that the integration of international students through the creation of part-time jobs or internships demonstrates one way JIBS contributes to the city.   The prevalence of internationalization in universities today is affecting the cities in which they are located. As the integration of international students adds to the ambiance and culture of a city, the authors argue that mutual participation of universities and communities will influence the development of a city. The aim of this thesis is therefore to explore the collaborations between the two, using Jönköping’s International Business School (JIBS) as a case study. In focusing our attention on international students and their part-time employment, we wish to gain a better understanding of the potential effects a university may have in enhancing a city. Research was conducted in an effort to obtain diverse views and uncover underlying themes that may exist between different stakeholders. Respondents from the following organizations were interviewed to clarify the different perceptions: The University Service’s Career Center, International and Recruitment Offices at JIBS, and Jönköping Municipality. It was found that networking between JIBS and Jönköping exists, but that the relationship appears to be complex as each party has different dimensions to consider, making true collaboration difficult. However, communication and cooperation could be useful in steering the direction of city development. The presence of international students is seen as influencing the culture, knowledge, and image of the city, but a true integration of these students is lacking. A further contribution through the inclusion of international students in part-time employment is believed to be beneficial to both the city and students, but barriers such as language make this a difficult task. An alliance between JIBS and Jönköping is therefore encouraged, as their combined efforts are crucial in solving these types of issues. We claim that the integration of international students through the creation of part-time jobs or internships demonstrates one way JIBS contributes to the city.

Föreliggande rapport är resultatet av sex intervjuer kompletterade med litteraturgranskning. Rapporten speglar den pågående debatten kring studieavgifter. Den redovisar, inspirerad av diskursanalytisk metod, tre skilda diskursiva debatter dvs. lärosätets, individens, samhällets, på två diskussionsområden - kompensatoriska åtgärder samt möjligheter, fördelar/styrkor. Rapporten påvisar de problem och lösningar som förts fram inom dessa. Respondenterna lyfter fram att studieavgifter handlar om ett ömsesidigt investeringsproblem för framtida välfärd – för individen såväl som för samhället. Respondenterna pekar också på att samverkan mellan departement behövs liksom företagsstöd för industristipendier eftersom full kostnadstäckning behövs. Brister i investering blir ett dilemma som långsiktigt påverkar Sveriges välfärd och även den enskilda studentens välfärd, i synnerhet för den som inte själv har ekonomiska resurser. Fem av sex respondenter har den samlade synen på avgifter att kravet på full kostnadstäckning inte är rimligt utan ett välfungerande stipendiesystem och innebär att vi förlorar alltför många studenter. Den preliminära lösningen är att vidta kompensatoriska åtgärder samt att regeringen tillskjuter medel, säger studieanordnarna. Jag drar slutsatsen att vi ännu inte är redo för att ta hand om konsekvenserna av avgifter och att samverkansdebatten knappt påbörjats. / This paper is based upon six interviews completed by making a literature examination. The paper reflects the current debate on tuition fees. It shows, inspired by a discourse analysis method, three separate discursive debates i.e. higher education, the individual, the society, in two areas of discussion – compensatory measures and potentials, advantages/ stability. The paper demonstrates the problems and solutions put forward in these areas. The respondents highlight that tuition fees are about a mutual investment problem for future welfare - for the individual as well as the society. The respondents also point out that there needs to be collaboration between the ministries, as well as financial support for industrial scholarships because costs need to be completely covered. Lack in investment becomes a dilemma that affects Sweden’s welfare and even the students individual welfare in the long term, particularly for the one who does not have own economic resources. Five of six respondents have an overall view on tuition fees that indicate the demands on full cost coverage is not reasonable without a well-functioning scholarship system and results in us losing too many students. The preliminary solution is to take compensatory actions and that the government contributes funding, the study providers say. I conclude that we are not yet ready to deal with the consequences of tuition fees and that a collaborative debate has just begun.

This qualitative dissertation explores the classroom experiences of international undergraduate students in the U.S. with a specific focus on perceptions of undergraduate Chinese international students. The study starts with a literature review of the field of study where I identify classroom practices that, instead of promoting integration of international students into classroom activities, facilitated exclusion and segregation of these students. Subsequently, I explore different classroom practices perceived by 15 Chinese international undergraduate students to be effective and those perceived to be ineffective. At the same time, perceived identity of these Chinese international students in a U.S. classroom setting and how these affect their experiences and sense of membership are also explored. The study concludes with a series of recommendations under a proposed critical pedagogy of internationalization that address some of the challenges identified in this dissertation and develop students' identities, critical thinking skills with a comparative perspective, intercultural communication, cultural competence, and social justice.

Community colleges play a particularly valuable role in providing both immigrant students and international visa students the opportunity to participate in higher education at affordable rates and thereby, the means by which to achieve academic success in the university system and economic success in the market. Thus, community colleges bear the profound task of developing language skills and creating positive academic experiences for all students who are learning English.This phenomenological inquiry examines how English language learners constitute meaning from their experience of learning at a large community college in the southwest United States. The researcher conducted group and individual interviews with English language learners from 13 different countries of origin and 10 different first languages. Participants included international visa students and immigrant students.Cultural capital theory, including linguistic competence, was used to explain how the perceptions of linguistic competence affect the academic experience of different English language learners. The findings suggest that although some students may possess cultural capital that advantaged them in their home countries, without commensurate linguistic competence, academic literacy, and a new cognitive model for learning that cultural capital may not be rewarded with academic success in the United States. Additionally, the findings suggest that cultural capital theory may need to be adapted to explain how it manifests itself in this student population. A second theory, conceptual theory of metaphor, specifically Lakoff & Johnson's (1999) Event Structure Metaphor, provided a cognitive linguistic framework to the analysis of the language used by participants as they described their academic experience. Using the event structure metaphor, this analysis provides some support for the universal nature of metaphorical thought.

This study explores a form of transnational economy that involves cross border movements of students, families and business people that are motivated by education. A main objective of the study is to explore the interplay of structural factors and the agency of migrants in the development of this industry. Using interview data collected in Seoul, Korea and Vancouver, Canada, this study demonstrates that the globalization of the international education industry is not simply an economic process but a by-product of complex relations between many economic and non-economic factors. The intensification of globalization in general, and the rise of neo-liberalism in particular, have introduced macro structural changes in the political economies of both Korea and Canada that have had important implications for growth in the education industry. The role of nation-states is critical in that both Korean and Canadian national governments have delivered more relaxed policies regulating international migration and educational flows between the two countries. At the local level, both public and post-secondary educational institutions in Vancouver have become actively engaged in recruiting fee-paying international students. Ordinary migrants, both permanent residents and temporary visitors, play an important role in promoting Canadian education in the global market as well. The successful recruitment activities of local schools (and school boards) have been facilitated by Korean international education agencies operating in Vancouver. Relying on close social and cultural linkages between Korea and Canada, the transnational entrepreneurial activities of Korean immigrants demonstrate how globalization actually works in practice. With strong motivation and spatial mobility, the rising demands of Korean students and their parents have also been an important precursor of recent industrial growth. This seemingly smooth growth of the international education industry between Seoul and Vancouver, however, masks more complex dynamics of the process. I provide four critiques on taken-for-granted approaches towards neo-liberalism and economic globalization. Exploring immigrant participation at the heart of the knowledge economy (education), this study also asks if the entrepreneurial opportunities that are being cultivated by Korean-immigrants represent an innovative shift from traditional and low-level ethnic niche economies toward more lucrative opportunities.

This qualitative case study examines the way in which six adult learners and their teacher in a university language classroom narrativise their identities while reflecting on experiences in and outside of the classroom. This study determined that the identity positions of the student participants were strongly influenced by notions of normative cultural, national and religious identity categories, as well as the students’ experiences in environments that were characterized by high-stakes grading, and “native speaker” norms. Drawing on poststructural identity theories (Norton, 1995, 1997; Gee, 2001) and anti-colonial and anti-racist scholarship (Kubota and Lin, 2009), this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge that addresses the effects of subjective notions of identity and structural power relations on the experiences of adult learners. Additionally, it outlines some possible actions for teachers and policy-makers to counter some of the structural inequalities that negatively impact the identity negotiation of students.

This qualitative study of five Chinese or Korean international high school students takes place in the Greater Toronto Area and explores, from a sociocultural perspective, their discourse on the topics of differences between their home countries and Canada on matters of school structure, home life, and views on the model minority myth of Asian students excelling academically. The model minority myth is defined as homogenizing Asian students as an encompassing group of students whose academic success is attributed to their ethnicity. Through semi-structured interviews, it was discovered that most of the participants agreed that Asian students who had been educated outside of Canada were stronger academically in the subject of mathematics due to earlier and more rigorous training. These students also expressed their changing identities as independent students, the relevance of mathematics to their future academic and career goals, and their parents' support of them following their own goals.

This qualitative study of five Chinese or Korean international high school students takes place in the Greater Toronto Area and explores, from a sociocultural perspective, their discourse on the topics of differences between their home countries and Canada on matters of school structure, home life, and views on the model minority myth of Asian students excelling academically. The model minority myth is defined as homogenizing Asian students as an encompassing group of students whose academic success is attributed to their ethnicity. Through semi-structured interviews, it was discovered that most of the participants agreed that Asian students who had been educated outside of Canada were stronger academically in the subject of mathematics due to earlier and more rigorous training. These students also expressed their changing identities as independent students, the relevance of mathematics to their future academic and career goals, and their parents' support of them following their own goals.

This qualitative case study examines the way in which six adult learners and their teacher in a university language classroom narrativise their identities while reflecting on experiences in and outside of the classroom. This study determined that the identity positions of the student participants were strongly influenced by notions of normative cultural, national and religious identity categories, as well as the students’ experiences in environments that were characterized by high-stakes grading, and “native speaker” norms. Drawing on poststructural identity theories (Norton, 1995, 1997; Gee, 2001) and anti-colonial and anti-racist scholarship (Kubota and Lin, 2009), this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge that addresses the effects of subjective notions of identity and structural power relations on the experiences of adult learners. Additionally, it outlines some possible actions for teachers and policy-makers to counter some of the structural inequalities that negatively impact the identity negotiation of students.

In the 21st century, the mobility of world population has posed greater challenges to healthcare practitioners, since they are facing an increasingly diverse patient population from all over the world. At the same time, patients also find it difficult to access and utilize quality health care services in a culturally diverse context. This study examines the role of culture in Chinese international students’ health-seeking behaviours in Canada. The study explores any barriers/perceived barriers that Chinese international students may confront when accessing health care which can prevent them from obtaining quality health care services in Canada. To this end, an intercultural health communication model was employed as a theoretical framework, and semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection tool. While contributing to existing literature on health communication and culture, this study also hopes to contribute to providing Canadian universities and institutions important information regarding Chinese international students’ access to and utilization of health care services with the hope of enhancing the quality of ethnic health care and promoting better health outcomes.