As the growth of Internationalisation of Higher Education shifts from former dominant nations like USA, Canada, England and Australia to other nations in Europe and Asia such as Germany, Sweden, Japan and Singapore, this study seeks to understand the decision-making process of an International Student looking to study at a Swedish University. Borrowing from previous studies, the ‘push and pull factors’ are used as the main theoretical reference as well as in discussion of the findings. Specific factors special to Sweden and the European Union in general such as visa policies and tuition fees are also discussed. For empirical data, international students already undertaking various master’s programmes as well as former master’s students at the Swedish university answer an online questionnaire pertaining to: decision to study abroad, decision to study in Sweden and decision to study at the particular Swedish University. Moreover, empirical data includes an interview with a representative of the university under analysis. In-depth analyses of data using Standard Deviation (SD), calculation of p value, ANOVA and Tukey’s tests are also performed to give clear comparisons of the various data sets such as ‘programme specialisation’ and ‘home country’ and their influence on the decision-making process. Personal satisfaction and better career prospects are identified as the major ‘push factors’. Programme quality and requirements, Sweden’s quality of life and health of environment, safe place to study, and location in the European Union are identified as main ‘pull factors’. It is found out that the home country of international students has a huge influence on their decisions to study abroad/ in Sweden/ at a certain university, although specialization also has influence, it appears to be drastically less. The findings have important implications in helping aspiring students make informed decisions as they consider choice of country and university, as well as implications for Higher Education Institutions as they respond to the demands created by globalisation of higher education, and subsequently endeavour to attract more international students through marketing or curriculum development of their programmes.

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This study focuses on the problems of international students as perceived by both international students and faculty in a public university. The major purposes of the study are to determine if there are significant differences in perceptions of the problems of international students between international students and faculty members, between groups of international students, and between groups of faculty members. A modification of an international student problem inventory instrument was used to collect data from 371 international students and 316 faculty members. Thirteen hypotheses were tested using frequency and percentages, analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and univariate analysis of variance, as required according to the data collected and the hypothesis being tested.

In a world that is fraught with changing paradigms, we transverse its length and breadth in search of meanings and explanations to its social dynamism with a view to broadening our understanding thereby making sense out of all the confusions. This qualitative study seeks to investigate social integration challenges confronting international students within Visby, Gotland. The study is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory using the concept of Basic Needs, safety, Belongingness, Participation, Acceptance, and fulfillment to investigate the challenges of social integration. The study adopts qualitative methodology with the use of a semi-structured interview as a data collection method through a purposeful sample size selection of 12 respondents who are international students from a non – EU extraction. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The study came up with five findings, namely: Language Barrier, COVID 19, Sense of Isolation, Period of Study, and lack of registration number as the most visible challenges. The empirical findings corroborate with Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theoretical postulations. The benefits and recommendations of the findings can serve as a guide for policymakers on how to enhance international student integration in the future.

abstract: The purposes of this dissertation are two-fold. First, it aims to re-examine the new generation of Chinese students in the United States (U.S.) in light of the changing international and educational contexts. Second, the dissertation seeks to understand the new generation of Chinese students’ experience in First-year Composition (FYC) classes in a public U.S. university. A model of dynamic sociocultural approach is developed and applied to explore this new generation of Chinese students. Compared to previous generations of overseas students, the new generation is substantially different in their backgrounds and shares their own unique characteristics. Taking a sociocultural approach, this dissertation undertakes a systematic examination to delineate Chinese overseas students’ demographic trends over time, the backgrounds and characteristics of the new generation, the motivations for them studying in the United States, and the pathways these students take to come to the U.S. universities. Furthermore, this dissertation explores the experiences of 23 Chinese undergraduate student participants in FYC classes at a U.S. university. In the past decade, with a soaring number of Chinese undergraduate students, there is a dramatic rise in the number of Chinese students in FYC classes. Compared with their previous English education and learning experience in China, what these Chinese undergraduates are experiencing and how them adapting to in their FYC classes will shed light to better understanding of this new generation, as well as how their previous educational experience in China overlap, facilitate, or collide with their current studying in the United States. This dissertation enriches the literature on understanding the new generation of Chinese students, their background, and their adjustments to foreign countries and new educational environments. Using the dynamic sociocultural approach, the study provides teachers and administrators an approach for viewing Chinese and other second language (L2) students in a more holistic way. To a greater extent, the study has implications on how to meet the challenges of diversity in our universities and how to help students with different home cultural backgrounds to succeed in class. The results can also be used to improve the services and programs in the U.S. higher education institutions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2020

<p>In counseling psychology, which counts social justice and multiculturalism issues among its central values, international students represent a sizeable student body. However, there has been concerns about whether the training programs and filed are providing adequate support and training experiences for international students. Considering unique nature of international students experience in counseling psychology and needs for individualized support, the researcher sought to explore international students’ mentoring experience, an effective form of guidance. To understand the complex nature of international students’ mentoring experience, Chat et al.’s (2015) multicultural, ecological, and relational model of mentoring was used as theoretical framework of the current study. Through CQR, the researcher pursued an in-depth understanding of international students’ mentoring experiences. The results of the current study provided valuable information of international students’ contextual factors in understanding mentoring experience, international students’ perception of their mentoring experiences, importance of quality mentoring relationship, impacts of mentorship, and examples of negative experiences in mentoring relationship. Finally, I provide implications for current and future mentors of international students, for international students in counseling psychology, and for training programs and the field of counseling psychology. </p>

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Thesis advisor: Rebecca C. Schendel / Increased student mobility has been one of the most significant developments observed in the global landscape of higher education. Yet, research on student mobility often takes an individualized perspective on the benefits learners possess through internationalization. Meanwhile, the last two years were marked by the emergence of a new direction in internationalization - the Internationalization of Higher Education for Society (IHES). The surge in studies on how institutions can contribute to society through their internationalization strategies and efforts has proven that the phenomenon which for a long time was focused on individual gains and institutional branding, can evolve and address the larger purpose it serves. However, while many of these works highlight the directions IHES should follow and present good practices, still little is known about international students' perspectives of these dimensions. As a group that was identified as one of the vivid actors of IHES, it is not only reasonable but crucial to gain insight into their understandings, experience, and valorization of this topic. The primary objective of the study is to investigate how students understand the sense of global identity and community engagement through education abroad. By listening to their voices, it makes a methodological contribution in terms of extending the understanding of student mobility as an inherent part of the internationalization discourse in the globalized world. Furthermore, analyzing these voices and deducting their meanings serves towards the materialization of ill-defined concepts of global citizenship and International Higher Education for Society. Finally, the study aims at building a more complex understanding of the current state of international higher education phenomena by exploring connections between internationalization and its missions to society. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Institutions of higher education continue to try and find new ways to help students persist in college (Kinzie & Kuh, 2017). One compelling tool to help students succeed comes from Dweck’s (1999) Mindset model. The model depicts intelligence as either fixed or growth; meaning intelligence can be viewed as unchangeable or malleable. Students with a growth mindset recover from failure quicker, overcome challenges faster, and see difficulty as a positive challenge instead of questioning their intelligence. With the many challenges domestic students face persisting in college, international students studying abroad face additional factors inhibiting their motivation and ability to succeed. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether Dweck’s (1999) 8-item Mindset sub-scale could be valid with international students studying within the United States. A multiple-sample confirmatory factor analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was used to assess measurement invariance with domestic (n = 1809) and international (n = 275) students at a large-midwestern university. The secondary purpose was to determine whether GPA, gender, year-in-school, English language proficiency, and first-generation status impacted international student mindset scores. A seemingly unrelated regression was used to determine if there were any differences in the sub-group population of international students (n = 268). Results indicated Dweck’s (1999) Mindset Scale is valid for use with international students studying within the U.S. and significant differences were found in the mindset scores within gender, academic rank, age, and first-generation status. The results of this study inform the literature and institutions of higher education on how Dweck’s (1999) mindset model can be used as another tool to help international students succeed in college. Future research implications were shared and discussed.