Term time employment of tertiary students has increased dramatically following funding policy changes in the global Higher Education sector. Taking a comparative approach, this study of students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, investigates the decision to work during the academic term, the characteristics of such employment, and the perceived impacts on the university experiences of New Zealand domestic and Chinese international students. The study revealed similarities and differences between the two largest student populations. Compared to their New Zealand peers, Chinese international students are less likely to take term time employment. Among those who have worked, New Zealand domestic students do so for financial reasons, while Chinese international students value the work experience in the host country. Chinese international students receive much lower wages and tend to have shorter employment durations. In terms of perceived impacts, both New Zealand domestic and Chinese international students express a generally positive attitude towards their employment decisions, with a limited but clear awareness of the negative impacts. Interestingly, for those who have never worked, Chinese international students indicate a much stronger willingness to join the student workforce in the future. New Zealand domestic students, however, are much less likely to work if they can afford not to. This research provides empirical information about international students’ term time employment in the New Zealand context. Specific advice and mentoring services are needed at both university and government levels to provide ‘a more safe and supportive’ employment environment, especially for international students.

Studies have shown that when young EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners participate in oral collaboration tasks, it may have both positive and negative effects for them. Nearly all of the research done in this area has been carried out on older learners, which makes the information related to younger learners relatively narrow. In the last decade, however, research done with young learners has gradually increased. This has led to elementary school teachers being given a wider range of knowledge regarding oral collaborative tasks and their impact on their students. Through a handful of selected research carried out on young English learners, this study’s aim is to highlight both positive and negative impacts that oral collaboration tasks may have on students in elementary school (K3). All of the research from our selected articles was conducted through observation in the classroom, in which two of them included students’ own perceptions. Different factors can have an influence on oral collaboration tasks, such as patterns of interaction, task content, attitudes and feelings, and the teacher’s role.