Academic experiences of international PhD students in Australian higher education: From an EAP program to a PhD program

Abstract

For the last few decades, Australia has played a pivotal role in the supply of quality education to international students and other educational industries associated with them. In the higher education sector, in particular, international PhD student numbers continue to increase. However, the limited availability of resources for the students and the lack of investigation concerning the students indicate that there is a need for both higher education providers and other related stakeholders to understand and take into account the difficulties and challenges of international PhD students and their implications in the Australian academic context. While learning a new academic culture in a new country, international PhD students meet situations where they have to deal with a range of language problems, cultural differences and personal matters. The study reported in this article explores international non-English speaking background (NESB) students' experiences with university preparation programs and PhD programs and investigates the issues they face at an Australian university with a focus on factors affecting the NESB students' academic experiences. It provides implications for the teaching of postgraduate preparation programs and the supervision of international NESB PhD students at Australian universities.

Inside the Minds of Doctoral Students: Investigating Challenges in Theory and Practice

“…In line with existing literature, our findings reveal that, for HDR students to confidently complete their PhD candidature, they require holistic support not only for academic challenges but also for practical limitations (Buttery et al, 2005;Haksever & Manisali, 2000;Son & Park, 2014;Warburton & Macauley, 2014;Wright & Cochrane, 2000). The university, faculty, school, supervisors or self may provide this.…”

Postgraduate Research Students’ and their Supervisors’ Attitudes towards Supervision

“…Other student-related factors that may have an impact on the supervisory process and student progress may include student's personal (family, financial issues) or professional responsibilities (work and work related stress) outside the PhD. There could be additional factors related to relocation and settlement to a new country for international students, which affect their academic progress and PhD supervision process (Sherry, Thomas & Chui, 2010;Son & Park, 2014). Exploration of these issues was outside the scope of present study.…”

Socialising postgraduate students to success in an open and distance learning environment

“…However, she still experienced difficulties in the writing of her dissertation. She placed language as artefact in the circle closest to her, illustrating its importance, also with reference to the experiences of other Chinese students studying at Western universities (Lowinger et al 2014;Son and Park 2014).…”

“…Since 'all research is a dialogue with other experts' (Wisker et al 2007, 303), language is an important cultural artefact of academic study (Lowinger, He, Lin and Chang 2014;Son and Park 2014). It provides the conceptual tools to mediate a connection between the students' and others' cognitive activity when engaging with published work, when debating on issues with academics or peers, or through the writing of a research report.…”