International Undergraduate Student Engagement: Implications for Higher Education Administrators

Abstract

Much has been written about engaging international students in their new campus environments. However, there is still a gap between literature and practice in terms of such students’ initial experiences. A systematic review of 48 studies published between 2007 and 2018 was conducted to locate the research gaps, examine how and in what areas international undergraduate students are being encouraged to participate, and their unique experiences with the process. The findings show that few studies focused solely on international undergraduates. Their engagement varied depending on the student’s background, major, region, and type of institution. These students faced unique and uneven experiences with social support, academics, community identity, connectedness, and perceived discrimination. Implications for higher education administrators, international students, and researchers suggested.

A study into wellbeing, student engagement and resilience in early-adolescent international school students

“…Student engagement is another field of growing interest within the international education (school and university level) sectors (Baxter, 2019; Green, 2019; Metro-Roland, 2018; Trinh and Conner, 2019; Wekullo, 2019). A strong correlation has been reported between student engagement and wellbeing amongst tertiary-aged international students (Pietarinen et al, 2014; Trowler, 2010), which suggests that wellbeing and student engagement are interrelated constructs.…”

Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Inclusion in the Higher Education Classroom: Tips for the Next Decade of Implementation

“…This UDL principle is perhaps the most tricky when it comes to implementation. Most HE instructors indeed will be quick to assess they are focused on learner engagement [45,46]. Learner engagement has become almost a buzz word within HE Teaching and Learning, but it can remain quite shallow as a concept [47,48].…”

The Experience of International Students and Institutional Recommendations: A Comparison Between the Students From the Developing and Developed Regions

“…Researchers have recommended that given the economic and global importance of the international students, their experience should be considered as an issue of customer satisfaction (Wearring et al, 2015). In a study, Wekullo (2019) also recommended that future research should investigate the ways that international students react to their particular experiences. The experiences of international students often include the challenges of functioning in a different educational system and cultural setting at a great distance from their families and current social support links (Horne et al, 2018).…”

“…The experiences of international students often include the challenges of functioning in a different educational system and cultural setting at a great distance from their families and current social support links (Horne et al, 2018). However, because they compose an increasing and diverse population, the unique experiences of international students have traditionally been overlooked (Wekullo, 2019). The current literature lacks sufficient research to provide a comprehensive understanding of the expectations, motivations, and experiences of international students in non-native English-speaking countries (Calikoglu, 2018).…”

“…These factors include the satisfaction of international students with academics, security, community engagement, relationships, and home life (Arambewela and Hall, 2013). Other important factors include academic, social, and perceived discrimination (Wekullo, 2019), and support services (Ammigan and Jones, 2018). Understanding the implications of these factors can help attract more foreign students by boosting the image of the University in other countries (Chelliah et al, 2019).…”