Life satisfaction among inbound university students in northern Sweden

Abstract

Will life satisfaction among international students change after having an experience of studying abroad? Some previous studies indicate inequalities and issues of social mobility embedded in international student mobility. International student mobility implies physical movement and new experiences gained while studying abroad. The ubiquity of international students and their generally successful adaptation makes it necessary to understand how they manage to turn a seemingly difficult situation into satisfying adaptation. One area of such concern that this study sought to explore was the students’ level of satisfaction with life. This study investigated the self-reported life satisfaction of inbound university students upon arrival to a university in northern Sweden and at follow-up six months later. After the study period abroad, the students’ levels of perceived satisfaction with their somatic health and activities of daily living had significantly increased. Higher levels, while non-significant, were found for the domains life as a whole, study situation and economy. These findings may indicate that studying abroad could have an impact on students’ reported life satisfaction, which highlights the value of a period of studying abroad. However, when exploring life satisfaction outcomes among internationally mobile students, it seems pertinent to study student mobility within a context. This study mostly targets international student mobility in a Western/European context.

Detecting the Institutional Mediation of Push–Pull Factors on International Students’ Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Some scholars have focused on positive adjustment among international students to a new study system. Nilsson and Stålnacke's findings suggested that the inbound students had a marginally higher level of satisfaction with their study situation [11]. Therefore, satisfaction can be a useful indicator to evaluate international students' campus life.…”

“…It requires a degree of personal judgment to determine whether one's aspirations have been achieved [42]. Life satisfaction may involve one's academic situation, finances, daily life, partnership, and somatic and psychological health [11]. Moreover, previous studies have indicated life satisfaction is a significant indicator to evaluate how well international students have adjusted to their new studying situation [43,44].…”

“…This study took Taiwan as an example to explore the decisions of international students and their views on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of the study was different from a previous single institute survey of non-degree exchange students [11,12]. We considered degree-seeking students, with differences in institutes and the students' countries of origin, based on push-pull theory and the institutional situation.…”

Cultural and Social Capital in the Adaptation of Indonesian Students in the United States

“…Researchers enhance research novelty by utilizing the latest scientific advancements. The concept of cultural adaptation has been widely explored in various scientific fields, as demonstrated by Bashir et al (2021), Beaven and Spencer-Oatey (2016), Brown et al (2016), V. Chirkov et al (2007), Di Pietro (2015), King and Sondhi (2018), Le Huu Nghia (2019), Nilsson and Stålnacke (2019), Peng et al (2015), and Yang et al (2018). Their research indicates that students who study independently exhibit high adaptability.…”

Detecting the Institutional Mediation of Push–Pull Factors on International Students’ Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This study took Taiwan as an example to explore the decisions of international students and their views on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of the study was different from a previous single institute survey of non-degree exchange students [11,12]. We considered degree-seeking students, with differences in institutes and the students' countries of origin, based on push-pull theory and the institutional situation.…”