Social Networks and the International Student Experience

Abstract

An implicit perception of international students is that they have difficulty in becoming involved in social exchange with other students who do not share their “culture” and language. This picture of a group of students isolated and disadvantaged by their lack of contact with “UK culture” is questioned in this article. Data from a recent research project suggests that international students form a strong international community that supports their learning and provides them with a supportive learning environment. Thus, contrary to perceptions, the strength of this international community challenges the view that international students need to develop social and academic exchange with UK students to get the most from their university experience. The international community of practice described here presents a picture of a more positive and active international student experience, with international students as the providers of support and knowledge within a supportive and purposeful student community.

Academic use of custom social networks in translation training

“…Many scholars suggest that students learn in new ways using social media and that educators should embrace these new platforms (Jenkins, 2006). Furthermore, the higher-education sphere is also beginning to use the SNs (Gray et al, 2010;Montgomery & McDowell, 2009;Yang & Cheng, 2010). In classrooms, this resource is sometimes used to create specific academic groups, forums, spaces for debate or virtual communities of practice, all of which are coordinated by a teacher or tutor with specialized knowledge of the topic at hand.…”

Local university students and intercultural interactions: conceptualising culture, seeing diversity and experiencing interactions

“…Of particular concern is the paucity of intercultural interactions involving local students (Dunne, 2009;Harrison, 2012). While some research suggests that international students are engaging in intercultural interactions (Montgomery & McDowell, 2009), this typically involves other international students. By contrast, local students experiences of diversity on campus are tangential, with international and local student cohorts often studying and socialising in parallel (Kimmel & Volet, 2012).…”

Found in translation: How brokering practices support international students' learning

“…While studies such as Montgomery andMcDowell (2009) andZappa-Hollman andDuff (2015) have identified classmates and other peers as a common source of academic peer support, these findings provide a more detailed understanding of different types of peers and their potential limitations. Peers in the same academic level were not typically more knowledgeable about academic matters than the seekers themselves.…”

“…Several studies have investigated the social dimension of international students' academic learning, suggesting the importance of peer relations (Che, 2013;Montgomery & McDowell, 2009;Nam & Beckett, 2011;Séror, 2011;Zappa-Hollman & Duff, 2015). Several studies, for example, highlight how peers were preferred over institutional advisors.…”

“…The strength of peer support is further highlighted in Montgomery and McDowell's (2009) U.K. study in which international students initiated study groups with each other to discuss lectures and assignments, obtain peer feedback, and prepare for examinations. In addition, Zappa-Hollman and Duff's (2015) study on Mexican exchange students at a Canadian university revealed co-national peers (i.e., those from the same country) provided reciprocal academic support such as jointly interpreting assignments and exchanging notes.…”