International Students at University: Understanding the Student Experience

ISBN-13: 9783034310369 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 233 str.

Wilson, Rachel

Opis

Education of international students is central to the aims, orientation and financial viability of many universities. However, the way that culture impacts on the experiences of international students remains largely unexplored. This may be due to two factors: first, much of the previous research treats the entire international cohort as a homogeneous group without investigating the diversity of cultural backgrounds and; second, the research methods used to investigate student experiences in universities are dominated by quantitative surveys that leave little room for exploring personal perspectives and new issues. This book higlights the cultural issues that emerge in the experiences of international students. The authors explore the Australian international tertiary education sector and focus on one cultural group. Through a culturally-sensitive theoretical framework, the experiences of students from the Indian subcontinent are given voice. The resulting personal accounts provide a platform upon which more appropriate policy, marketing, pedagogy and future research can develop to provide tertiary systems that are more responsive to the needs of students."

Spis treści

Contents: International Students in Australia - The Historical Context - International Students in Australia - The Student Experience - Theoretical Perspectives - Postcolonial Strategies of Intervention - The Enigma of Arrival - Situating the Postcolonial Identity in the Metropolitan Center - Colonial Knowledge - Post-colonial Identities.

O autorze

Harshi Gunawardena studied Education at the University of Sydney and has worked on a range of education and social policy initiatives. She currently works for the New South Wales State Government on community programs to address social disadvantage.
Rachel Wilson is Senior Lecturer in Research Methodology & Educational Assessment at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. She researches and publishes on a wide range of educational issues.