Page 67 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

work with others on course”. Whether interaction and integration partly explain the apparent link between proportion of international students and satisfaction is explored in the discussion below. None of the other variables were predictive of overall satisfaction.
diSCuSSion
Results indicate that international student satisfaction is influenced by the student’s stage of study, the reputation of the university, and the proportion of international students enrolled. None of the other variables were found to be predictive. Though associations are generally small, suggesting that there are other factors that also play a role in this complex relationship, knowing that these factors influence satisfaction allows decision-makers at universities to better plan for and adapt to changes affecting the international student experience.
Some of the factors, including gender, city size, and the number of undergraduates enrolled, did not predict satisfaction. It is nevertheless worth considering further what role gender may play in student satisfaction, since previous research has revealed gender differences in satisfaction with education consumption (Bendall-Lyon & Powers, 2002). In particular, females are more likely than males to consider the strength of their relationship with a service provider when making judgements (Bhagat & Williams, 2008), which might apply to the higher education context. Male and female international students may experience their time abroad differently, as there is evidence that they differ in social and interpersonal skills relevant to multicultural settings (Sinangil & Ones, 2003). While previous research has found evidence that differences exist, gender was not found to predict international student satisfaction in this study.
The three factors that were found to be predictive of international student satisfaction are discussed below.
Reputation of University
International student satisfaction with the living experience is positively correlated with the reputation of the university. An organizational
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Factors Impacting Satisfaction
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