Page 115 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

This chapter reviews the results of the four empirical studies and highlights the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. It addresses the limitations of the data and suggests avenues for further research.
SummAry of findinGS
The research in this thesis reveals factors that impact the international student experience, and how they impact it. Taken together, these studies underscore the importance of examining the student experience from the perspective of the students themselves. Below is a summary of the findings from each study.
Study 1: The Role of Integration in Understanding Differences in Satisfac- tion Among Chinese, Indian, and South Korean Students
This study examined the relationship between integration, nationality, and self-reported satisfaction among international students from China, India, and South Korea who studied in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in 2015. The study took a quantitative approach based on data from the International Student Barometer (ISB), which included 5,242 student responses in the areas of academic and social integration and satisfaction with the learning, living, and support experience at university. The study used factor analysis to identify constructs to measure social and academic integration across nationalities. These constructs were then used to test for differences between nationalities in levels of integration and self-reported satisfaction. ANOVA and linear regression examined the relationships between nationality and integration, nationality and satisfaction, and integration and satisfaction. These analyses were used to build a model that integration plays a mediating role in the relationship between nationality and satisfaction.
The first research question in this study aimed to understand how satisfaction and integration differ among students of different nationalities. The researchers hypothesized that satisfaction would vary significantly among Chinese, Indian, and South Korean students
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Discussion and Conclusions
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