Page 20 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

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Chapter 1
the internationalization of higher education. Finland, for example, considers student mobility in addition to quality and impact measures when deciding on higher education funding (OECD, 2020b). Norway and Estonia take into account the proportion of international students at a university when deciding on its funding levels (OECD, 2019). Many countries, including the United Kingdom, allow international students to stay for a period of time after graduation to seek employment or start a business, which can bring valuable skills and economic contributions to the country. These students make up a large part of international labor migration flows in many countries and contribute significantly to the economy (OECD, 2020c).
Overall, the research described in this section paints a picture of growing international student mobility and the benefits of study abroad, highlighting the uniqueness and complexity of the international student experience. Understanding the factors that impact the experience of international students provides the foundation for the research in this thesis. The next section focuses on the international student experience.
underStAndinG the internAtionAl Student experienCe
Student experience is defined as “how students perceive interactions with [their] institution” (Tribal, 2021). One of the first empirical studies to address the concept of ‘student experience’ suggested that it encompasses many different aspects of higher education, noting that “what happens during face-to-face contact between student and lecturer is only part of the story” (Harvey, Burrows & Green, 1992). Other aspects such as the institutional context in which the student learns, including campus culture, resources, and support services, must also be considered as part of the experience.
Benckendorff, Ruhanen & Scott (2009) believe that “contemporary notions of the student experience extend well beyond the traditional focus on curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy to include the extracurricular activities of students and how universities respond to help students manage their external commitments” (p. 84). Research