Page 23 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience
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Alibhai, 1985; Mannan, 2007). There is a negative relationship between the extent of interaction with natives and academic problems (Pruitt, 1978) and social difficulties (Ward & Kennedy, 1993b).
Academic integration also merits special study. Previous research has shown that the learning experience has a greater impact on international student satisfaction than the arrival, living, or support experiences (Ammigan & Jones, 2018). Academic integration is complicated by differences in teaching styles and academic expectations between home and host countries (Aubrey, 1991; Roberts, Dunworth, & Boldy, 2017), as well as inadequate English proficiency and cultural knowledge (Andrade, 2006; Poyrazli et al., 2002; Zhang & Goodson, 2011).
Within international education, transnational education plays an important role. Forms of TNE include distance and online learning, partnerships and joint programs, and international branch campuses (IBCs). Research by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education found that IBCs enroll more than 100,000 students (Garrett et al., 2016). Studies have found evidence both for and against the equivalence of the academic experience1 at IBCs (Healey, 2018; Shams & Huisman, 2016; Ahmad, 2015; Altbach, 2010; Wilkins, 2020). For example, one study found that, while students are generally satisfied with the academic experience at IBCs, satisfaction would be improved if course content were geared toward the students’ context and environment (Ahmad, 2015). Other research indicates that students may have difficulty adapting to the teaching methods at the IBC, which are intended to be similar to those of the home university (Wilkins, Balakrishnan, & Huisman, 2012; Bhuian, 2016; Heffernan et al., 2010; Lee, 2017; Marginson, 2011).
Existing research on the experiences of international students, a relatively new area of research, points to the importance of developing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding. While research on
1  “Academic experience” is defined as in a 2014 report from the Higher Education Academy (HEA): “students’ interactions with the institution associated with their studies” (Temple et al., 2014).
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General Introduction
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