Page 57 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

International students not only foster cultural exchange and international competencies in their academic communities, but also bring economic benefits. International students contributed over 300 billion USD to world economies in 2017, according to a study using UNESCO data (Choudaha, 2019). International students sometimes seek to remain in their host country after graduation, comprising much of the international labor migration flows in many countries and making significant contributions to the economy (OECD, 2020). Many countries, including the UK, allow international students to remain in the country for a certain period of time after graduating to seek employment or start a business, potentially bringing valuable skills and economic contributions to the country.
fACtorS impACtinG the internAtionAl Student experienCe
1. Reputation
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Factors Impacting Satisfaction
Much research has been conducted to understand how a university’s reputation affects student behavior, particularly in student decision- making (Bowman & Bastedo, 2009; Griffith & Rask, 2007; Palmer, O’Kane & Owens, 2009). There is evidence that—for better or worse— rankings and league tables influence the reputational assessments of prospective students (Bastedo & Bowman, 2010). Research by Lenton (2015) found that traditional universities in the UK elicited higher scores on the NSS (National Student Satisfaction) survey than modern universities, which they speculate is “possibly because the graduating body is aware of the reputational element of the university that is attached to their degree” (p. 126). Qenani, MacDougall and Sexton (2014) postulate that attendance at a university with a high reputation may confer certain unobservable attributes such as self- confidence, self-efficacy, and other skills valued by employers. It follows that a student’s satisfaction with their university experience might be influenced by their belief in bright prospects after graduation.
In contrast, some research suggests perceived reputation is a poor predictor of student experience, and that rankings and league tables can be harmful to higher education. Research by Nurunnabi, & Abdelhadi (2018) found no statistically significant difference on
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