Page 58 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience

Chapter 3
student satisfaction rating between Russell Group and Non-Russell Group universities6. Pusser and Marginson (2013) suggest the most well-known rankings/league tables propagate dominant norms in global higher education rather than providing a useful tool to comprehensively evaluate institutional quality. Others have critiqued ranking systems for frequently changing their methodologies and call for quality assessments using other metrics (Altbach, 2012; Taylor & Braddock, 2007).
2. Size and Proportion of International Students
Research suggests that both quantity and quality of contact with domestic students impact international student satisfaction (Ward & Kennedy, 1993; Ward & Searle, 1991). The benefits of peer interaction are well-documented in literature and include social benefits such as improved communication skills inside and outside the classroom and higher intercultural understanding (Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005; Westwood & Barker, 1990); more confidence in communication in the second language (Noels, Pon & Clement, 1996), psychological benefits including reduced stress (Furnham & Li, 1993), and learning benefits including better adaptation to study abroad, fewer academic problems and more in-class peer interactions (Brouwer et al., 2016; Abel, 2002; Searle & Ward, 1990). A lower proportion of international students may mean more opportunities for interactions with domestic students due to increased exposure, resulting in higher satisfaction.
Few studies look specifically at the effect of the proportion of international students on the international student experience. A study by Spencer-Oatey & Dauber (2015) found that as the international student proportion increases, overall satisfaction decreases. Perhaps universities with a high proportion of international students allow fewer opportunities for interactions with host nationals, lowering satisfaction. Class size—an aspect that can be influenced by enrolment numbers—has been shown to negatively impact both satisfaction (Mavondo, Tsarenko, & Gabbott, 2004) and academic
6 The Russell Group is a self-selected association of 24 public research universities in the UK, established in 1994 and perceived by some as representing the universities with the best reputations in the country, although this is disputed (Russell Group, n.d.).
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