Page 80 - Movers, Shapers, and Everything in Between: Influencers of the International Student Experience
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Chapter 4
selling differentiated products tailored to local requirements. McDonalds, for example, offers a standardized core menu across its restaurants, but allows a high degree of localization at national level—for example, McDonalds substitutes chicken for beef in its ‘Big Macs’ in India and sells teriyaki pork and fried shrimp patties in Japan" (p. 624).
While universities are not multinational corporations, understanding that similar tensions may exist for universities that choose to open IBCs is an important starting place for understanding differences in the student experience at each campus.
For the purpose of this study, international students are considered “students who are not citizens of the country in which they study” (OECD, 2020). For example, a Chinese student enrolled at an IBC based in China would not be considered an international student, however, a Malaysian student enrolled at that IBC would be considered an international student.
reSeArCh QueStion
Based on the above literature, the central research question is: Do home and IBC-enrolled international undergraduate students differ in their satisfaction with the academic experience? The study will take into account students’ gender and stage of study, and the particular institution at which the student is enrolled, in order to account for any variance these variables contribute to satisfaction.
methodS
Design and Sample
This study uses a mixed methods approach to explore the research question above, drawing on the responses of undergraduate international students who answered the International Student Barometer (ISB) at the start of their academic year—Spring or Fall 2018, depending on the university’s location (Northern or Southern hemisphere) and corresponding academic calendar. The sample was limited to international students enrolled full time in degree granting programs and who were attending in person and on campus.

























































































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