Assessing Educational Impact of International Students on Campus Internationalization - Part 2
1. Show me the money: Assessing international student economic impact. NAFSA has recently released the new interactive International Student Economic Value Tool which illustrates significant economic contributions made by international students to the U.S. economy, including new data on number of jobs created/supported by these contributions. The tool was developed working closely with Indiana University-Bloomington's Office of International Services Information Services team. There are also detailed reports available, offering detailed information about the economic benefit of international students in the United States. Here are just a few highlights from these resources:
In the 2011/2012 academic year:
2. Looking beyond economic impact - How do we perceive and what is the OVERALL impact of international students that walk, study, and live in our midst? We talk about internationalizing student experience in higher education, so what exactly does interaction with international students add to students' experience (and learning/development outcomes) from this perspective? What does it add to faculty and staff work style or approaches to teaching/support? To strategic efforts to internationalize our campus and curriculum?
I looked at student and T&L (teaching and learning) dimensions of curriculum and campus internationalization. Many of the authors whose works I explored, suggest the following areas of research to further look into this topic:
Research with domestic students: student attitudes towards cultural difference on campus and corresponding behaviors
Research has shown that the presence of international students, even in large numbers, is insufficient in itself to promote intercultural interactions with cultural "others" and to result in international understanding and overall campus internationalization. Rather, situations must be structured to foster these processes in order to see any long-term outcomes.Therefore it is clear we need to pose research questions and be open to emergent data on what factors affect the ways, in which U.S. students, faculty, staff, and the "system" on the whole engage with international student and what they learn in terms of global competence and intercultural skills.
Australian researchers Sophie Akoudis et al. (2010) remind us of research showing that student interactions are "important to developing cognitive understandings (De Lisi, 2002; King, 2002; Welikala & Watkins, 2008) and offers opportunities for learning (Ryan & Viete, 2009). In addition, peer interaction can provide learners with a greater sense of belonging and support, which may have a positive impact on student retention and learning achievement (Eames & Stewart, 2008; Huijser & Kimmins, 2008)." Their recommendations? One of them is planning classroom interaction drawing on student diversity, "to develop subject knowledge and skills in working across cultures."
There certainly has been some interesting research on attitudes and perceptions of international students by domestic students, staff and faculty as well. A 2009 study by Ciarán Dunne at the Dublin City University in Ireland looked at the factors influencing intercultural contact, and students' experiences of such contact. The findings suggested that "although nationality and age are used to differentiate students, the concept of “maturity”-underpinned by values and behaviors relating to academic motivations, responsibilities, and authority-is central to students' construction of cultural difference on campus" (Dunne, 2001). Karen Kimmel and Karen Volet united forces in 2012 and came up with a longitudinal questionnaire study in the EU and a follow-up in-depth interview study, looking at what role language proficiency, academic competencies, and cohort characteristics play in forming students’ intercultural encounters. The results suggest that "students’ own attitudes towards intercultural interactions may be affected by the quality of close peers’ experiences in culturally diverse groups " (Kimmel & Volet, 2012).
So we know that domestic students engage with cultural "others" selectively, based on specific factors such as international student English language proficiency, and student maturity level is likely to influence students' construction of and attitude towards cultural difference on campus. What other factors affect domestic students' engagement with difference? Is it student knowledge about various cultures? Or, perhaps, the perceived degree of university commitment to internationalization? What other hypotheses can you develop for students at your institution?
3. So...How about actually measuring the impact of international students on achieving university strategic internationalization goals? Moving into the research and other strategic dimensions here...
Most of these studies, I suspect, are conducted at the institutional level, so I will keep trying to gain access to those. Meanwhile, a couple of interesting studies provide food for thought, although do not outline specific indicators of success, methods or processes to collect impact data.
Dr. Coleen Ward laments the lack of studies exploring the impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions in her 2001 literature review prepared for the Export Education Policy Project of the New Zealand Ministry of Education. She states, "Although there is an extensive literature on cross-cultural differences in educational expectations and practices and considerable research on cross-cultural differences in student behaviors, there has been little to no direct investigation of how these impact on the international classroom. While there is considerable potential for bringing an international perspective to the classroom, and there have been examples of how this might be achieved, there has been little research on either the extent or the outcomes of such activities." (Ward, 2001).
More on developing research questions, operationalizing the definitions and developing useful indicators in the next post - stay tuned.
References
Arkoudis, S., Yu, X., Baik, C., Borland, H., Chang, S., Lang, I., Lang, J., Pearce, A., & Watty, K. (2010).
Finding common ground: Enhancing interaction between domestic and international students.
Mebourne, Australia: Australian Learning & Teaching Council.
Arkoudis, S., Baik, C., Marginson, S., & Cassidy. E. (2012). Internationalising the student experience in
Australian tertiary education: Developing criteria and indicators. Center for the Study of Higher
Education (University of Melbourne): Author. Retrieved on-line May 1, 2012 at
http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/internationalisation/docs/Janu_2012AEI_indicators.pdf.
Dunne, C. (2009). Host students' perspectives of intercultural contact in an Irish university. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 222-239
Kimmel, K. (2010) University students’ intercultural interactions and attitudes: A person-in-multiple-contexts perspective. PhD thesis, Murdoch University.
Kimmel, K. & Volet, K. (2012). University students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards culturally diverse group work: Does context matter? Journal of Studies in International Education, 16(2), 157-181
Ward, C. (2001). The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions. Export Education Policy Project, Ministry of Education
In the 2011/2012 academic year:
- The 764,000 plus international students enrolled contributed more than $21.8 billion to the U.S. economy.
- Nearly 300,000 jobs were supported in cities and communities across the United States.
- This breaks down to more than 110,000 jobs directly supported by international student spending and another 184,000 jobs indirectly supported.
2. Looking beyond economic impact - How do we perceive and what is the OVERALL impact of international students that walk, study, and live in our midst? We talk about internationalizing student experience in higher education, so what exactly does interaction with international students add to students' experience (and learning/development outcomes) from this perspective? What does it add to faculty and staff work style or approaches to teaching/support? To strategic efforts to internationalize our campus and curriculum?
I looked at student and T&L (teaching and learning) dimensions of curriculum and campus internationalization. Many of the authors whose works I explored, suggest the following areas of research to further look into this topic:
- Research with domestic students
- Research with faculty members
- Research with home stay families and community organizations involved with international students
- Evaluation studies of intervention strategies
- Longitudinal studies.
Research with domestic students: student attitudes towards cultural difference on campus and corresponding behaviors
Research has shown that the presence of international students, even in large numbers, is insufficient in itself to promote intercultural interactions with cultural "others" and to result in international understanding and overall campus internationalization. Rather, situations must be structured to foster these processes in order to see any long-term outcomes.Therefore it is clear we need to pose research questions and be open to emergent data on what factors affect the ways, in which U.S. students, faculty, staff, and the "system" on the whole engage with international student and what they learn in terms of global competence and intercultural skills.
Australian researchers Sophie Akoudis et al. (2010) remind us of research showing that student interactions are "important to developing cognitive understandings (De Lisi, 2002; King, 2002; Welikala & Watkins, 2008) and offers opportunities for learning (Ryan & Viete, 2009). In addition, peer interaction can provide learners with a greater sense of belonging and support, which may have a positive impact on student retention and learning achievement (Eames & Stewart, 2008; Huijser & Kimmins, 2008)." Their recommendations? One of them is planning classroom interaction drawing on student diversity, "to develop subject knowledge and skills in working across cultures."
There certainly has been some interesting research on attitudes and perceptions of international students by domestic students, staff and faculty as well. A 2009 study by Ciarán Dunne at the Dublin City University in Ireland looked at the factors influencing intercultural contact, and students' experiences of such contact. The findings suggested that "although nationality and age are used to differentiate students, the concept of “maturity”-underpinned by values and behaviors relating to academic motivations, responsibilities, and authority-is central to students' construction of cultural difference on campus" (Dunne, 2001). Karen Kimmel and Karen Volet united forces in 2012 and came up with a longitudinal questionnaire study in the EU and a follow-up in-depth interview study, looking at what role language proficiency, academic competencies, and cohort characteristics play in forming students’ intercultural encounters. The results suggest that "students’ own attitudes towards intercultural interactions may be affected by the quality of close peers’ experiences in culturally diverse groups " (Kimmel & Volet, 2012).
So we know that domestic students engage with cultural "others" selectively, based on specific factors such as international student English language proficiency, and student maturity level is likely to influence students' construction of and attitude towards cultural difference on campus. What other factors affect domestic students' engagement with difference? Is it student knowledge about various cultures? Or, perhaps, the perceived degree of university commitment to internationalization? What other hypotheses can you develop for students at your institution?
3. So...How about actually measuring the impact of international students on achieving university strategic internationalization goals? Moving into the research and other strategic dimensions here...
Most of these studies, I suspect, are conducted at the institutional level, so I will keep trying to gain access to those. Meanwhile, a couple of interesting studies provide food for thought, although do not outline specific indicators of success, methods or processes to collect impact data.
Dr. Coleen Ward laments the lack of studies exploring the impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions in her 2001 literature review prepared for the Export Education Policy Project of the New Zealand Ministry of Education. She states, "Although there is an extensive literature on cross-cultural differences in educational expectations and practices and considerable research on cross-cultural differences in student behaviors, there has been little to no direct investigation of how these impact on the international classroom. While there is considerable potential for bringing an international perspective to the classroom, and there have been examples of how this might be achieved, there has been little research on either the extent or the outcomes of such activities." (Ward, 2001).
More on developing research questions, operationalizing the definitions and developing useful indicators in the next post - stay tuned.
References
Arkoudis, S., Yu, X., Baik, C., Borland, H., Chang, S., Lang, I., Lang, J., Pearce, A., & Watty, K. (2010).
Finding common ground: Enhancing interaction between domestic and international students.
Mebourne, Australia: Australian Learning & Teaching Council.
Arkoudis, S., Baik, C., Marginson, S., & Cassidy. E. (2012). Internationalising the student experience in
Australian tertiary education: Developing criteria and indicators. Center for the Study of Higher
Education (University of Melbourne): Author. Retrieved on-line May 1, 2012 at
http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/internationalisation/docs/Janu_2012AEI_indicators.pdf.
Dunne, C. (2009). Host students' perspectives of intercultural contact in an Irish university. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 222-239
Kimmel, K. (2010) University students’ intercultural interactions and attitudes: A person-in-multiple-contexts perspective. PhD thesis, Murdoch University.
Kimmel, K. & Volet, K. (2012). University students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards culturally diverse group work: Does context matter? Journal of Studies in International Education, 16(2), 157-181
Ward, C. (2001). The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions. Export Education Policy Project, Ministry of Education