Search results for "international student"

International Master’s Degree Students’ Well-being at a Finnish University During COVID-19

2020

The rapid developments and consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for university students' well-being are presently being studied across the world. This study contributes to the growing discourse on university students' well-being by exploring changes in international Master's degree students' well-being in relation to the move to online teaching and learning at a Finnish university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study draws on 37 answers to an open-ended question about remote teaching and learning at the end of a survey on university students' stress. The text data were analysed conducting a preliminary quantitative content analysis and a more detailed thematic analysis, from which two the…

The multivoicedness of written documentation: An international nursing student documenting in a second language

2017

Insights into the agency, positioning and development of professional Finnish language skills of international nursing students

2016

This article focuses on international students studying in an English-mediated nursing degree program in Finland. From sociocognitive and ecological perspectives, this study examines the development of the students’ professional Finnish language skills and agency during their practical training. In addition, this article explores how students are positioned as capable workers. To shed light on the students’ professional language skills, agency, and positionings, interviews with vocational teachers, head nurses, and two international nursing students are examined using narrative analysis. The findings suggest that due to their lack of Finnish language skills, international students are posit…

Distinctive and comparative places: Alternative narratives of distinction within international student mobility

2017

Moving beyond the ‘world-class’ institutional model of international student mobility, this paper examines alternative narratives of distinction relating to place of study. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with international students at universities in the UK, Austria and Latvia, we illustrate how students inside and outside mainstream reputable higher education institutions narrate and reconfigure markers of distinction to validate their international mobility and location of study, in part to compete with peers at other (more prestigious) institutions. We demonstrate the importance of lifestyle and experiential places within a global differentiated higher education landscape and argu…

The relationship between ICT use and reading literacy : focus on 15-year-old Finnish students in PISA studies

2014

“Come join us, and lose your accent!” : Accent Modification Courses as Hierarchization of International Student

2021

In this article, we examine the hierarchization of international students by bringing together perspectives of linguistic legitimacy and language ideologies. Our data stems from 26 accent reduction (AR) or accent modification (AM) course descriptions and websites from US universities. Based on their analysis, we discuss the socio-political implications of the phenomenon of these courses for international students and the ways in which language-based, particularly accent-based, arguments are used to create or reinforce different categories of students. We argue that while international students are presented as having different kinds of “comprehensibility problems” that AM/AR courses are cla…

Managing group work in the classroom: An international study on perceived benefits and risks based on students’ cultural background and gender

2018

Working in groups has become an essential part of success of every organization operating in global economy. Therefore, the business sector has created an imperative for higher education institutions (HEIs) to modify study programs and prepare students to be effective team players. However, while group work has been highly encouraged among university students, their opinions on this practice remain rather neglected. In addition, the role of culture and gender in students’ perceptions of group work has received little attention. The purpose of this study is to examine how university students perceive group work in terms of its benefits and risks and whether their national culture and gender …

Effects of Mobility Programmes on University Students' Academic Performance

2018

The number of students participating in mobility programmes has increased enormously over the years. The reasons are diverse and may range from personal growth to better employability prospects, together with improvement in foreign language skills and intercultural awareness. Mobility programmes receive generous funding from the European Commission, therefore their outcomes should be measured and evaluated. This paper focuses on a specific one: the academic effects of mobility programmes. We analyse whether there is an improvement in the academic performance of the students who participate in mobility programmes and, if this is the case, whether it is sustained over time. We use a broad dat…

Starptautisko studentu pielāgošanās augstākās izglītības iestādei izaicinājumi

2021

Starptautisko studentu uzņemšana Latvijas Universitātē pēdējās desmitgadēs ir ievērojami paplašinājusies. Šajā pētījumā tika pētīta starptautisko studentu pieredze akadēmiskajā un sociokulturālajā vidē. Kvalitatīvās intervijas rezultāti atklāja, ka ārvalstu studenti risina akadēmiskās problēmas, sociālo izolāciju, kā arī finansiālās problēmas un pielāgošanos kultūrai. Akadēmiskās problēmas ietvēra saziņu ar universitates mācībspēkiem, kursa biedriem un citu personālu. Studenti regulāri saskārās ar sociālo izolāciju, iesaistoties dažādās grupas aktivitātēs. Kultūras ziņā studentiem bija jāsaskaras ar dažādiem domāšanas un darbības veidiem Baltijas valstī (Latvijā). Lai pārvarētu izaicinājumu…

International student mobility in Southern-Latin Europe: beyond the EU logics, towards a new space

2018

This paper discusses international student mobility (ISM) in Southern-Latin Europe, specifically Italy, Portugal, and Spain, analysing the inflow of international students as reflected in the UNESCO, OECD and European Commission databases. Only recently Italy, Portugal and Spain, as latecomers, have become more actively involved in ISM dynamics. This trend has been a response to EU pressures to internationalization, instrumented through the consolidation of the Bologna process and the need to build a common space of higher education. The analysis shows that at the intra-European level Italy, Portugal and Spain share similar ISM patterns; however, in the global context other logics shape ISM…