Challenges Facing Foreign Students in the United Kingdom - Research Paper Example

CHALLEGES FACING FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction This report has been put together to lay out the problems that international students face in their endeavors to pursue learning in the United Kingdom. The primary area of focus in this report is tertiary education. This is because it is in the pursuit of higher learning that foreign students are attracted to the most. The challenges that are outlined in this report are those that have are in line with previous research on this issue. The research in question is with regard to various reports with particular inclination to published journals of International Education as well as other prominent works in this research field. It should be noted however that the material outlined was only used as a guideline in laying out procedural steps in the research process as well as verifying common challenges. This would mean that data entry in this report is specific only to actual research carried out for it. The justification for writing this report lays in the fact that there is a need to sustain and increase the number of students that actually come into the United Kingdom for their studies. There are two major reasons why this sustenance and increase is relevant. The first is for the sole reason that this is an income mechanism for the government and as such contributes heavily in the economic progress[Mic09]. The second is that the quality of education being offered is the United Kingdom is being improved by the diversity of this interaction with foreign students. This is because there are various aspects and elements that have been improved to attract these students and should the number decrease this constant versatility in the system will also experience a decrease. This report will focus on certain specific areas. The first area is challenges that may be experienced with regard to regional orientation. This is specific to the home country and language orientation that a student comes from and how this may pose difficulty in the new settlement. The second focal point is challenges with regard to the educational discipline that a student is pursuing. The third focal point challenges with regard to support garnered from administrational authorities. The fourth focal point is the challenge of financial strain and the very last one is adoption to a culture change of a foreign origin. This report was carried out in various procedural aspects and they are the main stages that were undertaken in putting together this report. These major procedural aspects areas such as the mode of data collection, the area(s) of study that the project was based, the analysis and evaluation of data, the conclusion and the recommendations. This will illustrate all the technicalities and logistics that were involved in the research. These steps have been followed to the letter in a bid to avoid lack of transparency and as a result, credibility of the situation. The report took to heart any information provided during research as long as it was comprehendible. It should be noted that the data and findings of this report are but a portrayal of the current situation of the problem and as such could fluctuate at any point in time. The focal points of the study as well as the procedural stages will all be covered in the manner that they were listed, which is beginning from the first in the listing. Methodology The Secondary data in this research came from the internet that is the previously mentioned journals of education. This journals proved relevant in that their field of focus was similar to the one covered by the research while at the same time the authors of these journals had firsthand experience of the situation. There were also articles such as the Intercultural Education by the University of Birmingham and “Extracurricular activities and the adjustment of Asian international students: A study of Japanese students” by Teru Toyokawa and Noriko Toyokawa. There was no use of tangible print sources as the journals above provided sufficient information on the issue at hand and acted as a guideline. It should be noted that the secondary data used in this research was one that was well authenticated by the necessary print and research bodies and as such the findings in the journals are valid. The primary research was done by use of questionnaires, interviews and by means of observation. These were the modes that were identified as being particularly suitable for these research projects [Ran11]. The research was carried out in 4 distinct tertiary institutions. Once questionnaires were handed out, instructions were given to the participants on how to handle the questionnaires in order to avoid cases of misfiling and confusion. The questionnaires were handed out to equal numbers of students in each institution. The questions contained in them were a similar set. 20 interviews were carried out in each institution that is 10 administration officials and 10 Students. Observation was used in carefully evaluating the interaction between this students and the administration of the institutions, their relationships among themselves, and their relationships with the local students. It should be noted however that although each mode of primary data collection was accorded the utmost importance, there was a lot of focus on the questionnaires as the main mode of information gathering. This is because of the uniformity questionnaires presented. The questions that were contained in the questionnaire were 15. This is because this number appeared fair that is it was neither too bulky nor incomprehensive. The aim of asking this number of questions was to ensure that the number of questions did not way down on the person that was answering them. This is because in the incident that the information required was too much there is the possibility that he/she could get defensive or in the occurrence of fatigue, provide less accurate information. The aim of inquiring using 15 questions and not less was to ensure that the information provided was detailed. This increases the intricacy and accuracy of this information[Yan09]. The information that was collected using the questionnaires was then supplemented by other means of information gathering. With all these modes in place, there was a less likely chance of an error occurring. The questions that were presented in the questionnaires covered every aspect that was a focal point in the research. The first question was their country of origin and whether this posed any challenges in their education pursuit. The second question was the academic discipline that they were pursuing and if/how this posed a challenge in their education curriculum. The third question was with regard to the support they were receiving from the administration authorities and how this lessened or increased the challenges they were facing. The fourth question was with regard to the adjustment to the financial element in a foreign country and whether/how this posed a challenge. The fifth and final question was with regard to the cultural adaptation in a foreign country and whether/how this posed a challenge. The candidates for these questionnaires were asked to ensure that their answers detailed to paint a clear cut picture of the situation. It is important to ensure that the number of people one involves as participants does not end up posing a challenge in the eventual evaluation[Ran11]. This is to say that the number should not be too big for analysis with the available manpower nor should it be too little and make the information garnered sketchy and irrelevant. With this regard, the questionnaires were handed out in 4 institutions. In each institution, they were handed out to [MAU06]15adminstration officials and 15 foreign students. This came down to a total of 120 questionnaires. This was the expected number of questionnaires handed out for data collection. With the aim of ensuring that there was security in the event that questionnaires were destroyed, not handed back in or incomprehensively answered, every institution received an additional 10 questionnaires. Therefore, it should be noted that of the 120 questionnaires only 80 of the most comprehensive and detailed were used in the evaluation process. Findings and Analysis Out of the 80 questionnaires that were handed out, it was discovered that 46 of them cited their regional orientation and native language as the greatest barrier in their pursuit of education. 16 of them cited the differences in culture as their greatest challenge, 8 of them cited their educational pursuits as being a little biased to their foreignness, 5 of them cited financial difficulties whilst 2 students cited lack of support from administrational authorities in their transition. Three students cited all the above as equal challenges in their pursuit of education in the United Kingdom. The observation and interviews went further on to certify the same data and proved that the percentages recorded were fairly adequate. According to interviews with the institutions admission board, surveys that they had previously conducted reflected pretty much the same numbers. Once it was established that language and origin orientation was the greatest challenge, the participants that had cited the barrier were then classified into their countries of origin. This illustrated that Chinese students had the greatest difficulty settling into the United Kingdom language dimension, followed by Indians, Africans, Americans and Canadians in that order. It should be noted that in the African category majority of the students were from Nigeria and they had the greatest challenge deficiency. These results were in fact not in line with the original hypothesis and it was after various interviews that it was discovered that most of these foreign students found it difficult to site this as a problem owing to the fact that they were embarrassed by it. The fact that most records showed very little attention to this crisis only further illustrates the lack of seriousness the problem has been accorded. THE MOST COMMON CHALLENGES FACED BY FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Recommendations for students The eventual conclusion was that language was so big a barrier it was a root cause for all other challenges and hence tackling it would solve a great percentage of these challenges. As it was noted that from observation during class attendances, foreign student tend to shy away from speaking out for themselves. For instance, if the lecture facilitator speaks too fast and they miss a point they do not voice it out and instead sit through the rest of the lecture not comprehending the facilitation. It would do them more good than harm to speak out more not only. During lectures but if they are having difficulties with any other facilities. It was also concluded that a little more interaction with the local students would help them ease into the system a bit faster and make their experience a little less difficult[MAU06]. There is no better way to comprehend a language other than reading. This in mind it would be useful to them should they try reading books in British English in order to get better acquitted with the language. This could be taken up during their free time and is the most certain way to deal with the challenge. Furthermore their attitude towards the language is very important. They should have a positive attitude towards the whole experience as lack of it is another challenge in itself[Ter02]. Attitude is the first step that they should encompass in their regime of tackling the challenge and it determines on a large scale whether or not they will be successful. With this steps in place they are definitely going to find their cruise the system less bumpier and manageable. Recommendations for institutions In most of the institutions there was no time taken for orientation. The orientation programs that are actually offered only focus on acquainting them with the available facilities. There is no personal touch to this and hence the students maintain an aloof attitude for a lot of time. The process of orientation should be a bit less formal in order to ensure that the students are actually comfortable and ready to embark on their programs rather than letting them find their own way[Mic09]. The facilitators of the various programs should also be a little more sensitive to the plight of these students and take them through the syllabus with much more empathy. They should be informed by the institution if they have foreign students in their class so as to facilitate at a pace that does not completely throw them off. There should be constant motivation programs for these students[Rac11]. This motivation will not only assist in changing their attitudes but also in relating to experiences of people that were in the same situation as they are and were able to triumph. This motivation programs should occur over constant time frames to mentor them. The final recommendation is for the institutions to put in place evaluation programs to analyze the progress they have made with these students. It is only through evaluation that they can be able to tell whether the students are still having difficulty settling in. This will ensure that they are able to improve the friendliness of the institution and its facilities to students of a foreign orientation and as a result promote sustainability of the relationship of the United Kingdom with other countries. Being far from home would pose a challenge to any person and as such institutions that are the new home of these students need to ensure their comfort is ensured. Education in itself is a difficult process and one that becomes bitter if it is being pursued far from one’s loved ones and security. If this situation becomes clear to these institutions then they will make it a point to improve these students’ experiences. The United Kingdom has been an education preference setting for students all over the world. If this situation is to be maintained, the above recommendations should be enacted with the mindset that time is of the essence. Bibliography Mic09: , (Michele Schweisfurth, 2009), Ran11: , (Ramachandran, 2011), Yan09: , (Mi, 2009 ), Ran11: , (Ramachandran, 2011), MAU06: , (ANDRADE, 2006), MAU06: , (ANDRADE, 2006), Ter02: , (Teru Toyokawa, 2002), Rac11: , (Rachel A. Smith, 2011 ), THEMATIC MATRIX Author Page Primary Theme Secondary Theme Andrade 21 Educational Disciplines Origin and Language Orientation Mi 14 Language Stigmatization Michele 8 Cultural Adaptation Origin Orientation Rachel 6 Culture Shock Marginalization Ramachandran 15 Origin Orientation Language Teru 9 Finance Language Read More