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Abstract
Many scholars have described the various challenges international students face in Western developed countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Some of the challenges include differences in culture, language barriers, adjustment problems, medical concerns, pedagogical challenges, housing issues, lack of support services, and financial difficulty. This paper explores some challenges of international students and implicates the need for host universities to provide more resources and support services towards meeting international students' academic and social needs. Aside from exploring the challenges, conflicts, and contradictions to the international student experience, and their implications to academic performance, the paper presents recommendations and suggestions to host universities on how to meet international students' varying academic and social needs.
Keywords: international students, adjustment issues, cultural variation, host countries, challenges, learning experience, developed countries, degree completion
Various scholars have explored the academic and social challenges international students face in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia (Alden, Ryder, Paulhus, & Dere, 2013; Li, Chen, & Duanmu, 2010; Ruble & Zhang, 2013). Of the various studies on international students' adjustment to education and life in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, a common theme which is always present is the difficulty experienced by international students as they pursue their education in foreign countries. Research on international students' experiences in Western developed countries is full of studies describing the difficulty faced by international students in those countries. Given that international students encounter social, cultural, financial, medical, adjustment, and academic challenges which invariably impact their educational performance, a responsibility lies with the U.S., the U.K., and Australian higher educational institutions to ensure that adequate provision of resources are provided to meet international students' diverse academic and social needs.
The call to address the social and academic needs of international students aligns with Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, and Thomas' (2006) assertion that, "to be successful in a changing and increasingly complex world, it is suggested that whole school communities need to work and learn together to take charge of change, finding the best ways to enhance young people's learning" (p. 222). In order to meet the academic and social needs of international students, host universities must be engaged in a collaborative effort to ensure students' success by implementing strategies and policies...