2011 NASPA Annual Conference s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania s March 12–16, 2011

Engagement For All? International Students’

Perceptions of NSSE

March 15, 2011 at 12:15 pmMichelle Suderman

The University of British Columbia

Student Engagement Theory

• What students do matters more than who they are or where they attend

• Time and energy on specified tasks is the single best predictor of development

• Institutions which engage their students in activities that contribute to desired outcomes can claim to be institutions of higher quality

(Kuh, 2001)

International Students

By the numbers:• 2.9 million worldwide1

• 3.7 million by 20252 • $12 billion into the U.S. economy3 Primary clients of higher education institutionsRetention and learning critical to institutional success– intellectual breadth– economic benefit – internationalization goals

1 Atlas of Student Mobility, 20082 Banks, Olsen & Pearce, 2007

3 Davis, 2003, in Altbach & Knight, 2007

This study considered how students from abroad perceive their engagement with their institution and how home culture may impact those perceptions

Does “what matters in college” (Astin, 1993) for U.S. American students matter for students from abroad?

Hofstede’s (2001) Dimensions of Culture

• Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)• Power Distance (PDI)• Individualism (IDV)• Masculinity (MAS)• Long-Term Orientation (LTO)

Research with International Populations

• Cultural informants can reduce barriers to authentic responses

• Home language can increase validity• Pilot, pilot, pilot• Differences in power distance and

direct/indirect communication help or hinder • If an outsider, use to your benefit: listen,

listen, listen

Methods

• International 1st and 4th year undergraduates at UBC Vancouver • Bilingual home country focus groups conducted by undergraduate

home country research assistants• UBC NSSE 2008 results disaggregated by international student status • Random sample stratified by gender, faculty/college, commuter/non-

commuter• 18 focus groups with 77 participants (Feb. – Apr. 2009)• Citizens of People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea

and Japan • Contrast groups of Canadians

Data and Conclusions: Quantitative Data

• Institutional analyses of international and domestic UBC Vancouver student responses to NSSE 2008

• Statistically significant differences– Student-faculty interaction (benchmark)– Out-of-class interaction with faculty– Use of technology – Diversity

Data and Conclusions: NSSE and the Research

About NSSE• Answers inaccurate approximations• Non-standard interpretations of the items

– "faculty members“ = “other students in my faculty”– “faculty member outside of class” = “someone who is not

teaching or taking my class”

Appreciation for the research • Strong desire for institutional change • Most important that the university ask for student input

and act on the results

Data and Conclusions: Role of Faculty

• Sensitive to professors' busyness• Contact with approachable, effective teachers is

significant motivator for learning• Felt that faculty should be approachable• HEI: take more seriously the role of faculty in retention

and learning for international students

Spotlight on Culture

Faculty as guru in high Individualism culturesFaculty as expert in high Uncertainty Avoidance culturesInternational participants wanted more contact with facultyImportance of a professional network involving faculty

Data and Conclusions: Diversity

• Conversations with people different than themselves an important part of university life

• Canadians did not see race as an issue• International students keenly aware of race and spend time with

similar culture/language or other international• Diversity-related NSSE items confusing and of questionable validity• Uncertainty Avoidance and Individualism help explain the struggle with

heterogeneity • Korean students cited a lack of expected networks • HEI: consider the needs of specific subpopulations

Spotlight on Culture

Low Individualist cultures favour strong in-groupsHigh Uncertainty Avoidance cultures favour clear social

normsHeterogeneous groups unsettling as the rules are unclear

Data and Conclusions: Active and Collaborative Learning

• Missed potential for learning• Could not identify the learning value in key behaviours• Behaviours underused or misused by faculty• HEI: explicate for new students the value of key

behaviours and ways they can gain full benefit from them• Increase faculty awareness and effective use of NSSE

behaviours

Data and Conclusions: Supportive Campus Environment

• Finding unique to international participants• Positive campus environment important• Participation based on classroom environment

– Do it if others are doing it– Concern about standing out

• Professor a key player in setting classroom environment• HEI: take a holistic approach to crafting experiences• Ensure faculty and staff are equipped

Spotlight on Culture

Individualism helps explain importance of environmentGroup harmony requires attention to environment and

mood of leader and groupEnvironment and subtle cues speak louder than words

Data and Conclusions: Social Networks

Rely on multi-layered social networks to navigate learning – Clarify academic issues and assignments– Develop their intellectual ideas– Cope with stress and discouragement– Gain broader perspectives– Manage academic overload regarding readings and assignments– Develop professional networks

Not all are successful in making these connections• HEI: Leverage first year experience programs• Help students build intentional, multi-layered social networks• Faculty to create learning events that facilitate social interaction

Key Learning

• Cannot assume that international students experience NSSE or engagement behaviours in the same way as domestic

• International students’ perceptions of engagement differ from domestic in subtle but important ways

• Attending to international students’ perceptions of engagement is critical to achieving individual and institutional goals

Conclusion

To retain and support the learning of international undergraduates, institutions must

• Clearly explicate their own cultural expectations• Recognize the power of home culture• Create academic and student affairs contexts in

which international students can achieve desired outcomes

Questions?