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International Journal of Education and Pedagogy (IJEAP) eISSN: 2682-8464 [Vol. 1 No. 3 December 2019]

Journal website: http://myjms.moe.gov.my/index.php/ijeap

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LANGUAGE CHALLENGES FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Karen Freeman1*, Elsie Nga2 and Shaheen Mansori3

1 2Faculty of Business, Communication and Law, INTI International University, Nilai, MALAYSIA

3 School of Business, Malaysia University of Science and Technology, Petaling Jaya, MALAYSIA

*Corresponding author: karen.freeman@newinti.edu.my

Article Information:

Article history:

Received date : 17 September 2019 Revised date : I October.2019 Accepted date : 6 December 2019 Published date : 30 December 2019

To cite this document:

Freeman, K., Nga, E., & Mansori, S.

(2019). PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LANGUAGE CHALLENGES FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.

International Journal Of Education And Pedagogy, 1(3), 1-10.

Abstract: University students’ adjustment is an important factor in the success of their learning. This case study is an exploration of challenges to the adjustment process and examines the relationship between academic adjustment and English Language proficiency, psychological adjustment, self-efficacy and social support. The current study utilized a quantitative approach to examine the adjustment challenges. A sample of 788 international students from various countries studying in a Malaysian private higher education institution voluntarily participated in the study. The results of the analysis revealed that self-efficacy is the most significant factor affecting academic adjustment, followed by English Language proficiency and psychological adjustment.

However, the results do not support the significant relationship between academic adjustment and social support. Implications for these findings are discussed, particularly in regard to outreach with international students.

Keywords: Academic adjustment, Psychological adjustment, Social support, Self-efficacy, English Language proficiency.

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1. Introduction

The Malaysian international education sector has grown rapidly in the past decade and Malaysia is recognized as a centre of educational excellence in the region. According to the Ministry of Higher Education (“KPT Report Card”, 2018), Malaysia recorded 170,068 international students from over 150 countries studying in Malaysia. This is considered a significant increase from 113,103 international students in 2013. Furthermore, there are aims to attract 250,000 international students by 2025. In short, Malaysia is projected to see a drastic increment of international students in the country.

While international students are important economic drivers to the country and educational institutions, they also contribute to a culturally diverse society and the richness of diversity in the classroom. As such, a pertinent question for educational institutions is, are they providing the right kind of support to cater to international students’ needs?

2. Literature Review

Relocating to a new country to study is becoming an increasingly common occurrence. However, international students face many difficulties adapting to a new educational situation, cultural experiences and in daily activities (Khawaja & Dempsey, 2007). As such, it is vital to understand the adjustment problems faced by international students in Malaysia and provide the right kind of support.

2.1 Psychological Adjustment

Psychological adjustment refers to the issues concerning the affective or emotional outcomes from life changes (Rujiprak, 2016). When international students make their transition from home to host country, they face various psychological challenges. These challenges if not handled properly will lead to psychological distress. This distress will lead to a sense of alienation, frustration and confusion. This will affect the academic performance of the international students. In a study conducted by Rujiprak (2016) in Thailand, it was found that international students that are able to adjust well culturally are satisfied with their current life situation and thus experience less stress, depression and anxiety. Thus, students who able to adjust well with the local culture are likely to have less problems adjusting psychologically.

In another study conducted on international students studying in a higher learning institution in Malaysia, factors such as having friends in the study environment and having a special person that they admire helps students better with psychological adjustment (Yusliza and Abdul Kadir, 2011).

In addition, Smith and Khawaja’s (2014) study on international students in Brisbane, Australia, who were attending the STAR program, found this psychological intervention program a powerful tool that is able to help international students cope with psychological adjustment. The STAR program incorporates areas of intervention such as strengths, transitions, adjustments and resilience.

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2.2 English Language Proficiency

In a study by Galloway and Jenkins (2009) in universities in U.S., it was found that English proficiency was one of the top five problems identified by international students. They also concluded that the lack of English facility can be said to be the most important determinant of international students’ problems. The study also found the English Language to be the main determinant of the overall international students’ problems compared to all the other demographic factors studied.

This is supported by another study conducted by Ozer (2015) in Denmark. The findings stressed on the importance of English proficiency when an international student adjusts to a new educational and cultural environment. Language proficiency is one of the main factors that can influence academic performance. This is related to the practical challenges faced by the international students in reading, following lectures, communicating, as well as writing their answers in English. Meanwhile, Cheung (2013) who studied the adjustment issues faced by mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong, found language proficiency to be one the main barriers.

2.3 Social Support

Previous studies have well established the importance of social support in maintaining good mental health and subjective well-being in general. It has been indicated that social support from family, relatives, and other co-nationals contributes to a person’s subjective well-being.

Nevertheless, social support from co-nationals seems to not be enough to ward off loneliness for international students, and research (Sawir et al., 2008) finds that ties with locals also play a critical role.

Sullivan and Kashubeck-West (2015) also found that those with the lowest levels of social support reported statistically significant higher levels of acculturative stress and suggested that intentionally developing connections to the host country and having higher levels of social support from host nationals are important aspects in minimizing acculturative stress.

According to Rienties et al (2012), social support of students have a large influence on how first year students adapt to their new environment. In addition, Bektas, Demir & Bowden (2009) found that maintaining a connection to their family and home community was essential in their adjustment in a new environment. Students who feel at home, who are well-connected to other students and their instructors, and who take part in extracurricular activities are more likely to stay on and graduate. As such, support from social networks and those with a broader social network has a positive influence on international students’ academic success.

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2.4 Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is defined as one’s beliefs about skills in a specific field in the social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1982). A study by Khan (2013) indicated that while some students are successful in college and others struggle, one contributing factor to academic success is the individual’s level of self-efficacy. Students with high academic self-efficacy have shown to perform better academically. Meanwhile, Komarraju & Nadler (2013) also found that academic achievement is closely linked to self-efficacy.

As opposed to domestic students, Wirawan and Bandu (2016) found that first-year international students have to deal with transitional challenges that impacts student’s academic performance indirectly by lowering the level of students’ motivation. The number of failures and successes during transitional challenges are the primary sources for self-efficacy where self-efficacy is a core component to human motivation.

Bulgan and Ciftci’s (2017) findings indicates that international students who had higher academic self-efficacy seemed to be better in the adaptation process, supporting a positive relationship between academic self-efficacy and adjustment.

2.5 Academic Adjustment

Various studies have been conducted to look at issues which relates to the academic adjustment of international students. A study conducted on international students in a domestic college in Southern Taiwan found that Southeast Asian students’ academic adjustments are better compared to Japanese and American students (Chen & Chen, 2013). The reasons given for this finding are that Southeast Asian students are better motivated compared to their Japanese and American counterparts.

In another study conducted by Russel et al. (2010) in Australia, it was found that international student’s academic performance can be affected by factors like homesickness, cultural shock, or perceived discrimination. In addition, the nature and frequency of communication with fellow friends are also factors that can affect academic performance.

Khan (2015) conducted a research on the influence of self-efficacy and socio-cultural adjustment on the academic achievement of international students in Malaysia. The findings

of the study provide evidence that gender, self-efficacy and socio-cultural adjustment have a significant effect on the international student’s academic adjustment.

3. Problem Statement

Given the importance of and the growing presence of international students in Malaysia, this study seeks to uncover the factors that most affect the adjustment of international students in Malaysia.

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4. Method

This study uses a cross-sectional survey methodology to investigate the relationships between psychological adjustment, English Language proficiency, social support, self-efficacy and international students’ academic adjustment. The participants are undergraduate and postgraduate international students from a Malaysian private higher education institution. The sampling method used is simple random sampling and questionnaires were randomly distributed to international students and 824 were returned, which is a significant response rate at 82.4%. A total of 788 surveys were usable for this study.

4.1 Data Collection

This study uses a self-administered questionnaire as the instrument to collect data, which comprised of five parts adopted from instruments such as the Socio-cultural Adjustment Scale (SCAS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Multidimensional scale of Perceived Social Support, and the General Self-efficacy Scale. Results of the reliability test shows a Cronbach Alpha value of more than 0.7.

5. Results

The result from Table 1 shows that the majority of participants are at the degree level (77.5%) followed by postgraduate (7.9%) and pre-university (7.2%). In addition, the results show that the majority of participants have stayed in Malaysia for more than 1 year at the time of data collection.

Table 1: Demographic Information

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Gender Duration of staying in Malaysia

Male 464 59.3 1-6 months 166 21.2

Female 318 40.7 7-12 months 155 19.8

Total 782 100.0 1year-2 years 247 31.6

2Years-3 years 133 17.0

More than 3 years 81 10.4

Education Level

Age

Pre-University 56 7.2 18-20 330 42.2

Diploma 23 2.9 21-24 379 48.5

Degree-Transfer 35 4.5 25-28 62 7.9

Degree 606 77.5 Above 28 11 1.4

Postgraduate 62 7.9

Total 782

To test the validity and reliability of the developed instrument, the Smart-PLS software was used.

For this purpose, factor loading of each item of construct and Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and Cronbach’s Alpha of each variable were calculated. The results from Table 2 show that the developed measurement instrument can meet the threshold as the factor loading of all items are above 0.5, AVEs are above 0.5, CRs are above 0.7 and all Cronbach Alpha

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Table 2 : Measurement Validity and Reliability

Factor Loading

English Proficiency

English Reading 0.895

English Speaking 0.867

English Listening 0.929

English Writing 0.847

AVE= 0.753 CR= 0.924 Cronbach's Alpha= 0.891

Psychological Adjustment

In most ways my life is close to my ideal 0.836

The conditions of my life are excellent 0.845

So far I have gotten the important things I want in life 0.769

I display photos of my family and that helps me to feel better 0.634 AVE= 0.58 CR= 0.845 Cronbach’s Alpha= 0.755

Social Support Factor Loading

There is a special person who is around when I am in need 0.7912 There is a special person with whom I can share my joys and sorrows 0.8369 I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me 0.8176

I can count on my friends when things go wrong 0.7552

I can talk about my problems with my family 0.7256

My family is willing to help me make decisions 0.7399

I can talk about my problems with my friends 0.7463

AVE= 0.60 CR= 0.912 Cronbach's Alpha= 0.888

Self-Efficacy

It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish what I want. 0.793 I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events. 0.842 Thanks to my resourcefulness, I know how to handle unforeseen events. 0.803 I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort. 0.781 I can remain calm facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping abilities. 0.807 When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions. 0.791 If I am in trouble, I can usually think of something to do 0.787 AVE= 0.68 CR= 0.935 Cronbach’s Alpha= 0.92

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Academic Adjustment Factor Loading

I can always manage to solve difficult academic problems 0.866

It is easy for me to complete all homework, assignments, etc. 0.811 I am confident that I could deal efficiently with the academic system 0.889 My competency in the English Language has helped my adjustment in university life 0.733 AVE= 0.690 CR= 0.0899 Cronbach's Alpha= 0.85

The results from Table 3 show that overall, 50.9% of the variation of academic adjustment can be explained by the variation of the independent variables (English Proficiency, Psychological Adjustment, Social Support and Self-Efficacy) as the calculated coefficient of determination for the proposed model is 0.509.

Table 3: Hypotheses Testing B-

Coefficient

Standard Deviation

Standard

Error T Statistics p-value English Proficiency >

Academic Adjustment 0.2155 0.0386 0.0386 5.5424 0.0000 Supported Psychological Adjustment >

Academic Adjustment 0.1085 0.0482 0.0482 2.1664 0.0307 Supported Social Support > Academic

Adjustment 0.0717 0.0510 0.0510 1.4116 0.1586 Rejected

Self-Efficacy > Academic

Adjustment 0.4818 0.0528 0.0528 9.1414 0.0000 Supported

R-Square = 0.509

In addition, these results indicate that three out of four hypotheses are supported since calculated p-values are less than 0.05. Among all the variables, self-efficacy (β=0.4818, p-value<0.05) has the highest impact on academic adjustment, followed by English Language proficiency (β=0.2155, p-value <0.05) and psychological adjustment (β=0.1085, p-value <0.05). Meanwhile, social support does not have a significant relationship with academic adjustment as the p-value for this relationship is more than 0.05.

6. Discussion

The results for the relation analysis of this study show that self-efficacy (β= 0.4818) has the highest level of impact on academic adjustments. This outcome is similar to Bulgan and Ciftci’s (2017) findings. They too found that self-efficacy appears to play a pivotal role in the adaptation process and academic adjustment of international students. This is an important finding as self-efficacy reflects the level of confidence students have in their own ability and competence level that proves to be the key driver of their academic adjustment in Malaysia.

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This is followed by English Language proficiency (β= 0.2155) and psychological adjustment (β=

0.1085). Similar findings are seen in a study conducted by Ozer (2015) in Denmark, where English Language proficiency is found to be an important factor affecting international students’ academic performance and in adjusting to a new educational and cultural environment. Meanwhile, the results for psychological adjustment appears to have a similar outcome with a study conducted in Thailand by Rujiprak (2016) and the researcher also found that psychological adjustment is an important factor to in international students’ adjustment from home to host country.

Nevertheless, the current results could not support the significant relationship between social support and academic adjustment of students at university level. This could indicate that most international students did not feel that relying on others to adjust in their new environment is as important, be it friends or family. Another reason could be that the other factors are more important to international students, for example their level self-efficacy and ability to communicate in English with others. In fact, Rienties et al (2012) had found that social support of students has a large influence on mainly how first year students adapt to their new environment. The current study comprised 59% of respondents who had been living in Malaysia for over one year. This could account for the finding.

7. Conclusion

These findings are useful for higher education providers as they expand their scope of business internationally. Thus, as demonstrated in this study, having a better understanding of these students’ academic challenges, university faculty and staff can recognize students’ needs and effectively offer supportive campus resources and services. As self-efficacy is the main contributor in advancement of the academic adjustment level for international students, it is advisable that institutions provide more co-curricular activities such stress management, self-awareness and time management workshops to prepare students with the skills that can help them to improve their level of self-efficacy.

In addition, faculties in higher learning institutions should play a more proactive role in identifying students that may need extra support through an early intervention process and further integrating this process with the university campus management system. This approach can quickly signal if a student is academically at risk and/or needs more psychological support. In this regard, it is highly suggested that institutions have dedicated counsellors and/or academic advisors. This process can be enhanced further if the institution actively collects the relevant data from students who dropout. By having suitable data from several cohorts and using big data tools all relevant parties can identify the students at risk much faster and in a more accurate and almost real time.

Universities need to be prepared to meet students not only academically but also socially and culturally.

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References

Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37(2), 122-147.

Bektaş, Y., Demir, A., & Bowden, R. (2009). Psychological adaptation of Turkish students at U.S.

campuses. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 31(2), 130-143.

Bulgan, G., & Ciftci, A. (2017). Marital Satisfaction, and Academic Self-Efficacy of International Students. Journal of International Students Psychological Adaptation. 7(3), 687-702.

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Chen, Y.F. & Chen, H. J. (2013). A Study on International Student Adjustment from Academic, Social and Cultural Viewpoints in Taiwan, Journal of International Students, 3(1), 52-60.

Cheung, A. C. K. (2013). Language, academic, socio-cultural and financial adjustments of mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong. International Journal of Educational Management, 27(3), 221-241.

Galloway, F. J. & Jenkins, J. R. (2009). The Adjustment Problems Faced by International Students in the United States: A Comparison of International Students and Administrative Perceptions at Two Private, Religiously Affiliated Universities. NASPA Journal, 46(4), 661-673.

Khan, M. (2013). Academic Self-Efficacy, Coping, and Academic Performance in College.

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, 5(1), 4. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/ 10.7710/2168-0620.1006

Khan, A., Abdul, R. H., Roslee, A. & Mohamed, S.M., (2015). International Student’s Academic Achievement: Contribution of Gender, Self-efficacy and Socio-cultural Adjustment, Asian Social Science, 11(10), 153-159.

Khawaja, N. G., & Dempsey, J. (2008). A comparison of international and domestic tertiary students in Australia. In Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling (18th ed. pp. 30-46).

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Komarraju, M., & Nadler, D. (2013). Self-efficacy and academic achievement: Why do implicit beliefs, goals, and effort regulation matter? Learning and Individual Differences, 25, 67-72.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.01.005

KPT Report Card: Malaysia as international education hub. (2018, April 25). Retrieved from http:// news.mohe.gov.my/2018/04/25/kpt-report-card-malaysia- as-international- education-hub/

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Rienties, B., Beausaert, S., Grohnert, T., Niemantsverdriet, S., & Kommers, P. (2012).

Understanding academic performance of international students: the role of ethnicity, academic and social integration. Higher education, 63(6), 685-700.

Rujiprak, V. (2016) Cultural and Psychological Adjustment of International Students om Thailand. International Journal of Behavioural Science, 11(2), 127-142.

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and acculturation of international students. Advances In Mental Health, 12(2), 110-124.

Sullivan, C & Kashubeck-West, S. (2015). The Interplay of International Students’ Acculturative Stress, Social Support, and Acculturation Modes. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 1- 11. Retrieved from http://jistudents.org

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