Greener grass? : international students' experiences at universities in the Western Cape

Literature has indicated that international students may experience difficulties when entering their country of sojourn. Previous studies have not addressed the experience of these students in South Africa. Given the unique social and historical context of the country, students may encounter issues dissimilar to other countries. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of international students in South Africa, in terms of the social, academic and general experience. Additionally, students' motivations and expectations were explored. For this purpose, a survey was conducted via e-mail to students at three Western Cape universities. The final sample comprised 142 postgraduate international students from three universities. The participants were from a variety of faculties, and originated from a variety of countries, most of them coming from the African continent.( A questionnaire, comprising closed-and open-ended questions, was constructed from findings in international research. The collected data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis included chi-squares, Fischer's exact tests and logistic regression. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The main finding of this study was that students, although in most respects faring well, experienced problems in social interaction with South Africans.) Specifically, students reported having experienced discrimination. Their worst experiences were crime and social problems, and the experiences they enjoyed the most were mainly sightseeing and social activities, as well as faring well socially. Most students had arrived in the country in search of education, and with realistic expectations. The academic lives of most students were satisfactory. However, most students did not wish to remain in South African after the completion of their studies. Thus, there was no brain gain in favour of South Africa.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Psychology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Atkins, Salla

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• De la Rey, Cheryl

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6960

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6960