Understanding The Challenges of Accessing University Support Services: The Perspectives of Staff Members and International Students

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T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
JOURNAL
of LEARNING
Volume 18, Issue 6
Understanding the Challenges of Accessing University

Support Services: The Perspectives of Staff Members
and International Students
Sophia A. Harryba, Andrew M. Guilfoyle

and Shirlee-ann Knight
www.Learning-Journal.com
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEARNING
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Understanding the Challenges of Accessing University
Support Services: The Perspectives of Staff Members
and International Students
Sophia A. Harryba, Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia
Andrew M. Guilfoyle, Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia
Shirlee-ann Knight, Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia
Abstract: International education is a worldwide phenomenon. Many countries host international

students as part of their strategic directions to compete and function effectively in an age of globaliz-
ation and as a way to advance their knowledge-based economy. Research shows that although inter-
national students (IS) bring economic and reported social and cultural benefits, they can experience
difficulties when transitioning to university. To help lessen these difficulties, universities and host
countries have developed support services to promote successful transition. However research
demonstrates that there is a gap between service provision and utilisation, and that although IS need
these services, they rarely access them. In this paper we reflect on data from qualitative interviews
with a range of international students and university staff in an Australian university (n=73). The data
suggests challenges such as perceived language and cultural barriers, unawareness of services, and
being uncomfortable as being some of the reasons IS do not access services. It was concluded that
specialised services for IS might optimise utilisation.
Keywords: Help Seeking, Service Utilisation, International Students
Literature Review
Introduction
T
HIS PAPER EXPLORES some of the challenges faced by international students
(IS) when accessing support services provided at an Australian university. In this
study, IS are defined as on-campus students who hold an international student visa.
In Australia, this cohort is typically represented most highly by Chinese (40%);
Malay (8%); Indian (7%); Vietnamese (4.5%) and Indonesian (4%) students (AEI, 2011).
Presented first is a literature review of the known issues and challenges faced by IS in the
context of their utilisation of the numerous services provided by the university. This is fol-
lowed by a presentation of a research project constructed around the issues identified in the
IS literature. Finally, a discussion around some of the results and findings of the study will
be offered, along with some thoughts for future research.
The International Journal of Learning

Volume 18, Issue 6, 2012, http://www.Learning-Journal.com, ISSN 1447-9494
© Common Ground, Sophia A. Harryba, Andrew M. Guilfoyle, Shirlee-ann Knight, All Rights Reserved,
Permissions: cg-support@commongroundpublishing.com
Background
The Value of International Students

International Education (IE) has become a significant export for many countries including
the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, which make up the top three Anglophone
countries exporting education (Pimpa, 2003). The UK has predicted a £16 billion income
by 2020 from IE (Halpin & Buckley, 2004, in Smith & Rae, 2006). In 2008–09, IE injected
$17.65 billion into the U.S economy (NAFSA, 2009). In Australia, IE is the third highest
export after coal and iron ore, contributing more than $15 billion per annum to the economy
(DEEWR, 2008). This increase in enrolment not only guarantees continued flow of money
to the economy, but it also ensures that universities reach their minimum annual intake of
students (Paige, 1990). Each institution has their specific annual intake, and depend on IS
income to varying degrees, with IS generated income being used to fund infrastructure, re-
search, staff salaries, and substitute goods and services used to support local onshore students
(McKenzie, 2008). IS contribute to local national economies through tuition fees as well as
through travel and living expenses of both IS and their families (Phillimore & Koshy, 2010).
In addition to economic benefits, research suggests that IS provide a number of social and
cultural benefits (Carroll & Ryan, 2005). Many studies claim that IS promote intercultural
interaction (Kell & Vogel, 2008; Mahat & Hourigan, 2007) which helps reduce discrimination
and increase tolerance for different cultures (Bochner, 1986; de Wit, 1995; Gudykunst, 1998).
IS bring work experience and can help universities and staff members establish off-shore
links (Lee & Rice, 2007). Furthermore, numerous studies have argued that IS reportedly
help domestic students learn how to work in a multi-cultural society (Trice, 2003; Volet &
Ang, 1998). In the context of increasing globalisation, being able to work in a multi-cultural
environment has become an invaluable skill (Brustein, 2007; Rose-Redwood, 2010; Trice,
2005).
Why International Students Study Abroad

Pimpa (2003) classifies the reasons IS decide to study overseas into two broad categories:
Push and Pull factors. Push factors are those which originate in the students’ home country,
whilst pull factors are characteristics of the host country which appeal to IS. Studies have
used different criteria to classify these pull-factors which influence a student’s choice of
host country; university and course undertaken (Cubillo, Sánchez & Cerviño, 2006); prox-
imity of host country and commonality of language (Racine, Villeneuve, & Thériault, 2003);
availability of preferred course, cost of living and tuition and selected higher education insti-
tution (McMahon, 1992; Pimpa, 2003). Mazzarol and Soutar (2002) argue that while push-
factors such as the economic and social circumstances existing in the students’ home culture
compel students to seek overseas education, the choice of the destination in some cases depend
on existent historical or colonial relationships between students’ home and host cultures.
Mazzarol, Kemp, & Savery (1997) suggested six factors that attract a student to a host
country. (1) Knowledge and awareness of the host country, which for many universities entails
recruiting agents promoting their institution and making it easy for students to gain access
to courses (Pimpa, 2003). (2) The persuasive encouragement of peers, parents and others
concerning the potential host country’s culture; (3) Cost; (4) Proximity to home; (5) Social
264
SOPHIA A. HARRYBA, ANDREW M. GUILFOYLE, SHIRLEE-ANN KNIGHT
support, and (6) Lifestyle. Racine, et al.’s, (2003) study carried out in two French-speaking
universities in Quebec found that the geographical and social context of institutions, relation-
ships between university staff, and the host country and home country’s government played
important roles in recruiting IS.
Threats to International Education Trade

But IE in Australia is under threat. Phillimore & Koshy, (2010) noted that even with more
than 600, 000 onshore IS in 2009–of whom more than 200,000 were enrolled in higher
education; there has been a recent decline in commencement and enrolment numbers. One
possible reason for this decline could be bad publicity (Mazzarol et al., 1997). Previous re-
search has shown that word of mouth is especially important in collectivist cultures where
extended families are close and family and friends play a major role as a student is deciding
where to study. In this context, bad publicity at a ground-level in a student’s home country
can lose potential students (Simpson & Tan, 2009). Therefore, theoretically, having a positive
learning experience for IS enhances their commitment to the host country, which would then
secure the economic and reported cultural benefits of enrolling IS (Simpson & Tan, 2009).
Challenges for International Students
University Transition
Literature shows that international students can go through a number of academic and socio-
cultural difficulties when transitioning to university. These include adjusting to a new
teaching and learning environment; perceived language difficulties; and cultural barriers.
To help these students transition successfully, support services targeting IS academic, social
and cultural adjustment have been developed by most universities. Some of the noted
transition difficulties are summarised below.
Academic difficulties include language barriers, different expectations of teaching and
learning, concerns about the curriculum (Williams, 2008), difficulty following academic
rules (Campbell-Evans & Leggett, 2007; Darab, 2006; Green, Williams, & Kessel, 2006;
Walker, 1998), and difficulty using resources to enhance their learning (Huang, 2006; Mc-
Clure, 2005). These could lead to plagiarism, where students fail to acknowledge other au-
thors’ work, which has been identified as one of the major issues faced by universities and
international students (Campbell-Evans & Leggett, 2007). Although universities have de-
veloped a number of services to help reduce this problem, including educating staff and
students, and introducing consistent penalties for continued offences and programs for students
whose first language is not English, plagiarism continues to be a problem (Walker, 1998).
Other academic issues experienced by IS can include a lack in confidence and skills to write
a western-style research project (Holmes, 2005), including problems with referencing,
meeting requirements for essays and developing critical arguments (Durkin, 2008).
Socio-cultural issues experienced by IS include: ‘culture shock’ (Delaney, 2002; Jung,
Hecht, & Wadsworth, 2007; Mehdizadeh & Scott, 2005; Paige, 1990; Rahman & Rollock,
2004; Wadsworth, Hecht, & Jung, 2008); distress with the new physical environment (Searle
& Ward, 1990); difficulty in forming and maintaining friendships and relationships from
the host country (Wang & Shan, 2007); low or no participation in social activities or leisure
265
activities (Mehdizadeh & Scott, 2005); discrimination and stereotyping (Frey & Roysircar,
2006; Hanassab & Tidwell, 2002; Poyrazli & Lopez, 2007; Talbot, Geelhoed, & Ninggal,
1999; Wei et al., 2007); lack of social support (Burns, 1991; Mehdizadeh & Scott, 2005);
accommodation difficulties (Marginson et al., 2010; Suen, 1998); dietary restrictions (Lin
& Yi, 1997); problems with immigration (Mori, 2000; Robertson et al., 2000; Wan, 2001);
safety issues (Forbes-Mewett & Nyland, 2008); and financial stress (Burns, 1991; Forbes-
Mewett & Nyland, 2008).
IS Help Seeking Behaviour

Although research suggests that IS experience difficulties during transition, many IS do not
access generic support services offered by the university designed to help with the transition
process (Newcombe & Blacker, 2010). In their study of IS at a Melbourne university, Russell,
Thomson & Rosenthal (2008) found that from 975 students who answered questions about
their use of health services, only 62.2% of the 401 students who agreed that they currently
needed health support actually sought out that help. Additionally, of the 970 respondents
who answered the questionnaire about their counselling needs, only 19.8% of the 268 students
who acknowledged they needed counselling accessed a counselling service at the university.
Reasons given for this gap between IS need and action included: unawareness of the services;
IS not seeing their problems as serious enough to warrant action; and doubt and discomfort
associated with seeking help.
McLachlan & Justice, (2009) suggest IS under-utilisation of counselling services may be
because of unawareness of their mental health needs, which can manifest as physical ailments,
making these students turn to their GP’s instead of counsellors. However, a noted lack of
both counselling and health service utilisation by IS is a common finding across much of
the literature. Multiple reasons have been given for this, including a perceived stigma attached
with help seeking (Corrigan, 2004; Vogel, Wade, & Hackler, 2006 & 2007) with many
Asian students in particular reporting that mental illness can be seen as a weakness and they
were fearful that their parents would find out if they accessed formal help (Jackson & Heggins,
2003; Komiti, Judd & Jackson, 2006). There also appears to be a lack of faith in ‘western’
practices when IS come from cultures where traditional approaches to medicine are followed
(Rew, 1997). According to Collins (2001), this reliance on traditional remedies means that,
compared to the Domestic Student (DS) population, IS may only resolve to seek medical
help once their ailment has deteriorated to the point of becoming serious. Barletta and
Kobayashi (2007) support previous findings that complex culturally-driven differences are
an important factor in the under-utilisation of counselling in particular. For example, coun-
selling–as a ‘talking therapy’–is perceived to be almost exclusively a Western practice. In
addition in many cultures, accessing services about personal problems is perceived as reflect-
ing a weakness (Ayalon & Alvidrez, 2007; Sanders-Thompson, Brazile, & Akbar, 2004).
IS also under-utilise other university services such as the library and general academic
services. Research conducted by Li & Kaye (1998) and Nilles & Simon (1984) found that
although many libraries offer courses and orientation programs, few IS attend. Curry &
Copeman (2005) suggested that this may be because IS were unfamiliar with the western
library systems. A situation further compounded by perceived language barriers (Brown,
2000; Burns, 1991) cultural barriers (Conteh-Morgan, 2001) general library anxiety (Baron
& Strount-Dapaz, 2001) or simply being unaware of the services (Allen, 1993).
266
In their study of Anglo and non-Anglo domestic students within the American college
system, Masuda et al., (2009) found that fewer African-American and Asian-American stu-
dents accessed professional help or knew anyone who had, compared to European-Americans.
In addition, Asian and African students had less positive attitudes about professional help
than European students. These findings are consistent with numerous previous studies which
show students from ethnic, culturally diverse backgrounds are less inclined to seek profes-
sional help compared to their peers (Ayalon & Young, 2005; Brinson & Kottler, 1995;
Kearney, Draper, & Baron, 2005; Kim & Omizo, 2003), supporting the proposition that the
issues relate to students’ cultural background as much as geographic location.
Huang (2006) found that for IS in the UK, there existed a preference to turn to their friends
instead of seeking help from professionals when they needed help. This is supported by Ang
and Liamputtong, (2007) who found that IS preferred to seek help from peers and family
members instead of counselling; and Guilfoyle and Harryba, (2009) who studied Seychelles
students at an Australian university and found that these students preferred to seek help from
their friends first, then from family and if those avenues did not work, they would then seek
formal help. Reasons given for this behaviour in the Guilfoyle and Harryba study included
being more comfortable with friends and family as well as unawareness of specific services
provided by the university.
Another factor which affects IS help seeking behaviour relates to the concept of acculturation.
Acculturation is the process a person experiences as they are exposed to different cultures
other than their own (Dawson, 2009) and research shows that more acculturated students
experience less psychological stress. Researchers have identified several mediating factors
which affect the process of acculturation including: length of stay in the host country (Wei,
et al., 2007); cultural distance (Suanet & Van de Vijver, 2009); English proficiency (Ark-
oudis & Tran, 2007); amount and type of social support (Yeh et al., 2008); self-efficacy
(Giang & Wittig, 2006); demographics (Duru & Poyrazli, 2007); level of social connectedness
(Srivastava et al., 2009); and coping strategies and personality type (Sexton, 1979; Walker
et al., 2008).
Duru & Poyrazli’s (2007) study of 229 Turkish IS enrolled at seventeen different U.S.
universities found that: English proficiency, marital status, social connectedness, adjustment
difficulties, neuroticism and openness to experience were predictors of acculturative stress.
Thus, the more acculturated an IS was, the more opened they were to accessing services and
recognising their problems.
University Specialised Support for Is

In Australia a number of universities offer services especially tailored to the needs of IS.
Academic Support: To support IS academically, universities offer formal programs such
as English learning classes (Zhu & Flaitz, 2005) as well as informal services provided by
the lecturers and tutors, such as meeting IS and discussing their academic and/or social needs
(Eisenchlas & Trevaskes, 2003). Reviews of programs such as the Curtin pathfinder (Dawson
& Conti-Bekkers, 2002); the Chinese Mentor Guide Program (Best, Hajzler & Henderson,
2007; Rosenthal, Russell, & Thomson, 2007); the Language and Cultural Exchange (LACE)
study smarter program at University of Western Australia (Lange & Barrett-Lennard, 2010);
and the Learning support Unit (LSU) at the Monash college (Chung, Kelliher, & Smith,
2005) have shown that these programs help IS with essay structuring; report writing; refer-
267
encing; presentation skills; exam preparation; language skills and adjusting to the new aca-
demic environment (Christison & Krahnke, 1986; Chung et al., 2005).
Language Support: for ESL students, specialised English language resources have been
developed following a large scale project involving 800 students at 5 Australian universities.
Designed to develop online English language resources for IS, the project included recom-
mendations to institutions with EAL students, such as providing opportunities for more active
learning to occur, using tutorials as a means of increasing English use, embedding academic
support into units, and having more social activities for IS. The project also compiled re-
sources for academics who worked with IS (Rochecouste, Oliver, Mulligan, & Davies, 2010).
Other language support has been offered through online resources, such as the translated
library (McClure & Krishnamurthy, 2007).
Socio-cultural Support: Universities also offer socio-cultural support services which address
IS career needs such as the University of South Australia’s program developed with continuing
and alumni IS, which focuses on helping IS identify and work on specific career-related issues
(Tristana & Slade, 2009). Other specialised programs which address IS socio-cultural needs
include Latrobe University’s weekend break program, which aims to encourage inter-cultural
interaction between domestic and international students (Cunningham & Reid, 2008). Still
other multi-university services such as 24hr hotlines and specialised counselling services
for IS and outreach counselling programs (Dipeolu, Kang & Cooper, 2007; Newcombe &
Blacker, 2010; Nilsson, Berkel, Flores, & Lucas, 2004) also exist. Some International Student
Offices also offer informal services such as social events for all IS.
Legislation about Support Services

In light of the body of research showing that international students experience difficulties
when transitioning to university, the Australian government introduced legislation which
targets institutions which enrol IS. Part D of the National Code, which was amended in 2007,
includes 15 standards which are legally enforceable. Standard 6 of this legislation specifically
deals with support services, whereby all institutions enrolling international students must:
1. Provide a student contact officer

2. Document critical incident policy
3. Provide support services including welfare services and a culturally sensitive and age
appropriate orientation (DEST, 2007).
Non-use of University Support Services

Despite the creation of student support services, and the growing multi-cultural makeup of
the Australian university student population, service utilisation remains significantly low
(Newcombe & Blacker, 2010).
The problem stands then, that the cost of non-utilisation renders IS support programs ex-
pensive, both in monetary terms and manpower; yet non-provision is not an option. Abbott-
Chapman & Edwards, (1998) found that many IS “drop-out” of university because they feel
overwhelmed from their problems. Tinto’s (1975) model of student departure, and other
variations of this model (see Bean & Metzner, 1985) contend that the ultimate cost of drop-
out is always greater than the cost of providing appropriate support services to these students.
268
Therefore, the current study set out to develop an understanding of why IS do not access
available services.
The Research
Purpose of the Study

The study aimed to understand the challenges of university service provision and utilisation
from a holistic point of view-taking into account the perspectives of all three populations
involved, namely: (1) International Students (IS); (2) University staff members; and (3)
Domestic Students (DS).
Understanding reality from the unique perspectives of the individuals experiencing it is
the essence of social constructivism, which sees each individual’s experiential story as true
and valid at one iteration, because it has been experienced and is a perception of that exper-
ience (Manis & Meltzer, 1972). Thus social constructivism forms the paradigmac foundation
of this study, and this will allow the researcher to develop a rich understanding of the complex
social interactions and realities between the groups of people involved.
The research questions for the full dissertation included:
1. What are the challenges faced by staff when working with IS?
2. What challenges do IS face when accessing support services provided by the university?
3. What challenges do domestic students face when working with IS?
This paper discusses the literature and findings associated with research question #2. The
paper therefore, seeks to address the challenges that international students face when accessing
generic services.
Investigative Framework
A social constructivist (Charmaz, 2000) theoretical framework was used to construct a re-
search design consisting of semi-structured interviews of 73 IS, university staff and DS.
Firstly, the ‘university’ was conceptualised as a “case”, consistent with David & Renea’s,
(2008) assertion that each institution has its own specific characteristics, budget and student
population and so can be studied separately using a case-study design. Thus, the university
was the case, and the three cohorts interviewed made up the three units (or contexts) of
analysis (UoA) from which various phenomena such as intercultural interaction (Arkoudis
et al., 2010); service utilisation (Russell, Thomson & Rosenthal, 2008); and service provision
(Trice, 2003); could be investigated. This approach allows the researcher to develop a critical
understanding of the intricacies of the case (Calder, 2004).
Secondly, since service provision and utilisation are complex issues, the researcher needed
to understand multiple realities of the different stakeholders involved. Social constructivism
argues that reality is subjective to the person experiencing it (Charmaz, 2000 & 2006) and
so was able to frame the anticipated complexity of the research design. Constructivist
Grounded Theory (GT) was used to help conceptualise and triangulate responses from the
three cohorts being interviewed, and allowed for theoretical sampling, which permits research-
ers to follow up new directions in subsequent interviews as themes emerge during data
269
analysis, which can take place between data collection sessions. For instance, when staff
members discussed the issues they faced with group work, follow-up interviews with IS or
DS could incorporate what was being learned from the staff narratives.
Finally, the chosen framework allowed the researcher to triangulate responses (Willig,
2008) from all three sources to obtain a more holistic understanding of the complex issues
at play.
The Case: The University

Awarded university status in the early 1990s, the case is the second largest university in the
city where it is located. Known for excellence in its Teaching and Nursing courses, the uni-
versity offers more than 400 courses from undergraduate to PhD degrees across a wide range
of disciplines. The university offers alternative pathways to students who do not meet the
academic entry requirements, and in the case of IS, those who do not meet the English pro-
ficiency requirements can sit a course at an institution offering English courses with which
the university is a partner. The level of English proficiency acceptable for entry differs de-
pendent on the type of test (e.g. IELTS, O-Level) and the course being undertaken.
From a composite of 2010 and 2009 enrolment numbers, the university enrolled approx-
imately 4400 IS and like other universities in the sector, these numbers represent a decline
from 2008/2009.
A recent change in university leadership has seen the university move away from special-
ised student services for the various student-body populations, including services to IS, to
a more centralised, generic model of student support. This means all university student ser-
vices are administered by a centralised Support Services Centre (SSC) and are accessed by
every student.
The university has retained its International Office; however it is only responsible for
admissions. Once enrolled, IS are considered as ‘students’ in the same way as DS.
Methodology & Design
Participants
A total of 73 participants were interviewed, with the interviews ranging from 30-60 minutes
long. Data saturation, i.e., when no more new information was being gathered (Bluff, 1997;
Byrne, 2001; Fossey et al., 2002; Morse, 1995); was reached at different points for the dif-
ferent cohorts. For staff members, saturation was reached at 38 (n=38), comprising of 28
females and 10 males, most of whom were above 45 years old, and were a mix of academic
and non-academic staff. Saturation for IS was reached at 25 (n=25) since the interview
questions were more specific in nature than for staff, and included undergraduates as well
as postgraduates, with all but two being EAL (English as an additional language) students.
Length of stay in Australia varied from 2 months to 9 years.
Figure 1: presents demographic information regarding staff (academic vs. non-academic)
and IS (faculty and course-levels).
270
Figure 1: Demographic Information: University Staff & Is
Gaps in Staff Sample

An important gap in the staff sample emerged as the study progressed in that no staff member
from the SSC (student services centre) responded to the invitation to participate in the re-
search. It transpired that there existed a departmental policy whereby staff working in the
SCC were not allowed to participate in research within office hours. This proved prohibitive
to populating the participant group with staff who worked in the SSC.
Data Instruments
Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain the detailed views (Minichiello et al., 1990)
of the three groups involved. The timing of interviews related to when participants agreed
to participate, so groups were interviewed simultaneously. This meant that questions asked
of each cohort could evolve through theoretical sampling, as new directions for enquiry be-
came apparent.
Procedure
All participants were given an information letter, a consent form and a demographic inform-
ation form. All participants were contacted via invitational emails which were sent to various
key individuals who then forwarded these emails onto prospective participants.
A digital recorder was used during the interviews, with the generated data then stored and
transcribed in NViVo8 immediately after interview. Researcher notes were also generated
during each interview, and recorded the researcher’s thoughts and impressions during and
immediately after interviews. Notes were compiled into a reflective journal (Glesne &
Peshkin, 1992) which also included the researcher’s thought processes during data analysis.
Data was stored and managed using NViVo8 software.
After ethics approval was obtained, the sampling process was carried out using snowballing
(LeCompte & Preissle, 1993) and call-for participant self-volunteering techniques (Onwueg-
271
buzie & Leech, 2007). Emails, flyers and website posts were used to inform staff members,
IS and DS about the research. Participants then contacted the researcher to arrange for an
interview.
Data Analysis
Data was analysed within a Constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) (see Figure 2) framework
(Charmaz, 2000 & 2006). Transcribing, note-taking, coding and memoing were done imme-
diately after each interview so that a constant comparison (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; Charmaz,
2000; Moghaddam, 2006) of previously data collected could be carried out during the process
of further interviewing.
As portrayed in Figure 2, the first few stages of the data-interaction process began with
data collection, which included the recording of each interview and keyword note-taking.
As soon as interviews were completed, the data was transcribed and the third phase, coding,
started. This involved labelling pieces of the interviews into meaningful, comparable categor-
ies. This was a central phase of the early analysis process (Dey, 2004; Marvasti, 2004;
Moghaddam, 2006). Coding involved constant comparing of each interview to the previous
transcript to ensure that no information was lost and to facilitate making categories of similar
codes.
Figure 2: Phases of Grounded Theory (Moghaddam, 2006)
At the same time as coding the data, memoing was started, which involved using cards and
post-it-notes to remind the researcher about the categories and any relationships to other
categories. The card-memo system helped make the fifth stage, sorting, more manageable.
All the cards were placed on a large table and assembled together into groups which repres-
ented similar ideas. This allowed the researcher to visualise the categories as well as discover
relationships between categories. Categories were then written up to help build the study’s
findings, which will be discussed in the next section.
Findings and Discussions
Generic vs. Specialised Services

As described previously in the ‘case’ section, the university shifted from providing specialised
services to IS to a generic services model for all students around 2008. Both academic and
support interviewed staff, expressed disquiet with this move, arguing that IS have different
272
needs to DS and that the university leadership had not taken their opinions into account when
considering recent changes to IS policy and support:
“We had a team of international student support, and that team basically over many
years have come up with the services they were providing, and there was method in
what they did and there were reasons why they did what they did. However when we
transferred away from international student support being part of [names University]
International to student support in general to the student services centre, I’m not aware
of any knowledge or systems or processes or services that were transferred from us to
the student centre services” (Staff 11-support-management).
The move from specialised to generic services for all students was seen as ‘ignorant’ by a
staff member who suggested IS have different needs that generic services simply cannot
address:
“I think [the university] made a mistake getting rid of the international student advisers.
I mean that was a department that specialised in that area; they knew what they [inter-
national students] were talking about. We used to deal with them a lot and they used
to advocate well for [international] students at appeals and that sort of thing and quite
strongly as well... I just don’t understand what [the university] are saying and where
they are coming from by saying everyone has the same problems. It’s just ignorant to
say that. I mean obviously international students have so many more issues to contend
with. You know homesickness, culture shock, like we were saying that shame and the
whole thing of not knowing where to go for help and being isolated and just so many
different issues that domestic students are never going to face those same issues” (Staff
30-support-psychosocial).
The view that IS have their own unique needs was echoed by another support staff member,
who further suggested that since the university has enrolled them, there should be a duty of
care to make sure IS are taken care of, through emotional support as much as academic
support:
“They need often an awful lot of support. International students face separation from
their families, their support networks, everything that they need to get along in life ba-
sically. They come to a country that they don’t know anyone, they don’t know how the
country works, what the culture is like, anything like that. And that would make you
feel very isolated and alone and there needs to be more social support and emotional
support. Now that may not be the university’s job, but the university goes and takes
their money, there should be a duty of care somewhere, as far as I’m concerned” (Staff
31-support-psychosocial).
Academic staff expressed agreement that moving away from specialised IS services may
have been misguided:
273
“A lot of the support services have been centralised so we are losing our student support
officer and I know that a plan by the university to optimise it’s resources and streamline
them but I don’t know that that’s appropriate, particularly in a school that has so many
international students” (Staff 2-academic-lecturer).
While some staff said they saw the value in a more centralised support model, expressing
that having a “one-stop-shop” could reduce cost and manpower needs by eliminating duplic-
ation in services across the university, the issue regarding using a more centralised, generic
model towards service provision was seen as problematic for most staff members in this
study.
Difficulty accessing support services was a common recurring theme. This was caused
by numerous issues including perceived language barriers, discomfort with ‘western’ services
and unawareness of existing services.
When Staff can’t Help

IS expressed that it was not uncommon for staff to add to their frustration when trying to
access the right support services. One postgraduate IS stated:
“Well, they sent me everywhere. First I went to the faculty office and they told me no,
they do not deal with student visas. They said that it’s the responsibility of international
office. I went there and they told me that since I’ve been here for quite a while, the in-
ternational office does not deal with that and to go to the student central. I was a bit
annoyed because it was difficult to find someone specific to go to” (IS 4).
The theme of not knowing where to go and who to see was common for undergraduate stu-
dents as well and some students did not know who a counsellor was or what job they did:
“I’ve got an issue on the third week ... my husband came to work in Australia, and he
got a phone call and they asked him to come back [home], and I went here to student
services, to ask a question about how should I; because I was thinking about withdrawing
from my course, and this was an option at this time. And they said ‘are you an interna-
tional student’, ‘yes I am’, so ‘no you have to talk to international student services in-
formation centre’. I called there and they said ‘no there’s no one here that can answer
your questions’. We drove to [names campus], got there, a guy picked up the phone,
he was just like on the floor next to me, and I said ‘yeah I came here from [names
campus] to see you’, explain all the things, on the phone he said ‘no, that’s not me, you
should go to international student services’. I said ‘I just went there, they said that it’s
with you, can you see me?’ ‘No, I can’t see you. In 10 minutes I’m going home, and
that’s international services’. So I went back. I got here, explained the whole situation
again and they said ‘no there’s another sector that’s going to answer your questions’.
So I was feeling like ping-pong between all those people. And the service that they
should provide that was international service in [names campus], the guy was just rude
and awful. So I don’t think it was good” (IS 25).
Student views that university staff had the capacity to sometimes make the task of finding
and accessing the right help more difficult was supported by some of the staff themselves:
274
“If our own staff are not fully aware of the service of what a Connect Officer is and
what they do and what their role is, how the hell do we expect students–if you go and
search the net for the Connect team, I don’t think you’ll find information on what they
do” (Staff 33).
“They’ll get sent around all over the place and they sort of get pushed from one place
to another and again often they’re just dismissed because no one’s bothered to realise
they do have an actual valid case” (Staff 30).
“... if I was an international student I’d find it very, very difficult to know who to talk
to and where to go for information” (Staff 31).
When Self-service doesn’t Work

Undergraduates and postgraduate IS, alike, faced situations where they did not know where
to go to access services. Moreover, they reported that the university website, which they
considered difficult to follow, made accessing information about available services even
more difficult:
“I think the website is very hard to navigate stuff that I want to find. I mean it’s not the
experience now, ever since I started… for example that time when I came, I didn’t know
there was such a thing for the driver reception for the international students. My friend
was the one who told me about it. And the thing is, it was so hard to navigate for the
information, I had to search before I could find the links. So that I think is more how
they organise the information on the web page for us.” (IS 6).
“The website is a little bit confusing for the first time because I have to open many sites,
the faculty’s websites and all of the other websites” (IS1 5).
“The website can be designed better. That’s the first thing, because the website is not
user-friendly enough, I think... It’s a bit difficult, because [names university] is big and
there are quite a lot of different departments. So I understand the challenge. Like [names
another university] their website has the pull-down menu. I find that it’s helpful” (IS
23).
That both the face-to-face and virtual searches for information and help were left wanting
is an issue which the university must find ways to address.
Lack of Awareness of Available Help

According to Singh and Armstrong (2007) “effective transition programs and experiences
are linked to students’ needs and expectations on the one hand and educational and institu-
tional requirements and expectations on the other” (p. 462). So a match between student
need and expectations and university service provision is pivotal to improving utilisation.
On this subject, some staff members questioned if the university was not promoting the
275
services properly or if it was because the university had so many services through the faculties
that it was making it difficult for the students to be aware of it all:
“I sometimes wonder ... if the person is not aware of a resource, or if they are aware
they are not aware how it can best serve them” (Staff 19).
“One thing I think we could probably do better is sell what we do, because I think there
are so many people out there working very hard and sometimes I’m not sure it’s getting
through to the international students. The example I was talking to you about before,
the student that I dealt with personally just recently who didn’t make any friends, felt
isolated and alone, didn’t know about the support services available and now has
chosen to leave [names University], it’s all happened this semester” (Staff 33).
Lack of Personal Confidence

14 out of the 25 (56%) interviewed IS reported experiencing a lack of confidence when it
came to accessing services, and identified the impacting issues as perceived language and/or
cultural barriers, being shy, and feeling too uncomfortable or ashamed to approach service
providers:
“Because that’s part of [my] culture, especially Asian people; I am a shy person but I
don’t, I ask questions in the tutorial if I feel like I need to ask but otherwise I won’t...
I did it on-line, I don’t know, I guess if I’m really desperate I might call them, I don’t
really like asking people for help” (IS 9).
The data revealed that 71% of Asian IS reported that they lacked personal confidence, which
tended to prevent them from interacting with a wide range of support services. Some students
further indicated a perception that this related to a general shyness in their culture, as much
as an individual personality trait, and it impacted their education experience even in the
class-room, where they would rather ask questions in tutorials or wait until the lecture was
over to approach the lecturer on their own.
“It depends. If the things are important I will ask. For example, about assignments, or
whatever. But if not important, I will not ask. You know, Chinese always shy, and just
listen to lecturer and take notes, and then come” (IS 10).
Previous research into the experiences of the Asian IS cohort is consistent with the view that
culture plays an important role in Asian IS’ general lack of confidence (Bailey & Dua, 1999;
Kim & Omizo, 2003; Yakunina & Weigold, 2011). This study further reveals however, that
50% of all the remaining non-European IS interviewed also expressed this same lack of
confidence, indicating that more than just specific ‘cultural background’ is at play.
Perceived language difficulties were also found to play a major role in IS lack of confid-
ence, and acted as a barrier to accessing services.
276
“Yeah it’s our second language, when we want to say something it’s totally different
from what they (support personnel) say...They should be more helpful like I have seen
one of the people who’s working in E Lab there was a Chinese student who was really
bad in English, so he was just really confused with everything, and the man in E Lab
just shouted who can speak Mandarin he cannot speak English?” (IS 20)
“I often find it’s the shyness that stops people from coming forward or the lack of con-
fidence in their English abilities” (Staff 12).
Feelings of Discomfort in Asking for Help

Research conducted with students who come from Confucius cultures show that not only
do they believe in filial piety, whereby the family comes before the self, but there is a notion
of ‘saving face’ for the family, community and for the self (Rosenthal, Russell, & Thomson,
2007). This view was supported by staff members in the current study:
“So that’s another big thing, there’s a lot of shame, there’s a lot of they’re like my
parents have spent a lot of money, if I tell them I’m failing they’ll be so angry and they
won’t want me to come home. So that’s another thing that only seems to apply to inter-
national students” (Staff 30).
“It’s not just the not confiding in a stranger; also I think there is a lot of shame” (Staff
30).
“I have referred one woman to counselling who was really struggling and that was in-
teresting because I know that counselling is looked at differently in different countries
and I was surprised that she was quite ready to use it but she was ashamed to call them
herself so she asked that I call them for her” (Staff 5).
“We have a lot of problems with getting the students to actually, firstly be happy to
admit that they need help, that’s a big problem. So there’s a lot of students that we just
never see” (Staff 8).
Discomfort with ‘Western’ Services

Staff members pointed out that some IS were uncomfortable accessing some services because
they were not used to western-type services such as counseling. This finding supports previous
literature by Barletta and Kobayashi (2007) who argued that cultural differences are important
reasons for under-utilisation of counselling. Not only is counselling a westernized practice,
with many IS uncomfortable with ‘talking therapy’, but in many cultures going to see someone
about personal problems is perceived to reflect a weakness (Ayalon & Alvidrez, 2007;
Sanders-Thompson et al., 2004). Moreover, in many cultures there is a stigma associated
with counselling associating it with being mentally ill (Corrigan, 2004; Vogel, et al., 2006;
Vogel et al., 2007; Zhang & Dixon, 2003).
277
“This one ... he did not really want to go. And I said to him that it’s like going to the
dentist to have your tooth pulled out. And there was a bit of talk about in his culture
you didn’t see somebody and tell them your problems, you sorted them out yourself”
(Staff 20).
The non-assertive nature of IS was observed by staff members, who reported that some IS
were very shy and quiet and would not access a service unless they already knew the person
who offered the service:
“One of the things I’ve learnt about international students is students who come from
a different culture often need to know a face and know a person before they will come
and access the service. So if you advertise workshops online and they don’t know who’s
running them, they’re very unlikely to turn up to a nameless room at a certain time”
(Staff 7).
Engaging the Familiar as the Source of Help

A way around this non-engagement of particularly counseling services by IS was their strong
tendency to seek help from familiar sources first, which included their friends, or university
staff with whom they already had an established relationship.
“I will talk to my friends first. Yes. And then if I cannot solve it by myself maybe I will
ask the advisor, or like some people like I didn’t have who will help me” (IS 10).
“I have friend, and friends is better than unknown person.” (IS 19).
IS largely agreed that they preferred informal sources of help and that knowing the person
helped. Rosenthal et al., (2006) found that Asian students affiliated their sense of well-being
from the relationships they had with other people from the same native culture as them. They
reported going to friends first if they needed help rather than formal services. The current
study establishes these original findings as something felt not just by Asian students.
Research into cultural distance can explain why some IS feel this way. Individualistic
cultures tend to focus their primary interest on the individual and their immediate family,
which usually comprises of the partner and children. Conversely, collectivist cultures on the
other hand are a tight integration of ‘in-group’ members, be it extended family or an organ-
isation that a person is born into. Their primary interest lies with the group and the groups’
needs come before those of the individuals. In terms of sojourners coming from collectivist
cultures into individualistic ones, issues surrounding decision making, saving face and ac-
cepting the need to question authority might become problematic (Bailey & Dua, 1999; Seo,
2010).
“If you can start to build this relationship with this person…for some people it’s less
intimidating” (IS 12).
This could also be due to the fact that IS feel like outsiders and so they do not access services:
278
“There’s a majority and you can feel it if you’re coming from other cultures, so to let
the others understand you, even to respect you socially, instead of looking to you as
your kind of second degree person” (IS 13).
The Need to Re-dress the Power Imbalance for is
Consequences of not Seeking Help

A result of this discomfort in asking for help is that IS are generally at high risk of drop-out
and/or breakdown by the time they do seek help:
“often an international student will only come here because it’s at a very critical point
so it’s either at a critical administrative point, their visa might be at risk or something
very significant compassionately has occurred so there might have been a death at
home or a lecturer might have noticed that they’re not coping very well” (Staff 38).
In addition, at this critical point when stress levels are at their highest, IS can find themselves
completely unprotected against the academic consequences so often associated with a
stressful period:
“One of the grounds I can use to appeal is personal or medical issues and for a lot of
international students, they’ve got those valid grounds but they haven’t spoken to anyone
about it and you have to prove it, like you have to show that you saw a counsellor or
you went to the GP because you were depressed or you were upset ... they’ll be like,
oh I’ve been really depressed during that time that’s why I was failing. And you’ll say
well who did you speak to anyone because we need a piece of paper to show that you
spoke to someone and they’re like oh in my culture we don’t speak about these things.
I hear that all the time. They’re like oh no it’s very private. In my country we don’t talk
about emotional issues” (Staff 30).
Consequences of having a Quiet Voice

A thus far seldom addressed consequence of having such a passive voice in the staff/student
relationship is that IS are left relatively powerless to speak up in situations where they feel
pressured into particular behaviours.
“some international students ... are very extraordinarily polite so they’ll agree to stuff
or agree to come or whatever but it’s not necessarily what they want to do.” (Staff 38).
Although, in the above case, the staff member was referring to trying to persuade IS to do
something which would be of value to their progress, it highlights an infrequently addressed
issue in the staff/student ‘power’ relationship. According to Hofstede (1986) “all societies
are unequal, but some are more unequal than others” (p. 136) and so Power Distance (PD)
addresses the degree of equality within a culture and how this power difference between
individuals is accepted. Countries such as Australia are considered to be relatively egalitarian
regarding the power distance (low PD) whilst many of Eastern countries such as China are
viewed as hierarchical in nature (high PD). Students coming from a high PD country–such
279
as China, to a low PD country–such as Australia, may find it difficult to challenge people

in authority over them, leaving them highly vulnerable to exploitation.
Conclusions and Implications

Illustrated throughout this paper is that service utilisation is fraught with barriers for interna-
tional students. The neo-liberal argument that universities cannot cater to each individual
student’s needs and that IS–as adult learners–have the capacity to and should access the
services that are available to them of their own accord, seems highly ineffectual in practice
(Olssen & Peters, 2005). Clearly demonstrated in the interviews of the current study, is that
simply providing a service does not guarantee that IS will access them. In addition, staff
members mentioned that generic services do not meet the needs of the international students
and that more specialised services were required.
Since IS across the board described themselves as being more comfortable with seeking
help from their cultural peers than westernised services, one possible way to increase service
utilisation could be peer mentoring and the establishment of international student bodies.
Moreover, it was also reported that students who were in their postgraduate study or those
who had been at university for longer experienced less barriers to access help. In the current
university, IS groups had existed before, but with the move to generic services these had
disappeared. Using the ‘experienced’ students as resources for the new IS could be beneficial
as these students would trust other IS who come from the same backgrounds as themselves
and could be persuaded to access help. New students can also be told about all the services
that university offers from these peer mentors who come from the same backgrounds as
themselves, and this can serve to reduce the stigma associated with accessing certain types
of services.
Furthermore, staff members reported that they themselves did not know of available ser-
vices and so they might not know who to refer IS to. To avoid this, the university should
keep the staff members up to date through training and information sessions about these
available services. Raising awareness could increase services utilisation and ultimately cut
the cost of providing services that were not previously being used. Through awareness, staff
members could also pass information onto IS, which could decrease their discomfort when
accessing services. As literature has shown, many IS respect their lecturers because their
cultures focus on respecting the authorities and staff members could use this respect to inform
the IS of the benefits of accessing services (Hofstede, 1986).
Andrade (2009) made a clear recommendation regarding the responsibility of universities
in regards to both the instructional and pastoral care of IS, stating “institutions must be ac-
countable for serving those they admit and for adjusting methods of instruction and support
systems to address learners’ needs” (p. 1). The general feeling of dissatisfaction from the
interviewed IS, and the staff members observed a mismatch between IS expectations and
actual service provision. These are two areas which will need to be addressed if service
utilisation is to be improved. IS are an important part of university life and university financial
stability, and with student retention tightly tied to student satisfaction, (David & Renea,
2008; Madgett & Belanger, 2008; Tinto 1993; Tompson & Tompson, 1996) IS support ser-
vices may require closer scrutiny for cultural and situational sensitivity and efficacy. The
student/staff relationship in particular needs to be perceived and understood in the context
of it being a ‘power’ relationship. It’s not as simple as giving IS a ‘voice’, since culturally
280
speaking, they may not know how to use that voice. It therefore behooves the university to
develop cultural sensitivity and educate staff appropriately. The example of the IT support
person in the library e-Lab is a clear example of the type of cultural insensitivity which needs
to be addressed.
Another way of increasing service utilisation might be by providing online or over-the-
phone services. Given that IS can lack confidence in their English proficiency and so avoid
accessing services, online and/or over-the-phone services can give IS anonymity and boost
their confidence in accessing help. In a trial after-hours helpline, 9 Australian institutions
offered IS the option to telephone a call centre which was designed as an extension of each
institution’s existing services. Over the period of 6 months, 251 phone calls were received,
with 10% relating to physical and psychological health and security and safety. These calls
were most likely to result in an emergency response. According to the authors “added to an
institution’s existing services, the hotline provides certainty of assistance at any hour of the
day and assists education providers to meet their duty-of-care under Standard 6 of the Na-
tional Code of Practice (2007)” (Newcombe & Blacker, 2010, p. 2).
As discussed in the literature review, and reiterated in the findings discussion, IS have
more specific academic (e.g. different learning and teaching background, language barriers)
and socio-cultural needs (discrimination, culture shock, different physical environment,
homesickness) which are not necessarily being met through orientation and the provision of
connect officers alone. The unique issue in the research shows that the current university
does not allow for specific services for IS even if there are, as shown, specific needs that IS
have compared to their domestic counterparts.
Contributions & Limitations

The limitation of the current study is its high specificity to the ‘case’ in which is sits. However,
much of the experiences of students and staff told in the semi-structured interviews supported
previous studies and findings. However, the unique perspective of being able to learn
something of the narratives of IS and staff who remember what support utilisation was like
prior to 2008, when services were more specific to IS needs, and the utilisation of more
generic centralised services now, makes this study a valuable contribution to the body of IS
literature.
281
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About the Authors

Sophia A. Harryba
PhD candidate at the Edith Cowan University. Has researched and published in the area of
Higher Education and International Education. Is interested in the area of Internationalising
Higher Education and the Transition journey of International students.
Dr. Andrew M. Guilfoyle

Edith Cowan University, Australia
Dr. Shirlee-ann Knight

Edith Cowan University, Australia
289
Editors
Mary Kalantzis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Bill Cope, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Editorial Advisory Board

Michael Apple, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
David Barton, Lancaster University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Mario Bello, University of Science, Cuba.
Manuela du Bois-Reymond, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Bill Cope, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Robert Devillar, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, USA.
Daniel Madrid Fernandez, University of Granada, Spain.
Ruth Finnegan, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
James Paul Gee, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
Juana M. Sancho Gil, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Kris Gutierrez, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Anne Hickling-Hudson, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia.
Roz Ivanic, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
Paul James, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
Carey Jewitt, Institute of Education, University of London, London, UK.
Mary Kalantzis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Andeas Kazamias, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
Peter Kell, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Michele Knobel, Montclair State University, Montclair, USA.
Gunther Kress, Institute of Education, University of London, London, UK.
Colin Lankshear, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
Kimberly Lawless, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA.
Sarah Michaels, Clark University, Worcester, USA.
Jeffrey Mok, Miyazaki International College, Miyazaki, Japan.
Denise Newfield, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ernest O’Neil, Ministry of Education, Sana’a, Yemen.
José-Luis Ortega, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Francisco Fernandez Palomares, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Ambigapathy Pandian, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Miguel A. Pereyra, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Scott Poynting, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
Angela Samuels, Montego Bay Community College, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Michel Singh, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Helen Smith, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
Richard Sohmer, Clark University, Worcester, USA.
Brian Street, University of London, London, UK.
Giorgos Tsiakalos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Salim Vally, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Gella Varnava-Skoura, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Cecile Walden, Sam Sharpe Teachers College, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Nicola Yelland, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
Wang Yingjie, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Zhou Zuoyu, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Sophia Harryba Dr Andrew Guilfoyle

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Volume 18, Issue 6

Understanding the Challenges of Accessing University

Sophia A. Harryba, Andrew M. Guilfoyle

First published in 2012 in Champaign, Illinois, USA

© 2012 (individual papers), the author(s)

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEARNING is peer-reviewed, supported by

Typeset in Common Ground Markup Language using CGPublisher multichannel

Abstract: International education is a worldwide phenomenon. Many countries host international

Keywords: Help Seeking, Service Utilisation, International Students

The International Journal of Learning

The Value of International Students

Why International Students Study Abroad

Threats to International Education Trade

Challenges for International Students

IS Help Seeking Behaviour

University Specialised Support for Is

Legislation about Support Services

1. Provide a student contact officer

Non-use of University Support Services

Purpose of the Study

The Case: The University

Methodology & Design

Figure 1: Demographic Information: University Staff & Is

Gaps in Staff Sample

Figure 2: Phases of Grounded Theory (Moghaddam, 2006)

Findings and Discussions

Generic vs. Specialised Services

When Staff can’t Help

When Self-service doesn’t Work

Lack of Awareness of Available Help

Lack of Personal Confidence

Feelings of Discomfort in Asking for Help

Discomfort with ‘Western’ Services

Engaging the Familiar as the Source of Help

The Need to Re-dress the Power Imbalance for is

Consequences of not Seeking Help

Consequences of having a Quiet Voice

as China, to a low PD country–such as Australia, may find it difficult to challenge people

Conclusions and Implications

Contributions & Limitations

discrimination, and acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31 (5),

Rose-Redwood, C. R. (2010). The Challenge of Fostering Cross-Cultural Interactions: A Case Study

About the Authors

Dr. Andrew M. Guilfoyle

Dr. Shirlee-ann Knight

Editorial Advisory Board

Please visit the Journal website at http://www.Learning-Journal.com

Online presentations can be viewed on YouTube.

First, by participating in the Learning Conference, community members can enter a

BOOK CLIMATE CHANGE

CONSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENT DESIGN

GLOBAL STUDIES HEALTH

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