Opportunities and Challenges for International Students in Australia

The reflective journal explores the research on international student experiences in Australia, highlighting how Australia's high-quality education system attracts students globally, particularly from Asia. The research examines both benefits and challenges faced by these students, including accommodation facilities and language barriers. It also underscores the importance of structured learning processes and research methodologies in understanding educational dynamics, thereby aiding personal and academic development.

RUNNING HEAD: Business Research
Business Research
Reflective Journal

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Reflective Journal
The research was done on the opportunities and challenges for international students in
Australia and It has been observed that Education is the basic necessity in everyone’s life to
survive in this world (Cranston, 2008). Education determines the lifestyle and decisions of an
individual. By going through the process of whole research, I learned that there are disparities
among the people of different nations regarding educational opportunities. That is why,
people seek better educational opportunities in the nations where they get a better education
and career to bring financial stability to life (Sheehan, 2012). I learned how to evaluate the
data collected from different sources which helped me to know that few countries like
Australia, UK and USA provide one of the best educational and career opportunities to
people and that is why students from various regions of the world move to these countries for
a bright career. The experience I gained through this research is valuable because it helped
me in gaining various insights about the current situation of education in Australia. It also
helped in framing my career opportunities so that I can attempt for a better education course
or degree available in the universities of the country.
It is also observed that the learning experience is useful to me because it will help me in
completing my course well. It will enhance my knowledge which I can showcase through the
research reports and various tests taken by the professors in the duration of my course. The
research helped me in framing my career in future and also helped me in general life. The
insights gained about the benefits and challenges of the education system in Australia will
help me in obtaining a successful and valuable degree from Australian education system.
During the whole learning process, I have gone through the study of research processes and
methods. I also learned different methods of research and how to choose the one which
assists in completing this research in a successful manner. I learned how to set objectives of
the research so that the process follows a path in order to meet certain objectives set by the
researcher. I also realized that Australia attracts a large pool of students from around the
world because of its high quality of education. There are also few factors like facilities of
accommodation, scholarships, etc. which helps in attracting large number of students
(Stromquist and Monkman, 2014). On the other hand, there are certain challenges which are
to be faced by the students. The challenges include the language and culture barriers which
creates issues in making the students comfortable (Chesters and Watson, 2013). I also learned

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about the various sources of data collection. The research is conducted by collecting the
information from various sources. It is found that this research is done by using the
quantitative as well as qualitative data. This data has been collected by using primary and
secondary sources. I learned that primary sources are those which provides the fresh data
which is never been used by anyone. The secondary sources are those which provides the
data which is already been used by someone (Sheil, 2010).
I studied various sources and realized that most of the students who are enrolling themselves
for education in Australia are from China and India. It clearly shows that Asian population is
much more interested in gaining education in Australia. This generates billions of profit for
the country which helps in its development and promotion (Mourshed, Farrell and Barton,
2013). The economy is booming and one of the strong reason for it is the influx of foreign
currency due to a large number of students coming from other countries for the purpose of
studies in Australia. I observed that the technological infrastructure of the country is much
more advanced which attracts students from various countries to study in Australia. Also, the
lesser cost of living in Australia helps students to make a considerable living in the country
(Ball, 2013). But the difference in the culture and language creates struggle for the students to
gain support and assistance. To fill the gap, the government and educational system of the
country provides various workshops where students can freely ask for assistance related to
their courses and learning programs.
The Business Research was useful for the Research Learning process as it helped in gaining
various insights about the whole process of the research and how to follow it to meet the
research objectives in the end (Ortlipp, 2008). The learning process includes the activities
like setting objectives, conducting literature review by reviewing various secondary sources,
determining the research methods and techniques, conducting analysis and reaching to the
conclusion. It is then followed by providing recommendations on the topic of the research.
From the learning process, I feel that the country is progressing in terms of good quality of
education. The high quality of education then helps in developing better professionals to lead
the corporate world. I also evaluated the benefits and challenges faced by the students in the
Australian Education system which could be improved in order to make outsiders
comfortable. There are various factors which impact the educational system of the country. I
realized that these factors can be controlled and the strategies can be framed so that these
problems can be eradicated.

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This learning could help me in focussing on my subjects and in collecting the data from
various sources about any subject. This research also taught me that it is very important to
keep patience and to be updated about the current issues and updates in the country. The
skills like Time management and leadership is gained by conducting this research program.
This research encouraged me for better management of activities so that the objectives can be
achieved on time. The main motive of any research is to achieve its set objectives so that
further actions can be taken. Conducting this research helped me in gaining the importance
of the learning process. It helped me in setting my future goals. It also helped me in making
decisions about my further education and career path.

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References
Ball, S.J. ed., 2013. Foucault and education: Disciplines and knowledge. Routledge.
Chesters, J. and Watson, L., 2013. Understanding the persistence of inequality in higher
education: Evidence from Australia. Journal of Education Policy, 28(2), pp.198-215.
Cranston, N., 2008. The use of cases in the leadership development of principals: A recent
initiative in one large education system in Australia. Journal of Educational
Administration, 46(5), pp.581-597.
Mourshed, M., Farrell, D. and Barton, D., 2013. Education to employment: Designing a
system that works. McKinsey Center for Government.
Ortlipp, M., 2008. Keeping and using reflective journals in the qualitative research
process. The qualitative report, 13(4), pp.695-705.
Sheehan, B., 2012. 3. The evaluation of the higher education system in Australia. The World
Yearbook of Education 1996: The Evaluation of Higher Education Systems, p.14.
Sheil, T., 2010. Moving beyond university rankings: developing a world class university
system in Australia. Australian Universities' Review, The, 52(1), p.69.
Stromquist, N.P. and Monkman, K. eds., 2014. Globalization and education: Integration and
contestation across cultures. R&L Education.