Applied Business Research: Report on International Student Challenges

This applied business research report examines the challenges faced by international students pursuing higher education in Australia. The research, based on survey responses, focuses on qualitative and quantitative data to understand the difficulties encountered by students, including language barriers, academic differences, cultural adjustments, and financial concerns. The report analyzes student feedback on academic styles, difficulty levels, and their overall experiences, including what they liked and disliked about international education. It also explores how Charles Darwin University (CDU) could assist students in overcoming these challenges. The qualitative analysis provides detailed responses from students, highlighting issues such as time management, differences in teaching styles, cultural adaptation, and the impact of living expenses. The report also includes a quantitative analysis to provide a comprehensive overview of the data collected. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and suggests recommendations for improving the international student experience at CDU.

Running head: APPLIED BUSINESS RESEARCH
Applied Business Research
Name of student
Name of University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Qualitative analysis..........................................................................................................................4
Quantitative analysis......................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15

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Introduction
The research report is developed to discuss the various types of data and information that
have been collected and analysed based on the proposal of the research. According to the
research questions and responses provided, the report will be created for focusing on the needs
and preferences of the international students. This will also prioritize on their opinions and
responses to the issues or challenges faced while coming to another country to pursue higher
education. A particular sample size is chosen, and the survey questionnaires have been provided
to them for obtaining relevant answers to the questions in the form of quantitative data and
proper qualitative data. It will help in assessing the major issues and challenges that have been
experienced while traveling to Australia for studying and the views and opinions of the students
regarding the international education and its impact (Altbach 2015). There will also be responses
of the students related to the ways by which CDU can assist the students to overcome these
challenges with ease and effectiveness.
Qualitative analysis
The qualitative analysis is done to assess and review the various
questions that have been asked to the students who visited Australia to pursue higher education.
The questions were asked regarding the major challenges that had been faced by these students
who arrived in Australia to study. They also provided their varied opinions and feedbacks
regarding the difference between the academic style and difficulty levels within the Australian
Universities. The things that they liked and disliked about the international education in the form
of academic and personal opinions should be illustrated here as well. The ways by which CDU
could help in overcoming these challenges were included here as well (Bernard and Bernard

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2012). Based on the data and information collected from the research survey questions and the
proposal, the major challenges faced by the students while traveling to Australia had been
language barriers, academic and personal choices difference, climatic conditions change along
with time zone differences, cultural barriers, and even financial challenges or issues. The purpose
of traveling to another country for the students was to pursue higher education facilities and learn
better values, beliefs, and culture to gain better job scopes and opportunities, furthermore
become successful in their professional career (Brannen 2017).
The major questions that were asked to the respondents had been illustrated below:
 What challenges have you faced since coming to Australia?
 What are the main differences in the academic style and level of difficulty?
 What do you like about international education?
 What do you dislike about international education? Please share personal and academic
views.
 What are the strategies that could help you overcome these challenges?
Based on these questions, the answers were provided by the people
who had been selected as samples while managing the research proposal.
1st response
When asked to the first respondent about the challenges that were
faced, the individual stated that management of time had been a major issue and even issues
while doing a particular assignment was quite different from what was done earlier. The person
also stated that there was an absence of lecturers and assignments, which hindered the progress
in higher studies within the Australian Universities (Bryman and Bell 2015). The responses of

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the student regarding the international educational facilities provided were quite positive because
he believed that the workload, i.e., the study pressure was less and exam schedules were
convenient as well. The negativities though were showed regarding the high living expenses and
excessive numbers of assignments provided. According to the student, CDU could overcome
these kinds of challenges by making online quiz available and increase the frequency of exams,
though reducing the quantity of assignments provided to them (Collis and Hussey 2013).
2nd response
The same questions were asked to another student who told that the
education system of Australia, being different from that of the home country had created certain
issues, and English was present as the 3rd language. The cultural differences and staying away
from home also made the student depressed, which was also considered as a major challenge.
Based on the responses of the student, the differences between academic style and difficulty
level included the ways by which lecturers taught, facilities provided and the complexity of the
assignments, which were much easier for them when they studied in their home country (Davies
and Hughes 2014). The positives, according to the student were embracing a different culture
helped them to now people from different backgrounds and develop a good networking base as
well. The disadvantages were the high cost of education and lack of extra curriculum activities.
The CDU could overcome these challenges by organizing more extra curriculum activities and
decrease the cost of education faculties provided to the international students (Doiz,
Lasagabaster and Sierra 2012).
3rd response

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The third student responded differently by pointing out the lost
passport as a major challenge while it was the response of students who believed that the
academic styles of teaching were quite different than that of the Dutch Universities. Based on the
qualitative responses, it could be understood that the student had learned new values through the
management of good cultural aspects while the disadvantages of the international education,
according to the student, was difficult to work as a team due to the existence of people from
different cultures. According to the student’s response, CDU could enable the individuals within
the University to speak in English, rather than speaking in their mother tongue (Eriksson and
Kovalainen 2015).
4th response
Based on the responses provided by the 4th respondent, it could be
analysed that the experiences were not satisfactory and this happened because of the numerous
challenges that were faced. Few of the potential differences between the complexity level and
academic teaching style were pressure due to study load including huge amounts of tasks and
practical assignments. Based on the response of the student, the difficulty level was same like it
was for the Dutch Universities though quality seemed to be different. One positive thing about
the international education was the ability to meet people from various cultural backgrounds and
working in coordination, through exchange of knowledge and ideas. The areas that lacked certain
strengths were the lack of skills among the faculties and lecturers, which created issues to make
the tasks clear to the students (Folsom et al. 2012). To overcome these challenges, a dedicated
educational workshop is different countries could be created, and requirements for managing a
course must be clear and precise.

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5th response
This was something unexpected, though the responses should be
gathered as important data to conduct the research efficiently. According to the responses, it
could be analysed that the styles of teaching and study were different from that of the Dutch
Universities and teachers had played a major role in influencing the students to study. It has
enabled to think critically, and thus the difficulty level was mediocre. The responses provided by
the students were mainly positive regarding the international education because it had improved
their ability to speak English more fluently, ensured better exposure and became socialized with
people from different backgrounds (Hair 2015). As there were no such negative aspects related
to the international education, so it could be interpreted that CDU had nothing to do regarding
the overcoming of challenges faced.
6th response
From the research questions and answers collected during the survey,
it could be understood that one student faced difficulty to maintain academics and could not
manage time properly to get involved in social life and language also proved to be a major
barrier. The differences in international standards and standards in Australia further created more
difficulties. The positives of international education were traveling new places, making new
friends and learn different cultures, new things while the things that had been disliked by the
student include the high cost of study facilities, teaching styles were different, and education
system could not fulfill the requirements of academics (Hussein 2015). The CDU could
overcome these issues by creating an effective fee structure and make considerations for the
international students to study and progress in the career with ease.

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7th response
From the responses, it could be understood that management of time
was difficult and the education system of Australia was different from the education system
present in the home country of the student. The student though believed that it would be
convenient once they would get into the right flow. The advanced technology and proper
diversity of culture were the main things that were liked whereas few negative responses were
provided regarding the lack of proper skills among the professors to teach them. The analysis and
interpretation of data had helped to understand how CDU could provide training and
developmental sessions to them to improve their knowledge, skills and expertise level (Lampard
and Pole 2015).
8th response
According to the data presented in the form of responses, it is not
valid and justified for 75 % as D, though 74.8 % can still be justified to a certain extent. It is a
huge difference from that of the other Universities outside and the cultural difference has been a
major challenge faced by the international student. One of the major positives that has been
brought through international education could be the exploring of new horizons and gaining the
ability to adopt new environment, furthermore becoming accustomed with the cultural diversity
of Australia. Few of the students also provided negative responses in terms of the unnecessary
study or teaching plan and no summer semester for the international students in case they fail in
any subject (Luo and Jamieson-Drake 2013). The study plan would be difficult as well as
challenging for both students and staff because of the consistent lecture arrangements.

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Few other challenges faced by the international students were lack of
time to complete the assignments, and many of them preferred English and few not because of
belonging from a non-English speaking country. There were cultural differences along with the
difference in climatic conditions and even not getting an Australian girlfriend was a major issue
faced by the international students. The language barriers made it difficult for the students to find
relevant jobs and practical assignments along with the plagiarism, where similarity was found
though the students did not copy the same for the assignment (Mertens 2014). Regarding the
differences in academic style and difficulty level, academic styles were different, classes were
smaller, and the difficulty level was much less, which meant that students had found it easy to
pass the exams. Though the academic style was different for the students who previously tried
the Chinese, German and Dutch educational systems, still they believed that the course units had
been quite easy for them in Australia. There are other courses such as piano, guitar, extra
curriculum activities and quick time for project execution, which have been quite different for
the international students (Morgan 2013).
Few things that the students think are beneficial to the international
education have been gaining the ability to stay and study without remaining dependent upon their
parents, learning new languages, semester-long holidays, ease of working on the units, easy ways
of pursuing education, etc. With the benefits, there are few things that are not liked by the
students as well including adopting some different culture, difficulty to take part in seminars,
lack of ability of lecturers to teach the students, many difficult courses, and differences in
language, ineffective study plan and no summer semester, which have created issues while
adjusting the study plan (Myers 2013).

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Based on analysis of data and information, it could be understood
that to overcome these challenges, CDU must provide a lesser number of assignments to the
students, reduce the fee structure to keep the academic difficulty level low and provide them with
placement opportunities so that they could get a good job in the future. Seminars should be
arranged for making the students interact with the professors and lecturers and even develop an
app for supporting the education system with convenience and ease (Reiche et al. 2016).
Quantitative analysis
The student aged between 18 to 20 were from India, Timor Leste, Netherlands, Hong
Kong and they had been studying there for nearly five months and as such few had not decided
about what career path should be chosen while few of them wanted to get a job in their own
country. Few of the students believed that they wanted to continue their education in their own
country while the responses of others showed that they could even manage their job in Australia
where they would be studying for the next few years. Many of the students who have been
studying for less than six months have lesser knowledge and information about whether the CDU
has provided enough support to the international students or not, so they are not sure. They have
also interacted with the students quite less, and thus the quality of education system and its
services are also considered as satisfactory for them (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). To improve the
services for international students, the living expenses should be reduced largely. Many students
who have studied for one year believed that their focus is to get a job in Australia only and this
can help them to pursue their education as well as work at the same time. Because they have
been working for nearly a year, it is quite evident that they have become more socialized with the
other students and due to this, they find the quality of services quite good and noteworthy along
with the convenience of staying in Australia just after their arrival (Smith 2015). From the

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responses, it could be understood that the cultural differences should be overcome by CDU to
meet the international students’ requirements as well as organize the various activities based on
their demands and preferences. Many students believed that CDU had provided enough support
and help to the international students and for them, the quality of services is far more than just
better. One of the Indian student's response was positive because he found that the studying
tenure was enough to understand how well the facilities were provided and getting a job at India
only would be favorable and convenient as well (Sreejesh, Mohapatra and Anusree 2014).
Based on the response of one of the Chinese student, it could be understood that getting a
job in Australia would be easier and convenient because he or she had been studying at the same
time and wished to get the job through placement and job opportunities. The student though
remained neutral while providing an answer regarding the support made available for the
international students by the CDU. According to the responses, the services' quality has been
satisfactory, and it has been easy for him to connect to a large group of audiences with ease. The
students between 24 to 29 have provided responses, which showed that they plan to get a job in
Australia only after the graduation would be completed (Venkatesh, Brown and Bala 2013). To
improve the quality of services, it is important to reduce the fee structure of the international
students, and few interactive sessions shall be arranged for the international students for
improving their skills and abilities and make them get jobs through the development of skills,
knowledge and expertise level. Based on the responses, it could be understood that the students
who came from China and had experiences of studying for 1-2 years wished to continue
education in Australia only. But, according to their responses, the CDU had not provided enough
support to the international students, and thus the quality of services was termed as fair and just
good (Wilson 2014). According to the views and opinions, The international students who were

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above 30 years of age and had been studying for less than six months provided multiple choices
or options such as getting a job in own country or a job in Australia or even in other countries.
Though the responses related to the support provided by CDU for the international students were
negative or neutral, still the international students believed that becoming less independent
would be important because much support was not expected. The quality of services was rated as
satisfactory when compared to the quality of education system and services of the institutions
where the international students used to study previously (Zikmund et al. 2013).
During the international student survey, it was analysed and interpreted that international
students who had more than three years of studying experience had been expecting to get a job in
their own country and thus the responses were quite positive regarding the support provided by
CDU along with the quality of services delivered to the international students. Though it is not a
good thing, still the students feel for the absence of a bar that may have been opened for few
nights in a week (Altbach 2015). There were neutral responses as well because few of them did
not know how and whether to continue the education after graduation or not. In respect of the
views and opinions provided, it is quite clear that Brett Smith has supported the international
students and the responses are positive for being able to fit in the country after arriving in
Darwin. Few of them are exchange students, because of which, they cannot find any such
differences in the quality of services for the full-time and long-term students (Brannen 2017).
Most the data collected in the form of responses are positive, and it shows that the Australian
system of education has been satisfactory and proper help and support has been provided to the
international students with ease and efficiency. The majority of choices after the completion of
graduation has been either getting a job in own country or Australia, though few of the responses
are neutral, which means a decision has yet not been taken (Hair 2015).

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Conclusion
The research report was developed to focus on the research proposal related to the
emergence of issues or challenges for the international students while coming to another country,
i.e., in Australia. From the proposal, the data was collected in the form of qualitative and
quantitative data. The qualitative data were collected by asking certain questions to the
international students such as challenges that were faced, differences in academic style and
difficulty level, things that were liked and disliked by the students and even the approaches
undertaken by CDU to overcome the challenges with ease and effectiveness. The most important
challenges faced were the improper management of time, lack of skills of lecturers and
professors to make the students understand, different study style, high costs, etc. Based on the
analysis, the things that were liked by the international students had been good cultural diversity,
less pressure of study, semester-long holiday, gaining better scopes of learning English and
Australian language and gain a secure place to get a good job in their home country or Australia.
Most of the international students had socialized with the other students, and CU provided proper
support as well. Therefore, these had been the data and information that was collected for
analysis and interpretation and finally the report was prepared.

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