Research Proposal: Exploitation of International Students in Australia

This research proposal investigates the exploitation of international students in Australia and its impact on their educational experiences. It begins with an introduction highlighting the growth of the education industry in Australia, fueled by international students, and presents a problem statement focusing on the misuse of foreign students in the job sector, particularly in the hospitality and cleaning industries. The research aims to identify the extent of this exploitation and its effects on education quality, student well-being, and the Australian economy. It outlines research questions, objectives, and justifications, emphasizing the importance of understanding the reasons behind exploitation and the role of the Australian government. The proposal includes a conceptual framework, literature review, detailed methodology, and a project plan covering the organization, budget, and schedule. The findings are expected to provide insights into the different types of exploitation, their impact on students, and potential solutions to mitigate these issues, ultimately aiming to protect international students and promote the education industry in Australia. The document also refers to the role of the Australian government to restrict such exploitation on the international students.

Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1
Research Proposal on Exploitation of International Students and the Impact on Educational
Experience in Australia
Following the guidelines of the course ID guidelines
Student’s Name
Course ID

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Problem Statement...........................................................................................................................3
Research Aim...................................................................................................................................4
Research Questions and Objectives.................................................................................................4
Justification of the Research............................................................................................................5
Potential Output...............................................................................................................................6
Conceptual Framework – Theories..................................................................................................6
Literature Review – Evidence.........................................................................................................9
Methodology..................................................................................................................................10
Theory........................................................................................................................................10
Study Design..............................................................................................................................11
Data Collection..........................................................................................................................11
Analysis......................................................................................................................................12
Presentation of Results...............................................................................................................12
Organisation of the Study..............................................................................................................13
Project Budget...............................................................................................................................14
Project Schedule............................................................................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................17

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Introduction
In the time of globalisation, education has become one of the most convenient industries
that have been majorly supported the economy of leading countries. In case of the Australian
economy, the same thing can be noticed as well. By exploiting the foreign students, the
education industry in the country has registered substantial growth. In this particular research
proposal, the study has been concentrated on how the exploitation of international students in
Australia has impacted the education sector of the nation (Leith, 2012). In the major discussion,
the problem statement on the topic has been established to make it easy for the readers to
evaluate the core issue associated with the study. Furthermore, the proposal includes the aim of
the research, questions and objective of the study, valid justification of research, conceptual
theories, and review of the literature. In addition, the methodology to conduct the entire research
study, study design, theoretical consideration, analysis, budget, and schedule of the research
project have been presented as well.
Problem Statement
In the current scenario, exploitation of foreign students in the job sector of Australia has
become a considerable issue. The study research has been developed to identify the degree of the
issue of exploitation of foreign students and the impact of the same on the educational
experience in the country (Haussen & Uebelmesser, 2015). Previous study researches can be
demonstrated to show that foreign students are reportedly misused in the casual job sectors
mainly in the hospitality and cleaning industry (Murrmann & Vest, 2010). Influenced by the
existing benefits, Australian employers can be seemed to hire students as cheap labour in
different casual jobs in different sectors.

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Precisely, hiring the international students in casual jobs has become a systematic issue in
the economy affecting the overall educational experience of the foreign students in the country
(Farmer & Tucker, 2008). In the meanwhile, the employers in Australia have tried to misuse the
visa condition of the foreign students that can be one of the most comprehensive causes of such
exploitation. Also, the personal attributes of the foreign students, lack of the knowledge of the
workplace rights, and other similar issues have forced the international students to be misused
under the current circumstances (Worland & Wilson, 2008). It can be defined as the leading
problem for the research.
Research Aim
The entire study has been dedicated to finding out the evidence of exploitation of foreign
students in Australian job sector. Meanwhile, the research proposal has been aimed to evaluate
how the exploitation of the foreign students in Australia has affected the educational experience.
Through the review of previous literature, the research is further aimed to verify the reasons why
exploitation of international students has made an adverse impact on the educational experience
(Braekkan & Sowa, 2015). The study will also reveal how such problems are affecting the
quality of education and standard of living of the foreign students pursuing education on
Australia.
Research Questions and Objectives
The primary objective of the paper is to identify and evaluate the impacts of exploitation
on the international students on their educational experiences. In order to meet the objective of
the paper, the research questions that will be answered in the paper have been presented herein
below:

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 RQ1: What are the impacts of exploitation on the educational experience of the
international students?
 RQ2: What types of exploitation are faced by the international students in the Australian
economy?
 RQ3: What are the major reasons for such types of exploitation and how does the
exploitation impacts the quality of education in Australia?
 RQ4: What sort of adverse mindset can be seen among the international students in
Australia that occurs due to exploitation and how does it impact the revenue earned from
foreign student in the economy?
 RQ5: What sort of regulatory frameworks are present in the Australian economy to
safeguard the rights of the international students? What sorts of changes are required in
the regulatory frameworks to mitigate the issues of the exploitation of international
students in Australia?
Justification of the Research
In the existing scenario, the issue of workplace exploitation of foreign students seeking
higher education in the country has been identified as one of the serious challenges. Based on the
problem statement, the study will investigate the reasons that have led to such issues.
Furthermore, the research study will be also important to collect evidence that shows the current
state of scenario of the foreign students working in the hospitality and cleaning sector in the
country. From the theoretical point of view, the study will reveal the elements that are
continuously influencing the unscrupulous and unethical employers to exploit the international
students in the workplace. Precisely, the study will also find out how the overall scenario will
make an adverse impact on the mindset of the students seeking education or perhaps thinking of

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pursuing study in Australia (Janchai, 2013). The research study is also helpful to demonstrate
how the education experience of the foreign students has been affected by such exploitation that
must be condemned at the highest priority. Apart from the same, the research will evaluate what
is the role of the Australian government to restrict such exploitation on the international students.
Overall, the battle of the foreign students against exploitation should be considered as a serious
research topic so that the issue can be resolved as early as possible.
Potential Output
The outputs of the study will provide an analytical framework that can be used to
evaluate the impact of exploitation of international student in Australia on their educational
experiences. Furthermore, the research will help to analyse the major factors leading to such
exploitation of international students in Australia and develop necessary policies to overcome the
issues (Hasegawa, 2015). Moreover, the research will help to analyse the legal frameworks that
protects the rights of the foreign students in Australia and identify the gaps that leads to
exploitation of the students. Alternatively, the study will present the different types of
exploitations that are faced by the international students in the Australian market and their
impacts on the educational outcomes and mindset of the scholars (Reinig, Horowitz &
Whittenburg, 2011). Finally, the research will present ideas to mitigate the issues of international
student exploitation and promote the business of education industry of Australia.
Conceptual Framework – Theories
Education sector in Australia can be defined as one of the major contributing industries of
the nation. Under the current circumstances of exploitation of foreign students in different
industries can be a leading issue for the economy if the situation cannot be controlled as soon as

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possible (Kretz & Partlow, 2011). From the theoretical point of view, being one of the education
hubs for the international students residing in Asian counties and South-East Asia, international
students can be counted as one of the best revenue resources for Australia (Marginson, 2015).
Furthermore, Australia is the first choice for the Saudi students to study abroad due to its
pleasant location and good political relationship with the country (Daifullah Alsulami, 2016). As
per the media release of the universitiesaustralia.edu.au (2016), the international education has
generated around $20.3 billion for Australia in 2014-15, which makes the industry the third
largest exporting industry of the nation after iron ore and coal ("International education generates
a record $20.3 billion for Australia", 2017). According to the economists, as cases of foreign
student exploitation are surging in Australia, the quality of education as well as the experience of
the international students in Australia may hit badly. In the existing scenario, foreign students
may show their reluctance to visit Australia for seeking higher education (Wang & Tsai, 2014).
As a result of the outcome, the economy of Australia may suffer significant loss of GDP.
According to O’Connor & Bodicoat (2016), there are different types of student
exploitation that takes place in the Australian economy. Firstly, the workplace exploitation that
occurs due to discrimination of wages and payment of salary to the international students below
the minimum wage rate. Additionally, the dark skin students are highly abused by the white skin
people that have become a major issue for the foreign students in Australia (O’Connor &
Bodicoat, 2016). Furthermore, the international students are provided with lower level jobs and
poor payment, which is become the minimum wage rate of the nation. Several cases of physical
harm and mental tortures have been filed in the recent years that negatively impact the mindset
of the international students in Australia (O’Connor & Bodicoat, 2016). The major reason for
such exploitation is the high level of discrimination, mentality of economic profitability above

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ethics and poor regulatory framework of the Australian government (Olsen, Burgess & Sharma,
2015). A diagram has been presented below to show the current status of the education industry,
the types of international student exploitation that occurs in Australia, several reasons and factors
leading to such exploitation, and the impact of exploitation over the education service and
morale of the students.
Figure: Conceptual Framework International Student Exploitation in Australia
EducationasaprimaryindustryinAustraliaEducationindustryhasgeneratedaround$20.3billionforAustraliain2015TheprimaryincomecomesfromforeignstudentsTypesofExploitationWorkplaceexploitationDiscriminationStudentAbuseReasonforexploitationEconomicprofitabilityaboveethicsSocialandculturalvariancePoorregulatoryfrmaeworkImpactofExploitationLowqualityofeducationAdversemindsetofinternationalstudentsNegativeeconomicimpact

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Literature Review – Evidence
In the current scenario, the workplace exploitation of foreign students in Australia has
become a considerable problem. In the recent times, unscrupulous employers in Australia are
continuously misusing the international students in the hospitality and cleaning industry. By
identifying the visa condition of the foreign students, employers in Australia are hiring foreign
students as employees providing a wage rate of as minimum as $5 (Kainth, 2016). Probably, the
employers are misusing the visa condition for the international students that allow a foreign
student to work 20 hours a week in Australia. Meanwhile, most of the students have to work
part-time to support their education in Australia (Li & Whitworth, 2016). By observing the
vulnerability, employers are taking advantage of the same to hire low cost employees in the form
of foreign students seeking education in Australia. In Australia, the minimum hourly wage rate is
$16 (Liamputtong, 2011). However, a recent union survey conducted including 200 foreign
students has revealed the bitter truth of the exploitation of international students in Australia
(Mak, 2011). According to the outcome of the survey, 25 percent of the students have reportedly
received $10 per hour whereas as much as 60 percent of the students have earned below the
minimum wage rate in their respective workplaces (Arnott, 2013).
Another study conducted by Dr Mark Zirnsak has revealed that most of the international
students working in hospitality and cleaning sectors are neither given appropriate wage or pay
slip by the employers (Arnott, 2013). At the same point of time, students are repeatedly abused
by the employers on a regular basis affecting the morale and confidence of the students. On the
other hand, Asian students coming from China, India, and Vietnam have been treated differently
by the employers working with other staff members (Hawthorne, 2013). Precisely, such
discrimination and humiliation have developed a poor picture in front of the foreign students

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seeking education in Australia. The impact of the issue can be massive in the upcoming future.
Evidently, such devastating outcome can limit the number of students coming to Australia to
complete their degree courses (Tham, 2015). According to the economists, the issue may have
led to decrease in foreign students in Australia in near future. Due to poor regulatory challenges
and workplace tribunals, workplace exploitation involving foreign students are rising day by day
in Australia affecting the quality of education and trust on the administrative (Lambert, 2017).
Clearly, sub-standard wage system, workplace discrimination, and unfair treatment by the
employers have been the major form of foreign students’ exploitation seeking higher education
in the country.
Methodology
The methodology of the research presents the blueprint of the paper that is used to collect
data, conduct analysis and present the findings of the study. The methodology section presents
the overall procedure of the research that will be applied while conducting the research on the
chosen topic.
Theory
Firstly, the literature currently available in the chosen field of study will be analysed and
an in-depth evaluation of the relevant literature will be conducted to observe the issues in the
Australian Education System. Information will be collected from various sources including
Google scholar, journal articles, websites, newspaper articles and printed books (Bryman & Bell,
2011). A thematic content evaluation of these literatures will be undertaken to examine the
extent to which the educational experiences of the foreign students are impacted through
exploitation in Australia.

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Study Design
The design of the study explains the procedure of the research that will be applied while
conducting the data collection and analysis. The research will be conducted on the basis of two
different research design types. Firstly, review technique will be used in order to conduct a
systematic literature review. The literatures from previous authors will be thematically evaluated
in order to answer the research questions and meet the objective of the study (Bryman & Bell,
2011). Secondly, a descriptive research design has been chosen to conduct a survey and present
the findings of the research in the form of a case study (Quinlan, 2015). For instance, primary
data will be collected and specific examples from the industry will be presented in order to
support the findings of the research.
Data Collection
The collection of the data is one of the time consuming and complicated task of the
research. In this paper, both the primary as well as secondary data collection methods will be
used to collect data for the analysis (Abrams, 2016). The primary data will be collected from the
primary sources using online survey and set of questionnaires related to how the students feel
about exploitation and how its impacts their educational experiences in Australia. Additionally,
interviews of five professors will be conducted in order to observe their views regarding
exploitations of international students and how these exploitations impact their academic
performance. Finally, secondary data will be collected in order to conduct the literature review
and backup the findings of the research through the analysis of primary data. The secondary data
will be collected from different sources relevant to the topic such as books, journal articles,

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newspaper articles, government reports, University reports available online or through printed
media.
Analysis
The analysis will be conducted using two different techniques namely qualitative analysis
and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis will be conducted to discuss the research topic and
answer the research questions through the data collected from primary interview of the
professors (Quinlan, 2015). Additionally, the secondary data and information will be presented
to backup the qualitative analysis. Secondly, the quantitative analysis will be conducted by using
descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, and standard deviation) and hypothesis testing to find
out whether the data supports the hypothesis or rejects it (Quinlan, 2015). Moreover, regression
analysis will be conducted to know by what extent does the exploitation of international students
may impact their educational experiences.
Presentation of Results
The research will be presented as a mixture of the above methodologies in order to
achieve the right solution for the problem that has been identified in the problem statement. The
in-depth understanding of the critical review of the literature and responses of the participants
obtained through interviews and surveys will be arranged first (Gammon & Morgan-Samuel,
2015). The analysis will be conducted on the basis of the analysis techniques presented above
and the findings of the analysis will be presented in the form of tables, graphs, charts and written
discussion (Abrams, 2016). A descriptive analysis will be conducted in order to support the
findings of the research and answer the research questions thematically.

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Organisation of the Study
The structure of the research has been presented herein below:
 Chapter 1: Introduction – The introduction chapter will present the background, aim,
objective, research questions, hypothesis statements, scope and significance of the
research.
 Chapter 2: Literature Review – The literature review chapter will present the critical
review of the cases of exploitation of international students in Australia. Additionally, the
chapter will present the background of the education industry and economic prospects of
the sector in the last 5 years.
 Chapter 3: Methodology – The third chapter will present the research designs, primary
and secondary data collection techniques, data analysis techniques, and the methods of
presentation of the findings in the research.
 Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings – The fourth chapter will analyse the data collected
through primary techniques such as surveys and interviews. Additionally, it will present
the findings of the primary research through tables, graphs and charts.
 Chapter 5: Discussion – A descriptive argument will be presented in this chapter to
discuss the impact of exploitation of international students on their educational
experiences.
 Chapter 6: Recommendations and Conclusion – Recommendations and summary of
the study will be presented in the final chapter.

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Project Budget
It is assumed that the project will require around $3,500 to be completed. The breakdown
of the research costs have been presented herein below:
 Literature Review: In order to undertake the literature review, there is a need of
textbooks, online resources and journal articles that are not always free of cost. Hence,
the literature review will require around $1000 for purchasing the secondary data
resources.
 Data Collection (Primary): The primary data needs to be collected by using
questionnaires and surveys that include printing costs, travelling costs and mailing and
posting costs. Additionally, the online survey will be conducted using emails and other
online platforms that will require internet costs. Hence, the data collection process will
require around $1500.
 Data Analysis: Finally, in order to analyse the data using quantitative method, SPSS is
required which needs to be bought from the market. Additionally, to access tables, charts
and government data some amount of money needs to be spent. Hence, it is estimated
that the data analysis process will cost around $1000.
The forecasted budget of the research has been presented in the table herein below:
Forecasted budget for research
Particulars Amount to be spent
Literature Review $ 1,000.00
Data Collection $ 1,500.00
Data Analysis $ 1,000.00
Total $ 3,500.00

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Project Schedule
It is estimated that the project will require around 12 weeks to be completed. As per the
projection, the research will start on XXXXXX and end on XXXXXX. A Gantt chart has been
given herein below to present the schedule of the research:
Gantt chart
Activities
Duratio
n
Weeks
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
0
1
1
1
2
Topic of the research 1 week
Resource Planning 1 week
Development of research proposal 2 weeks
Approval of the research proposal 1 week
Collection of secondary data 2 weeks
Literature Review 2 weeks
Collection of primary data 4 weeks
Data Analysis 2 weeks
Discussion & findings 2 weeks
Submission of final report 1 week

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Conclusion
By considering the above proposal, it can be seen that the exploitation of international
students through workplace discrimination and abuse has become a major issue for the education
industry of Australia. Furthermore, the education industry is one of the top three contributors of
the Australian GDP and the maximum portion of the revenue comes from international students.
The exploitation of the international students negatively impacts their mindset and academic
performance that leads to negative impression over the Australian education industry. Hence, the
research will be conducted to identify the issues of exploitation of foreign students and its
impacts in order to develop necessary policies to improve the current status of the industry.

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References
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