Abroad but not abandoned: supporting student adjustment in the international placement journey

Conroy, Kieran M.; McCarthy, Lucy

doi:10.1080/03075079.2019.1673718

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The opinions of Irish university staff members with regard to factors that help and hinder international student learning (O'Reilly et al, 2013), and staff engagement with IoC in Ireland (Ryan et al, 2020) is a significant theme in recent Irish research. This reflects current directions in international literature on international student-staff relationships (Mercer-Mapstone and Bovill, 2019), IaH (Heffernan et al, 2019) and institutional and social supports for international students' placements and transitions (Conroy and McCarthy, 2019). However, in line with research developments internationally, more Irish sociological research on postgraduate and doctoral candidates' experiences of learning and teaching, would contribute substantially to extant research.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

‘Reconceptualising internationalisation through students’ eyes’: Findings from a biographical study of female, international doctoral students in an Irish University

Moran

Green

Warren

2021

Irish Journal of Sociology

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This paper presents findings from an Irish qualitative study of postgraduate, female, international students. It focuses on their narrations of internationalisation, in respect of events leading them to become international students, and their reflections on their academic, interpersonal and societal experiences in Ireland. International students are generally understudied and marginalised as metaphorical ‘others’ within global education policies, often being reduced to mere recruitment and financial targets and units of analysis. However, this study shows that international students transcend widespread but static assumptions about them being in academic and social deficit when transitioning to life in another country and negotiating new educational contexts. Significantly, our interviewees discursively positioned themselves in multifarious ways in relation to Irish higher education curricula, drawing on various discourses to define their internationalisation journeys. Although the sample size is small and confined to female postgraduates, our data suggests that university policies in Ireland and internationally largely overlook the multidimensionality of international doctoral students’ experiences. In our conclusion, we tentatively suggest ways in which international students’ academic and intercultural experiences could in the future be enriched, and how international students themselves could more fruitfully contribute to Irish higher education.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

‘Reconceptualising internationalisation through students’ eyes’: Findings from a biographical study of female, international doctoral students in an Irish University

Moran

Green

Warren

2021

Irish Journal of Sociology

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“…Research suggests that universities provide compulsory international placements with formal pre-departure support through a suite of intensive year-long training classes and workshops dedicated to helping students search for and secure placements (Conroy and McCarthy, 2019). Compulsory placements refer to “a year-long integrated period of work experience which is undertaken by students at many UK universities as part of their degree (often between the second and final year)” of an undergraduate programme, also known as sandwich placements (Jones et al ., 2017, p. 976).…”

Section: Self-initiated International Placementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students who undertake “compulsory” placements have been studied extensively, in part due to the ease with which data can be collected from university services (Hooley, 2014). There is a wealth of knowledge on the advantages of university-initiated work placements (Brooks and Youngson, 2016), how these students are supported (Aamaas et al ., 2019; Jerez Gomez et al ., 2023) and their experiences in an international context (Conroy and McCarthy, 2019). However, pre-COVID-19 evidence in the UK suggests that students have also undertaken international work placements on their own initiative beyond their formal degree programme (Universities UK, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking the silence: career guidance for self-initiated international placement students

Joseph-Richard,

Conroy

2024

Self Cite

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PurposeSelf-initiated international placements by students have been largely ignored in the literature on outward mobility in higher education. The support given to self-initiated international placement students, if any, has received even less attention. This study aims to address this lacuna.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on insights from global mobility literature, we conducted a survey of UK university students who engaged in self-initiated international placements to various countries such as France, China, Brazil and Ghana. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis.FindingsFindings reveal that these “voluntary” placements can improve language fluency, increase self-confidence, renew stress management abilities and enhance cross-cultural competencies and intercultural sensitivity. The study problematises the lack of support given to these students particularly in terms of career development.Originality/valueOur paper is one of the first to bring this under-studied population to the attention of career guidance scholars. We propose that scholarly attention should be directed toward the agency of self-initiated international placement students and that targeted career guidance must be provided through more inclusive career services.

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“…Universities should ensure that they have the capabilities and human resources to support students with disabilities (Conroy and McCarthy, 2021). This support does not simply involve a student securing a work placement but requires the creation of a unit or an office to monitor their well-being and support them irrespective of their disability (John et al, 2021).…”

Section: Universitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the work placement experience of students with disabilities

Mogaji

Nguyen

2022

Industry and Higher Education

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Work placement learning enhances self-efficacy and work readiness for students. However, students with disabilities often have a different experience with regard to work placements. With a growing number of people with disabilities in universities, it is essential to provide students who have disabilities with an inclusive learning and working environment. Expanding on previous studies that have explored industrial work placement in higher education across different levels of disabilities, this study is contextualised in Nigeria and adopts an integrative literature review approach to critically review and synthesise the literature on student experience, disability, work placement and higher education in the country. This process enables the development of a new theoretical framework and perspective for enhancing the work placement experience of students with disabilities. The study contributes to the existing knowledge regarding work experience, students with disabilities and student experiences in developing countries. It also has practical implications for stakeholders involved in work placements for students with disabilities.

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Abroad but not abandoned: supporting student adjustment in the international placement journey

Cited by 14 publications

References 57 publications

‘Reconceptualising internationalisation through students’ eyes’: Findings from a biographical study of female, international doctoral students in an Irish University

‘Reconceptualising internationalisation through students’ eyes’: Findings from a biographical study of female, international doctoral students in an Irish University

Breaking the silence: career guidance for self-initiated international placement students

Enhancing the work placement experience of students with disabilities

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