Contemporary trends in East Asian higher education: dispositions of international students in a Taiwan university

Abstract

This article details a mixed methods study conducted during the [2007][2008] academic year at the National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei Taiwan. It contributes to discourse examining the opportunities and challenges of international student enrollments in institutions of higher learning around the globe. In scope it details an empirical study exploring the dispositions of NCCU international students in terms of their academic and social spheres. Trends in Taiwan reflect traditional East Asian patterns; substantial numbers of university students from Taiwan studied in the United States and Britain while very few incoming international students chose the island nation as a host destination. In recent years the influx of international students to Taiwan has increased significantly, rising from 6,380 in 2001 to 21,005 in 2007 (Ko, http://www.taipeitimes. com/News/taiwan/archives /2008/02/12/2003400913, 2008). The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods provided clarity and extended critical interpretations of the issues and dilemmas surrounding the international student experience in Taiwan. Results indicate that the capability of the NCCU as a host institution to sustain and attract increasing numbers of incoming international students is linked to factors such as the unique opportunity to study traditional as opposed to simplified Chinese characters, the availability and accessibility of Taiwan government sponsored scholarships, and the high standard of the NCCU Mandarin Studies program. Implications suggest that universities committed to internationalization are called to address the realities-both positive and negative-of operating as globally competitive institutions. As such, attracting the right kind of international students at the NCCU and determining standards for their contribution to campus life are more important goals than the total number of international students.

Constructing Marketing Indicators and Measuring the Satisfaction of Asian International Students in the Higher Education Sector

“…6) Reputation: The reputation of a higher education institution plays an important role in the selection process. For instance, the reputation of host institutions associated with educational degree quality and recognition in students' home nations is a significant attribute (Mazzarol, 1998;Roberts, Chou, & Ching, 2010). In this paper, the reputation of higher education institutions was an important element of the marketing mix strategy.…”

Personal Epistemologies and Disciplinarity in the Workplace: Implications for International Students in Higher Education

“…Findings from inquiries into work integrated learning or work experience in higher education often identify issues that international students may face during their work placements. These issues are often attributed to the international student's personal dispositions and capabilities (Roberts, Chou, & Ching, 2010) and how the range of practices they need to exercise to contribute to the success of the work placement lead to a smooth transition into the workforce (Knoch, May, Macqueen, Pill, & Storch, 2016). What is less understood, however, is how the disciplinary aspects of the selected occupation influence international students' experiences.…”

An Investigation of Taiwanese Nursing Students’ English Learning Behaviors and Environmental Factors Related to English Learning before and after Their Internship Experiences—A Case Study

“…Nevertheless, as mentioned by Robert, Chou, & Ching (2010) [39], when increasing numbers of schools commit to internationalization mostly sponsored by Taiwan government scholarships, it should not be ignored how to attract more international students to contribute to the host schools' campus life for domestic students. On the other hand, it should be paid more attention about those exchange study-abroad returnees' learning attitude and behavior in the classroom, as well as the domestic teachers' belief toward those returnees with better English communication fluency and cultural understanding who might have self-superiority and race-based prejudice of being taught for a period of time by native speakers of English in an English speaking country [40].…”