The interactional effects of the internal and external university environment, and the influence of personal values, on satisfaction among international postgraduate students

Factors Influencing the Satisfaction of International Postgraduate Students in the Malaysian Context—A Literature Review and A Proposed Model

“…The "host community" in this context refers to the local community groups related to a particular institution in which a student lives, along with other local and international students (Arambewela & Hall, 2013). Previous studies on social relationships (such as friendship patterns, housing and other accommodation facilities) have found that international students who successfully formed social ties with their local communities have reported higher satisfaction (e.g., Gracia-Aracil, Gabaldon, Mora, & Villa, 2009;Sam, 2009).…”

“…For instance, Amole (2009) argued that one's satisfaction with accommodation facilities and housing can lead to a higher satisfaction with a high quality of life. Arambewela and Hall (2013), who investigated student satisfaction in several Australian universities located in the state of Victoria, conceptualized and examined different antecedents of student satisfaction, such as a university's internal learning environment, the community (external learning environment) and personal values (in terms of self-efficacy and hedonism). The findings showed a significant relationship between "students' internal and external learning environments" and their satisfaction formation process.…”

“…Despite the growing demand, the Malaysian Minister of Higher Education recently indicated the need for an annual growth of 13.5 per cent for the country to attain its target of 150,000 international students by 2015 (Edvantage Asia One, 2011). Hence, local universities are now striving to increase the number of international students, and, as such, it is imperative that student satisfaction is met (Arambewela & Hall, 2013), as, nowadays, students prefer institutions that provide unique and memorable learning experiences (Ravindran & Kalpana, 2012). Thus, it is essential that local universities improve the services they offer to increase the satisfaction of their international students (F. Alam, Q. Alam, & Rasul, 2013).…”

“…Most of the previous studies focused on the internal learning environment as the major predictor of student satisfaction, and studies pertaining to the external learning environment, particularly with regards to student satisfaction, seem rather limited. Hence, it is recommended (e.g., Arambewela & Hall, 2013;LeBlanc & Nguyen, 1999) that scholars explore student satisfaction beyond the factors of the internal environment.…”

Experience of International Education of East Asian Students in English-speaking Countries: A four-dimensional approach

“…As part of one's culture, personal values "are students' individual value characteristics that shape their evaluation of the factors related to the internal and external learning environments, thus influencing student experience and satisfaction" (Arambewela & Hall, 2013, p. 976). Arambewela and Hall's (2013) study of the relationship between students' on-and off-campus environments and their satisfaction of the international education experience, shows that respect for self and from others, self-fulfillment, belongingness, security, accomplishment (which make up selfefficacy) and the sense of fun and excitement (which make up the hedonism construct) have a mediating influence on student satisfaction. In particular, there is a positive relationship between students' self-efficacy and satisfaction with their learning environment within the university.…”