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CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 2, 2016 92 International Students’ Experiences / M.

CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 2, 2016 92 International Students’ Experiences / M. J. Calder, S. Richter, Y. Mao, K. Kovacs Burns, R. S. Mogale, & M. Danko Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 46, No. 2, 2016, pages 92 - 110 CSSHE SCÉES International Students Attending Canadian Universities: Their Experiences with Housing, Finances, and Other Issues Moira J. Calder Legislative Assembly of Alberta Solina Richter University of Alberta Yuping Mao California State University Long Beach Katharina Kovacs Burns University of Alberta Ramadimetja S. Mogale University of Pretoria Margaret Danko University of Alberta Abstract Universities recruit international students for a number of reasons, including enhancement of global contacts and reputation, to increase enrolment, and to generate revenue from tuition. These students face unique challenges as compared with domestic students, but no published studies or reports exist on this issue. In this article we report our findings from a survey and inter- views with international graduate students, university personnel, and service providers assisting students. Students reported difficulties with finding af- fordable, adequate, and suitable housing; with finances, stemming from their ability to work or find employment, and from currency fluctuations; and with CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 2, 2016 93 International Students’ Experiences / M. J. Calder, S. Richter, Y. Mao, K. Kovacs Burns, R. S. Mogale, & M. Danko integration into a new university and an unfamiliar society. Administrators described limits to the assistance they could provide. Both groups suggested changes to address international students’ housing and financial issues. This study is part of a larger research project exploring housing and related issues among post-secondary students in a western Canadian city. Résumé Les universités recrutent des étudiants étrangers pour plusieurs raisons : amélioration de leurs relations internationales et de leur réputation, augmentation du nombre d’inscriptions et génération de revenus. Quoique ces étudiants connaissent des difficultés particulières liées à leur situation d’étrangers, aucune étude ni aucun rapport n’existent sur le sujet. Nous présentons ici les résultats d’un sondage et des entrevues avec des étudiants étrangers diplômés, des membres du personnel de l’université et des prestataires de service aux étudiants. Les étudiants ont mentionné leurs difficultés à trouver un logement convenable à prix abordable, à dégager des revenus suffisants et à s’intégrer à leur nouvelle université et à la société. Le personnel administratif a décrit les limites de l’aide qu’il pouvait fournir. Les deux groupes ont apporté diverses suggestions pour résoudre ces questions pécuniaires et résidentielle. Cette étude fait partie d’un projet de recherche plus vaste portant sur le logement et ses enjeux connexes pour les étudiants post-secondaires d’une ville de l’Ouest canadien. International students are temporary residents with study permits or refugee sta- tus (Citizenship and Immigration Canada [CIC], 2011, section 1.7). Students desire to study in another country to obtain a high-quality education and international experience (Skinkle & Embleton, 2014). Applicants choose Canadian universities for many reasons, including specific programs, affordability, and the perception of Canada as safe (Chen, 2007). Universities recruit these students to enhance their profiles and contacts, improve the quality of students, respond to international students’ needs, and, in developed coun- tries, provide a revenue source as domestic enrolment declines (Association of Universi- ties and Colleges of Canada [AUCC], 2007, 2011). Between 1992 and 2008, the number of international students in Canadian universities doubled. In 2010, 90,000 were full- time students, representing 8% of undergraduates, 18% of master’s students, and 23% of doctoral students. A further 13,000 were studying part-time. Other countries have also seen similar increases (AUCC, 2011). In 2010, direct education services to international students contributed an estimated $4.2 billion to the Canadian gross domestic product, about 7% of the education sector’s total. These students also contribute to the local econ- omy through personal spending and tax contributions (Roslyn Kunin & Associates, 2012). The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy (Advisory Panel, 2012) has recommended that Canadian post-secondary institutions double international student enrolment within the next decade. Therefore, universities have a stake in the suc- cess of these students (Pilote & Benabdeljalil, 2007), and targeted services will help posi- tion universities in a competitive global marketplace (AUCC, 2011). On the other hand, most North American institutions lack experience in serving international students and CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 2, 2016 94 International Students’ Experiences / M. J. Calder, S. Richter, Y. Mao, K. Kovacs Burns, R. S. Mogale, & M. Danko are less experienced with those from diverse backgrounds, such as lower-income stu- dents, older students with families, or those from cultural or linguistic backgrounds other than the dominant one (Bader, 2004). Research on international students’ experience can help to inform the international- ization of post-secondary institutions, but it is lacking in many areas. Although research- ers have studied issues such as conflict between international students and their advisers (Adrian-Taylor, Noels, & Tischler, 2007), little attention has been paid to integration fac- tors (Cameron, 2006). In a meta-analysis of 47 dissertations, Banning and Kuk (2010) identified research on learning communities, multiculturalism, administration and tech- nology, staffing, and student success, but not on student financial issues (Hellstén, 2002) or housing as an important determinant of health (World Health Organization, 2014). An unpublished western Canadian study identified housing security as an issue for post- secondary students (Gordon & Kovacs Burns, 2005), which led to a larger project explor- ing Canadian university students’ housing security (Kovacs Burns et al., 2014) that high- lighted unique factors for international students. Our purpose, therefore, is to illuminate needs and challenges of international students attending one Canadian university, and housing needs in particular. Findings might be transferable to additional studies in this and other post-secondary institutions. We first situate the study within the literature on post-secondary student issues, followed by an overview of the method, a presentation and discussion of the findings, and conclusions along with considerations for both universi- ties and international students. We have adopted the perspective of structuration theory (Giddens, 1984) to illuminate the interactions between social structures and individuals to promote change processes when structures do not or no longer fulfill needs. Background and Literature University services for international students include counselling and nonacademic support, orientation, designated support staff or offices, academic advisers/support, and international clubs (AUCC, 2007). Many institutions offer no pedagogical support, al- though international students might be unfamiliar with Canadian curriculum, teaching, and evaluation methods; technology use; and different instructor-student relationships (Pilote & Benabdeljalil, 2007). Students might also suffer from professors’ stereotypes about their academic background (Hellstén, 2002). Difficulties can arise in the academic or professional realm (Hellstén, 2002) but also in personal areas, such as housing and finances, where all students might face problems (Berry, 1996). Challenges include pres- sure to succeed, language difficulties, cultural differences, financial issues, and coping with change. Adaptation might be affected by students’ expectations, which are at least partially based on information received through both formal and informal channels be- fore or shortly after arriving in Canada. Reliable information might be difficult for an in- ternational student to assess. For example, the Step 1-2-3 tool of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC, 2012b), allocates $10,400 for living expenses, less than half the 2011 low-income cut-off for Canadian urban residents (Statistics Canada, 2012). Furthermore, information received depends on professional and social networks. Many Canadian universities and faculties or departments publish handbooks, as revealed in a Google search using the expression “handbooks for international students attending uni- versities,” so even those attending the same university might receive conflicting informa- tion if they are headed for different programs. CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 2, 2016 95 International Students’ Experiences / M. J. Calder, S. Richter, Y. Mao, K. Kovacs Burns, R. S. Mogale, & M. Danko Further complicating information transfer is the fact that policies and guidelines for international post-secondary education and students are under Global Affairs Canada (formerly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada) and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, but implementation is a provincial responsibility, so practices vary between provinces and between universities (Leyton-Brown, 2008), something students might not know. For example, Ontario’s health plan does not cover international students, but university employees can access institutional plans (Leyton-Brown, 2008). There- fore, students’ monitoring of structures, “rules and resources, or sets of transformation relations, organized as properties of social systems” (Giddens, 1984, p. 25), might provide information useful at one university but not at another. As well, on-campus housing avail- able to arriving students varies among campuses (“First Year Housing,” 2006), and they need housing that is appropriate and acceptable. In a study involving international stu- dents in Malaysia, gender and cultural background were correlated with student attitudes toward sharing of space and privacy and hence satisfaction with on-campus housing (Na- jib, Yusof, & Osman, 2011). Students with higher income had more choice in housing and expressed greater satisfaction. Some students prefer the privacy of living off campus but still might struggle to find a place to call home. Li (2006) described a student’s unwilling- ness to hang uploads/Litterature/ 184585-article-text-201126-1-10-20160815.pdf