Running Head: EXAMINATION OF ONE OWN EXPERIENCE IN A DIVERSE STUDY

ENVIRONMENT 1

Examination of One Own Experience in A Diverse Study Environment

Name: MINGHUI LIU

Course: INTB 311

Date: FEB-21-2017
EXAMINATION OF ONE OWN EXPERIENCE IN A DIVERSE STUDY ENVORONMENT 2

Abstract

Students learning and readiness to be in the workforce and society that is diverse is an ever

continuous research area that has not been fully studied. Students mainly do not embrace the

need to be independent through looking for ways to problem solving, working with others,

accepting diversity as a major way to achieve life goals since amongst all youths these are

important attributes that all universities should work towards instilling in its graduates. Therefore

the need to study whether diversity has a great effect on the growth of a graduate, I being one of

them was crucial especially in the diverse environment of Australia.

The study further aimed at researching whether both local and international students

have similar experiences. It ends up concluding that students with diverse experiences are more

adaptive to life issues including problem solving, working with others and the respect for any

diversity within any society. These relationships between these factors and the students vary

amongst the international and local students. The study concludes that it is thus important for

students to be offered diverse environment in their prime college years. This offers them a

chance to open up their minds and share the diverse experiences they face throughout their

working life.

Key words: Graduate Skills; Student engagement; Diversity; Internationalization

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Introduction

Across the whole world, cultural diversity is one of the most renowned way through which

societies continue to thrive. In Australia for instance, over twenty one million citizens in the

country are the most diverse culturally in the whole world. The overall impact of this can be

attributed to the fact that over 24% of the countrys population is born overseas according to the

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008a. The country thus continues to have a variety of over 200

spoken languages thus depicting its diversity. According to Australian Government, Department

of Education, Employment and Work place Relations,(2008) report the overall students who are

international represent only a mere twenty seven per cent across the whole country.

It is general to state that within any higher education institution, student bodies that are

more diverse lead to students facing difficult situations and thus end up expressing differing

opinions on the campus issues. Undertaking studies within a diverse environment encourage

students to understand more thus they are branded as being more accommodative, and

assimilative. The overall results for such attitudes include the undergraduate students exploring

new ideas, social needs and building new relationships. This exposure to a totally different home

eventually leads to an increased chance for the students to learn more and have critical thinking.

Previous studies have shown that studying within a diverse environment has great impact

on the students lives especially one they face in the ever flexible work place and society with the

less flexible e ones giving the graduates hard time to try to adjust to the ever changing work

environment, (Astin 1993,Bowen and Bok 1998; Gurin et al 2002). It is thus clear that

universities that offer students diversity related courses and activities offer a great opportunity
EXAMINATION OF ONE OWN EXPERIENCE IN A DIVERSE STUDY ENVORONMENT 4

through which the students can interact and meet freely (Chang 2001;Gurin 1999). Diversity

activities in itself has great impact on students since they learn skills on how to solve problems,

the best ways to work with others though team work and need to understand and respect

diversity. Universities thus are tasked with the responsibilities to ensure, diversity is key in its

activities.

These include need to allow international students into the higher learning institutions

and also offer equal opportunities for them with the locally based students and need to appreciate

and encourage them in the curriculum and the lectures within this institutions. An all-inclusive

method of teaching in any higher teaching institution offers a great opportunity through which

staffs involved understand and encompass the international perspectives within their teaching

techniques and ways. (Learning and Teaching at UNSW).

Purpose of the study

Although a variety of studies have been carried out on the positive impact of diversity on the

students learning, no such research as aimed at identifying how the local and international

students who continue to experience diversity in numerous ways eventually develop the most

valuable attributes in the labor force and the society. The study thus aimed at answering the

below research questions:

Do the students with most diverse experiences report increased gains in team work skills,

problem solving and respect for diversity?

Do students perceiving to be universities with embracing culture of incorporating all diverse

students report increased gains in team work skills, problem solving and respect for diversity?
EXAMINATION OF ONE OWN EXPERIENCE IN A DIVERSE STUDY ENVORONMENT 5

How do the attributes gained through diversity impact on either the local or international

students?

Methodology

Conceptual framework

The Astins (1991) model shows how the Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) could have an

effect in any learning institution. The model clearly stipulates how the three variables are co-

related in that inputs could include among other factors the demographic factors and the

background factors the students come to the colleges with, the environments include the

universities experiences, and all the students experience in the institutions collectively while

lastly the outcomes are the end attributes of the students after the learning institution including

their ability to cope in the working places, developing new ideas and so forth.

The model thus stipulates that the students outcome is a function of the inputs and the

environments within which students learn. In puts could have a direct effect on the outcomes

especially in cases where students lack school fees or face health problems; however they can

also affect them independently through the manner in which the students interact with the

environments. The model thus aims at looking at the students outcome based on how the

institution specifically affect the outcomes, how the student perceive the college culture and

values and what the student experiences in his or her time in the institution.
EXAMINATION OF ONE OWN EXPERIENCE IN A DIVERSE STUDY ENVORONMENT 6

Sample Size

This study required data that has been collected as part of the yearly student survey that is carried

out at the University of New South Wales and included an online survey which required students

to complete the questionnaires based on their experiences at the universities. The university had

over forty thousand eligible undergraduate and post graduate students and hence 5400 students

did respond to the survey. The response meant that a thirteen per cent response rate was achieved

with the minimum required sample size being a mere one thousand seven hundred and seventy.

This meant that the sample size required exceeded the required at the confidence level of 99%

and an error of margin of plus/minus 3. A table showing the demographic factors for the

surveyed students and the population overall is shown below.

Table 1: Student demographic characteristics

Respondents UNSW Overall

n % n %

Gender

Female 2808 56 18400 42

Male 2592 44 21600 58

Program Level

Undergraduate Level 4320 80 27600 69

Post Graduate level 1080 20 12400 31

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Status of enrollment

Full- time 3942 72 27600 70

Part- time 1458 28 12400 30

Funding Group

International 1026 20 8000 22

Local 4374 80 32000 78

TOTAL 5400 40000

Variables

The students experiences within the institution were well analyzed through both the open headed

and closed- headed questions which formed the main bases that provided the needed information.

The students behavior was key in attaining a conclusion while their attitudes towards their

various experiences in the institution played a key role in understanding and obtaining the

required information.

Results

In the study, the averages of the scholars characteristics and their regard and respect for diversity

for all students either from abroad or local students was compared. In general, the students

indicated that their university interaction had a little or quite some of influence on the growth

and development of the life attributes. However, variations existed between the local students

and the international students, with the latter believing the experience had a more effects on their

ability to work as a team compared to the native students. They also believed that it contributed
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to their regard and respect for diversity. Local students on the other hand believed that the

university interaction had more effects on the way they handled problems hence they acquired

better problem solving skills as compared to the international students.

Table 2 Mean comparisons between students from abroad and the natives graduate attributes

All students International Local

(n=5400) (n= 1026) (n=4374)

n Mean n Mean n Mean

Teamwork (2 items mean) 5012 3.50 907 3.56 4105 3.50

Work well with others 5300 3.68 1002 3.78 4298 3.62

Leadership skills 5320 3.38 1020 3.40 4300 3.34

Problem- solving (2 items mean) 5380 3.86 1015 3.74 4365 3.86

Critical thinking abilities 5390 3.96 1018 3.80 4372 3.92

Confidence handling unfamiliar 5398 3.98 1016 3.75 4382 3.82

problems

Appreciation of and Respect for

diversity (3 item mean) 5200 3.48 988 3.76 4212 3.38

Openness to new thinking and

perception 5280 3.87 1008 3.84 4272 3.83
Awareness and understanding native
perspectives
5180 3.20 989 3.52 4191 3.25
Awareness and understanding of
other people cultures and
perceptions
5280 3.34 998 3.72 4282 3.53
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Regression Analysis.

In the study, a regression analysis was carried out and the overall results presented in the table 2,

with a multiple regression analysis conducted on all students showing the institution positive

perceptions greatly influence all other students attributes positively. Positive learning

experiences too had a significant impact on the students attributes. Meaningful communication

between students who have varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds had a significant impact on

team work only while those who had varying religious opinions, political opinions and own

attributes had a good impact on appreciating and respecting diversity.

On the other hand being exposed to diverse views and perceptions impacted positively on

all the students attributes for the local ones while the international students experienced positive

impacts on appreciation of and respect for diversity. Further analysis also shows that it is

important to converse with students of different cultural backgrounds since it affected the local

students positively on team work skills while the international students were impacted positively

on problem solving skills. It was also evident that both the native and students from abroad

experienced good impacts on appreciation of and respect for diversity whenever they engaged in

discussions with colleagues who had different religions, political beliefs and personal

characteristics.

Discussion and conclusion.

Range in institutions of higher education has turned to be an issue of concern internationally as

well as nationally. There is little knowledge of diversity in the Australian context despite the fact

that international research literature has with no reasonable doubt paved way in this setting. The

items of focus in the Australian education set up tend to mainly look at students from abroad,
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their university interaction, and how well they can be integrated into higher education (Burns

1991; Mullins, Quintrell, and Hancock 1995; Ramburuth and McCormick 2001). Few studies

have observed the diversity of benefits all students have regardless of their culture or

background. The same reflection is observed from a review of the 41 Australian Universities

Quality Agency audit report (AUQA 2008). This agency mainly focused on ensuring the

transnational student have conducive environments for schooling. This study primarily aims at

looking at how diversity impacts on the way scholars in higher education institutions develop

personal characteristics such as team working among others.

It is thus clear that diversity has from high to moderate impacts on the development of

various attributes of all students regardless whether they are international students or local

students. The main attributes within the context of international students mainly include

development of team work abilities, problem solving, appreciating and respecting diversity. The

findings of this research paper agree anonymously with the international literature that cultural

diversity has positive impacts on the scholars especially those in the higher education

institutions. According to Zuniga, Williams and Berger (2005), students who are exposed to a

diverse environment via curriculum contents, learning materials and other practical experiences

end up being active in offering varying perspectives and thus can even challenge their own and

other people ideas in particular.

Basing this study on the contact theory by Allports (1979), the theory suggested that

contact among members of distinct groups under certain conditions can work towards reducing

prejudice and conflicts that may arise from them. Thus, this study agrees with the theory that

cross-cultural interaction has beneficial effects on each and every individual engaged. However,

going into details this study reveals that local students do have slightly more positive gains as
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compared to the international students. The study is in line with the previous studies that show

one experiences and the overall interactions are influenced in a large extent by whether they are

the minority group as is the case of the international students or the majority group as is the case

of the local students. ( Tropp and Pettigrew, 2005).

It is thus important to note that diversity is important in growth and development of all

the students especially those in institutions of higher learning. The scholars are tasked with the

responsibility of using the knowledge they gain in this institutions to change the work places

they join. Therefore, it is important to note that universities that offer their students diverse

environment within which they can interact and share their experiences based on their

backgrounds eventually create a more round professional. The growth and development of the

scholars is also experienced at the individual level since they develop interpersonal skills, social

relations skills and overall perceptions towards any idea are clearly analyzed before any criticism

is arrived at any time.

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