Insights from Academics Teaching International Students in Australia

Authors

Dawn Joseph Dr, Deakin UniversityFollow
Kay Hartwig Dr, Griffith UniversityFollow

Abstract

Australia continues to be an attractive destination in the world for international students. For higher education institutions to remain globally competitive there is a need to deliver high quality teaching and learning programs and adequate support structures. This paper forms part of a wider study on improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders at Deakin University (Australia) and adds to the body of knowledge on international students as seen through the eyes of academic staff. It explores the lived experiences of seven academics as they navigate what is required of them when teaching international students in teacher education programs. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as an analytical tool to code and analyse our data. Some of the challenges, dilemmas and opportunities are discussed under three overarching themes (Academic staff teaching experiences, Perceptions of navigating the Australian Cultural Context, and Staff valuing student opportunities). Based on the findings, we offer recommendations for higher education institutions to consider for academic staff when supporting students (international and local) from diverse cultures and languages.

Keywords

International Students, Teacher Education, Academic Staff, Interviews, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Case Study

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Dawn Joseph is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University. She teaches in undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the School of Education. She is a member of the editorial boards of international and national refereed journals. Her research and publications focus on: teacher education, music education, community music, African music, cultural diversity, and ageing and well-being in the Arts. Please direct correspondence to djoseph@deakin.edu.au.

Dr. Kay Hartwig is Senior Lecturer and Director of Internationalisation in the School of education and Professional Studies at Griffith University. She teaches in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. She researches in music education, teacher education, and internationalisation. Kay serves on national and international editorial boards. She was the National President of the Australian Society for Music Education (2013-2015) and is secretary for the Australian and New Zealand Association for Research in Music Education. Please direct correspondence to K.Hartwig@griffith.edu.au.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge that paper forms part of a wider study Improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders (2014-16) funded by the Office of Teaching and Learning Grant from the Australian Government.

Publication Date

11-22-2020

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4476

Recommended APA Citation

Joseph, D., & Hartwig, K. (2020). Insights from Academics Teaching International Students in Australia. The Qualitative Report, 25(11), 4127-4145. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4476