Taha, N. and Cox, A. (2016) International students' networks: a case study in a UK university. Studies in Higher Education, 41 (1). 182 - 198. ISSN 0307-5079
Abstract
The great influx of international students into UK universities has led to internationalisation becoming an important issue. Previous studies have focused on the integration of home and international students, illustrating a lack of intercultural interaction. Yet there has been a lack of research investigating international students' networks and how these networks evolve over time. The study reported in the current paper sought to fill this gap. The research findings were interpreted through the lens of community of practice (COP) and social networks (SN) theories. Findings confirmed that international students have four distinct types of network. The class did not evolve towards a single cohesive network, rather there were changing clusters of relationship. The findings showed that although co-national factors are important at the beginning of students' learning, they are not always the main influences shaping student networks. The findings are significant for both institutions and teachers.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2014 Society for Research into Higher Education. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Studies in Higher Education. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | network evolution; internationalisation; social network analysis; mixed methods; higher education; intercultural interaction; community of practice; social networks |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Information School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 10 Dec 2015 13:04 |
Last Modified: | 14 Apr 2017 02:29 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.927851 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/03075079.2014.927851 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:92439 |