Internationalization of British Universities: Learning from the Experiences of International Counselling Students
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Internationalization of British Universities: Learning from the Experiences of International Counselling Students Sue Pattison & Sue Robson
Published online: 8 November 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012
Abstract This retrospective qualitative study investigated the experiences of 12 international students in a postgraduate counselling programme at a higher education (HE) institution in the UK. Results from an earlier empirical study on these students (Pattison, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 3: 107–113, 2003) were mapped against concepts derived from a content analysis of Turner and Robson’s (2008) work on the internationalization of HE institutions. The focus is on what can be learned from the perceptions of participants when reframed and reviewed through an internationalization lens. The paper suggests ways in which British universities can enhance the development of academic and intercultural competencies and support the international counselling student to receive an internationalized HE experience. Keywords International counsellor training . Internationalization . Diversity . Culture . International students
Introduction The internationalization of higher education (HE) can be seen as a response to the driving force of globalization (van der Wende 2007), evident in a rapidly increasing range of international collaborations for research (Teichler 2004), knowledge exchange (Bennell and Pearce 2003), and academic and student mobility (Bohm et al. 2004; Turner and Robson 2008). With student mobility anticipated to continue to escalate throughout the next decade (Bohm et al. 2004), a growing body of literature has emerged reporting on the experiences of international students in the UK (cf., Turner and Robson 2008; United Kingdom Council for International Education [UKCOSA] 2004; United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs [UKCISA] 2007). These accounts highlight the importance of students’ socio-cultural and academic experiences to their learning at university. S. Pattison (*) : S. Robson School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, King George VI Building, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK e-mail: [email protected]
Int J Adv Counselling (2013) 35:188–202
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Qiang (2003) noted that increasingly “academic and professional requirements for graduates reflect the globalization of societies, economies and the labor market” (p. 248), to which the higher education sector must respond. Students are expected to acquire academic and professional skills and knowledge, as well as appropriate “social and intercultural skills and attitudes” (p. 248). Despite the proliferation of research that focuses on the international student experience (cf., Bartram 2007; Humfrey 2009), very little research (with the exception of Pattison 2003) focuses specifically on the experiences of international counselling students in British universities. In the United States, Leung (2003) noted the difficulties associated with introducing a gl
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