Essay: International Students' Impact On Australian Economy - Research Proposal.

Project Objective

The growth of international education in Australia has had a significant impact on the economy of Australia. Considerable research developments have been made to determine the effect of global learners in enhancing economic growth (Mak et al. 2014, p. 498) less research has been done to learn to understand the issues facing the international students and how the leaners utilize the learning styles and preferences in enhancing their learning. The impact of international students will be more understood if we understand the issues faced by the international students and their influence on the effect on Australia economy (Marginson 2015, p. 54). This research proposal will, therefore, provide an analysis of the impacts of international students on Australia economy and offer a possible methodology that will be used in understanding the issues affecting international students and their impact on the Australian economy.

• To provide a literature review of the impact of international students on Australia Economy from the comparative analysis of the previous studies
• To develop research question guiding the report of the issues facing international students as well as the factors contributing to the contrary and positive impact of economic growth
• To understand the knowledge gap in the previous literature review and built upon it to develop effective measures of analyzing the contribution of international students on Australia economy 

The scope of this research proposal includes;

• Developing a plan for identifying the main issues affecting international students
• Development of a data collection strategy that will be used to collect data from the students
• Determination of sample groups for conducting the analysis and the steps as well as critical factors are taken into consideration when developing research sample
• Developing a study to determine the impact of international students of Australia economy
• A comparative analysis of the benefits and disadvantages accrued from international students by the Australian economy

The author brought to our attention the rapid increase of educating of international students in Australia institution. However, the research was conducted with the aim of providing an understanding of the impact of international students on the Australian economy. The author, therefore, sought to provide an understanding of the benefits as well as disadvantages brought by the international students. In his analysis, he identified that since 19th century most international students in Australia have come from China, Malaysia and Singapore (Altbach 2015, p. 27). The author attributed the mass influence of international students in Australia to have been influenced by the Western Christianity and especially to the Chinese people as the trend began (Hawthorne 2014, p. 11). He argued that many studies have been developed towards understanding the growth of the Australian international education whereas less research had been done to provide an understanding of the impact of educating foreign students in Australia.

One of the advantages identified in the research was significantly contributed to the increased export income in the country by over 3.149 AUD in every academic session. Such growth has had a tremendous impact on Australian economy (Hawthorne 2016, p. 14). One of the main reasons for such increase compared to the revenue from the domestic students has been because the international students make their full tuition fees paid directly to the educational institutions while the local student's expenses are a combination of the authorities subsidy and personal contributions ( see Appendix A for more information). Many institutions have therefore concentrated on attracting the international students in their wishes to improve their full fee proposition (Harmon 2015, p. 42). Interns of contributing the national income the international students are the most significant contributors regarding export revenue with a contribution of over 2 billion dollars annually. Such grant plays a substantial role in the growth of a country GDP.

Project Scope

The researcher also provides that international university education delivers well-paid employment opportunities to the qualified individuals in Australia. International student’s school has played a vital role in the development of other industries in Australia such as the food and accommodation industry in a bid to provide adequate services to the students. The industry has been able to realize revenue of over 4.3 billion dollars from the international student’s growth. It has also contributed to fostering long-term goodwill and international understanding between the Australian government and other nations from which the students come from (Telbis et al. 2014, p. 336). Such relationships help in fostering social and economic development in the country through increased foreign direct investments and also through the facilitation of grants and other financial and non-financial support to each other.

All the economic advantages realized by the government from education revenue in Australia are usually reinvested in education and research development which is essential for future growth of economic development (Beine et al. 2014, p. 46). The labor force in Australia has improved through a contribution of over 130 000 skilled immigrants after their graduation. International education has also played an essential role in bringing about social contribution to the country which has also brought a balance through diversity helping the nation to embrace cultural diversities (Jones et al. 2016, p. 165). Cultural differences had in the past become a significant barrier to the growth of a social economy. Education has been seeing as one of the significant factors influencing and enhancing the growth of a social economy through cultural diversities by learning and appreciates the differences in our culture and using the differences for constructive purposes but not placing odds against the weaker group.

Despite the positive contributions the rapid growth of educating international students has also had a negative impact on the Australian economy. The research provided that there was a misunderstanding that international student would undoubtedly deprive the domestic students the possibility of higher education (Gomes et al. 2014, p. 12). The misinterpretation was linked to the fact that the capability of the domestic students was constrained by many factors among them being an application for financial resources (Sonnenschein et al. 2017, p. 265). On the other hand, the international students are usually charged on the full fees basis, and they bring resources that could cover the cost of their education. The increasing concentration of international students is also said to have a negative impact on the infrastructure and housing. The support in some residential sites is supposed to be clogged and therefore contributing to increased housing and rental prices (Gribble et al. 2017, p. 27). There is also an enlarged view that international students have reduced the quality of education in Australian Universities and this claim is attributed to the fact that the international students are admitted with lower entry specification in comparison to the domestic students.

Literature Review

Other than the comparative analysis, the first assignment has also been able to address some literature gap which shows some critical areas of research in a bid to improve the understanding of the impact of international students in the Australian economy ( see Appendix B for more information). One of the literature gap identified has been on understanding how colleagues utilize the learning styles preferences despite the odds hold against those of the domestic peers (Jackson 2017, p. 351). More research has to be done to identify the experience range attributed to learning problems and how they affect general or overall educational experiences. Lastly, there is a gap brought about by the need to discuss the issues affecting international students in public in a bid to understand the challenges they face compared to those of their domestic peers.

The impact of international students on Australian economy has been discussed by various researchers attributing the comparative analysis of the benefits and disadvantages associated with the education. However, there are few studies which have been developed to understand the issues affecting the success of international students in Australia (Barton & Hartwig 2017, p. 12). The primary question, in this case, is on how the Australian Economy has responded to help international students mitigate the challenges they are experiencing during their studies and most important in relations to cultural differences. Specifically, I would also want to understand how cultural differences affect social interaction process between the international students and the domestic peers and its impact on their performance or success (Harrison et al. 2017, p. 121). The aim is to understand and help improve education among the international students as well as the domestic students which will enhance growth in the educational sector and contribute to increased growth in the economy.

Very little research has been done to determine or to provide an understanding of how colleagues utilize the learning styles preferences that are at odds with their domestic peers to enhance their education efficiency. Despite the challenges, international students are likely to encounter from the local peers, how are they able to utilize the learning preferences to their advantage or do they allow the choices which are at odd to affect their learning (Yu et al. 2017, p. 503). The issues concerning the colleague s will be critically analyzed as well as the learning styles applied by the different students and compare the effectiveness of the learning styles and preferences to the prior study on the impact of international students to Australian Economy.

Research Questions

Based on the prior studies, the impact of international students on Australia can mostly be said to have contributed positively to the growth of Australian economy. Therefore the understanding of the issues facing international students and how they can utilize the learning styles and preferences would be necessary for enhancing the growth of international educations and its contribution to the growth of the economy (Wang et al. 2017, p. 26). To understand these issues as well the utilization of learning styles and preferences we will be required to conduct periodic personal interviews from the various groups of international students. However, in this case, we have two scenarios;

1. We can do personal interviews from one group of international students from one country of origin to understand whether the issues they face are related to their cultural backgrounds or have nothing to do with their country of origin or maybe they may be connected to the attitudes of the domestic peers towards them.
2. The second approach would be to conduct personal interviews from different groups of international students and conduct a comparative analysis of the issues reported and the responses relating to the utilization of learning styles and preferences in enhancing learning experiences.

The choice of the best research methodology will be dependent on the efficiency of the method of effectively provide reliable information which can be used to enhance the development of international education in Australia (Urban & Palmer 2014, p. 317). Every group chosen a total of 200 students should be interviewed and information collected analyzed by conducting a comparative study of the responses to each question. The answers will then be used to form an opinion on the issues affecting the students and their impact on the international students learning experience.

The interpretation of the findings from the research interview questions from the students will be limited to the responses given by the respondents and not by forming personal judgments or opinions. Despite the use of scholarly research materials in developing various concepts in this research, this study does not conduct a more in-depth analysis into the issues raised by the multiple authors which still points a gap in the area of investigation. Analyzing the in the impact of international students on Australia Economy was majorly on the main determinable economic indicators.   The research his also limited to the domestic peer issues affecting the international students learning capability and how it does affect the general growth of education in the country.

Time Schedule for the proposed Research

The above proposed research will be carried within a time period of three months. During this period it is expected that the main objectives of the proposed research would have been achieved and results presented for implementation of for any other use.

First month	Second month	Third month
Ø  Development of the research problem Ø  Development of the research objectives Ø  Development of the research questions Ø  Development of a suitable research design	Seeking permission from relevant bodies Formulation of research sample Conducting the interviews Sampling of the information collected	Organizing the information according to the various issues being addressed Analyzing the information provided Designing a display chart for the results Providing a conclusion statement based on the report

Conclusion

The above proposed research would help in helping us understand the impact of international students on Australian economy. However, more emphasis would be in understanding the issues affecting the international students and how they are able to utilize the learning styles preferences against the odds of their domestic peers. The research will help in enhancing education development of international education by developing a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of international students and above all by looking to the issues faced by the students as they contribute to the growth of international education in Australia and their economy. 

Research Design and Methodology

List of References

Altbach, P., 2015. Perspectives on internationalizing higher education. International Higher Education, (27).

Barton, G. and Hartwig, K. eds., 2017. Professional learning in the work place for international students: exploring theory and practice (Vol. 19). Springer.pp. 12.

Beine, M., Noël, R. and Ragot, L., 2014. Determinants of the international mobility of students. Economics of Education review, 41, pp.40-54.

Gomes, C., Berry, M., Alzougool, B. and Chang, S., 2014. Home away from home: International students and their identity-based social networks in Australia. Journal of International Students, 4(1), pp.2-15.

Gribble, C., Rahimi, M. and Blackmore, J., 2017. International Students and Post-study Employment: The Impact of University and Host Community Engagement on the Employment Outcomes of International Students in Australia. In International Student Connectedness and Identity (pp. 15-39). Springer, Singapore.

Harmon, G., 2015. Australia as an higher education exporter. International Higher Education, (42).

Harrison, N., Trudgett, M. and Page, S., 2017. The dissertation examination: identifying critical factors in the success of Indigenous Australian doctoral students. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(1), pp.115-127.

Hawthorne, L., 2014. Indian students and the evolution of the study?migration pathway in Australia. International Migration, 52(2), pp.3-19.

Hawthorne, L., 2016. Labour market outcomes for migrant professionals: Canada and Australia compared.pp. 14.

Jackson, D., 2017. Exploring the challenges experienced by international students during work-integrated learning in Australia. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 37(3), pp.344-359.

Jones, T., Smith, E., Ward, R., Dixon, J., Hillier, L. and Mitchell, A., 2016. School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia. Sex education, 16(2), pp.156-171.

Mak, A.S., Brown, P.M. and Wadey, D., 2014. Contact and attitudes toward international students in Australia: Intergroup anxiety and intercultural communication emotions as mediators. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 45(3), pp.491-504.

Marginson, S., 2015. Is Australia overdependent on international students?. International Higher Education, (54).

Sonnenschein, K., Barker, M., Hibbins, R. and Cain, M., 2017. “Practical Experience Is Really Important”: Perceptions of Chinese International Students About the Benefits of Work Integrated Learning in Their Australian Tourism and Hospitality Degrees. In Professional Learning in the Work Place for International Students (pp. 259-275). Springer, Cham.

Telbis, N.M., Helgeson, L. and Kingsbury, C., 2014. International students’ confidence and academic success. Journal of International Students, 4(4), pp.330-341.

Urban, E.L. and Palmer, L.B., 2014. International students as a resource for internationalization of higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(4), pp.305-324.

Wang, C., Whitehead, L. and Bayes, S.J., 2017. " They are friendly but they don't want to be friends with you": A narrative inquiry into Chinese nursing students' learning experiences in Australia.pp.26.

Yu, M.L., Brown, T. and Farnworth, L., 2017. Embracing international students in occupational therapy higher education in Australia: Challenge or asset?. Australian occupational therapy journal, 64(6), pp.501-504.