Research on social licence reflects changing attitudes towards international education

In what is the first formal collaboration between the two countries on international education research, Education New Zealand (ENZ) and the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) partnered this year on a ‘Student Voices’ research project, exploring how domestic students’ attitudes and behaviour towards international students may have changed during the global pandemic.

Led by Rob Lawrence, a leading education market researcher and strategist, the project sought to understand shifting sentiments towards international education by surveying more than 4,000 domestic and international tertiary students in Australia and New Zealand, in association with 23 institutions.

Brett Berquist, Director International at the University of Auckland, is a member of the IEAA Research Committee and has been instrumental in securing the joint initiative. He said, “Gaining insight into how the Covid-19 crisis has impacted the feelings of domestic students towards their international peers will be relevant for education providers looking to support international students and engage with local communities to enhance perceptions. This research will help us better understand the current international student experience in Australia and New Zealand.”

The final report is scheduled for publication in January 2021, however preliminary results were presented online at the IEAA Research Summit in late November. The interim findings from the ‘Student Voices’ study address issues such as loss of employment, available support, lost opportunities, volunteering activities, and the extent to which domestic students understood the challenges experienced by international students.

ENZ also contracted insights agency TRA to look at the New Zealand public’s attitudes towards international education. They found growing support for the carefully managed return of international students and a lack of awareness of how much they enrich our education system and enhance the learning experience of our domestic students.

The global pandemic and the ongoing disruption has had a significant impact on student experience and for the education sector as a whole. Students have had to adapt to studying online in isolation and cope with many new challenges – financial constraints, anxiety about family, how to stay motivated to complete their studies, and managing their own wellbeing. The research also surfaced some positive outcomes for students from 2020, like learning to study online and appreciating family more.

What is clear is that more community engagement is needed to ensure the success of international education in the future. The impact study insights will be used to advise international education providers, governments and student organisations in both countries on strategies for supporting and enhancing such engagement.

Learn more about the initial results in Rob Lawrence’s blog post – A catalyst for change: Interim findings from landmark Student Voices study. Final reports from both studies are expected early in 2021.