International Postgraduate Students in Britain Reasons for Studying Abroad and Issues Related to Adjustment

Abstract

This study investigates reasons for studying abroad and issues related to adjustment of first-year, full-time, postgraduate, international students at a southwestern UK university through a mixed methods research design.The research discovered that adjustment was a complex set of experiences.The value of overseas study, personal or family related factors, lack of opportunities at home, and financial or promotional reasons were main motivators for study abroad.International Postgraduate students tended to pay more attention to academic than socio-cultural adjustment because personal agency and cultural identity operated more explicitly in socio-cultural than academic adjustment.Additionally, the data reveal that both acculturation and hybridization accounted for the processes that inform students' socio-cultural adjustment.The push-pull model is more applicable than the Theory of Planned Behavior in explaining reasons for studying abroad.Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory is less relevant to adjustment investigation because international students tend to have special characteristics and their satisfaction perceptions are guided by various cultural factors.Finally, the Ucurve hypothesis is not supported by the research data, as methodological issues, different internal and external factors, cultural expectations, individual responses or attitudes, and technological and world development have the potential to impact on adjustment.

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