Cultural Differences in Undergraduate International Students; Use of Digital Technology to Support their Learning
Year: 2017
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Digital technologies are widely used in education but few studies have looked at how students are using them in practice to support their learning. Nearly a fifth of all UK HE students are international and they can sometimes find our approach to education ‘challenging’. Anecdotally, it has been observed that they often turn to technology to support their studies, using online resources such as youtube. The aim of this study is to explore how international undergraduate students in a large UK university are using technology to support their learning. The mixed methods approach comprised of a large survey (n=250) combined with a set of in depth individual student interviews. The results demonstrate there are cultural differences in how students are using technology. Students from Europe/USA tend to make greater use technology for communicating with other students and sharing resources compared to those from Asia. Students from the Middle East prefer using the telephone, while messaging and social media are most popular with.students from Europe/USA. Students from Asia report more issues with using technology including Internet addiction and social issues. Students are using technology in many different ways to support their learning, often showing a preference for technology that is outside the formal university systems. This indicates there needs to be a re-evaluation of the way technology is used in higher education to ensure it meets the needs of students including those from different cultural backgrounds.
Institution: Northumbria University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2899815066