Assistance and Support Provided to International Students by University Teachers

Abstract

While studying abroad, international students face numerous difficulties, which forces host universities to provide such students with additional assistance and support. However, the issue of activities employed by university teachers to support international students has been understudied. The research was undertaken to identify what activities university teachers used to assist and support international students and what categories of teachers were more likely to provide assistance. The main method was a descriptive survey where a quarter of faculty (N=92) of the Belarusian-Russian University participated. The analysis revealed that the most popular activities to enhance learning outcomes of international students were providing them with easier and simpler assignments, using interactive projector to deliver lectures, and encouraging international students to seek personal guidance. University teachers were also aware of psychological and socio-cultural problems of international students and did their best to create safe classroom environments, demonstrate tolerance to low language proficiency and speech errors, and facilitate intercultural interactions in the classrooms. More active positions in supporting international students were taken by middle career teachers. The study highlights the significance of implementation of support activities in international groups and recommends that host universities organize special training for faculties with significant numbers of international students.