Factors Influencing International Students’ Decisions to Study in Taiwan
Choosing a host nation involves decisions made with high involvement and commitment, due in part to the expanding options for study abroad destinations around the globe (Cubillo, Sanchez & Cervino, 2006). Eight factors identified as reasons for choosing Taiwan as a host nation are presented in Table III. While all factors contributed to the decision to study in Taiwan, some were significant to a majority of participants while others to only a small percentage.
The availability of established and highly recognized Mandarin language programs was rated as an important deciding factor. The significance of this factor is not surprising given that nearly all institutions of higher education receiving international students offer intensive courses in the primary languages of host nations.
That said the importance of this factor suggests that Taiwan is globally profiled as a viable host destination. The availability of the NCCU Mandarin Studies Program
provided participants with a foundation of Mandarin for both social and academic mobility in Taiwan.
Additional factors included safety and security (14%) the view of Taiwan as a technologically modern nation (13%), the democratic system and political stability of the nation (9%), and word of mouth recommendations from former teachers (3%).
Table III
Reasons for choosing Taiwan (N=101)a Factor n %
Scholarship 28 27
Mandarin Chinese study programs 19 19 Safety / security 14 14
Modern / technological advance country 13 13 Political / democratic country 10 10
Learn traditional characters 9 9 Recommended by teacher 3 3 Other 5 5
Note. aEach participant selected a maximum of three factors.
The most intriguing results were the unique opportunity that Taiwan provided to study traditional Chinese characters as opposed to simplified characters (9%) and the importance of Taiwan government sponsored scholarships. Twenty seven percent of participants rated Taiwan scholarship awards as critical to their decision to study in Taiwan.
Table IV illustrates that 91% of participants received scholarships offered by either the Taiwan Scholarship Program (jointly funded by the MOE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nation Science Council, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs) or the MOE Mandarin Enrichment Scholarship Program (funded by the MOE).
Applications for both scholarships are submitted to Taiwan overseas missions located in students’ home nations.
The availability of host nation government scholarships is well established as a significant pull factor (Cummings, 1993; Agarwal & Winkler, 1985). Given this, the popularity of Taiwan government scholarships could be viewed as a contributing factor for the expanding international student enrollments. That said participants’
rationale for receiving Taiwan scholarships was not typically linked to financial hardship. Table IV illustrates that approximately 87% of scholarship recipients labeled themselves as either middle or upper socio-economic status. Thirty percent of participants labeled their parents as professionals or self employed business entrepreneurs and reported that 31 % of parents had obtained graduate degrees.
The scholarships provide financial support from one to four years of study and range from NT 25,000 monthly for undergraduate students to NT 30,000 monthly for graduate students.
Thirty-two percent of participants reported that the scholarships were not sufficient for living expenses in Taiwan and 63% reported that the awards provided just enough in terms of financial support. These findings suggest tremendous discrepancy in living standards given that newly graduated college students in Taiwan earn from NT 26, 000 to 28, 000 monthly (CENS, 2008).
Table IV
Participants’ SES, parents’ background, and scholarship satisfaction (N=45) Factor n % n %
Scholarshipa Yes 41 91 No 4 9 SESb
Low 2 4 1 2 Middle 35 78 3 7 High 4 9 0 0
Parent /guardians’ professionc
Unemployed 3 7 0 0 Employed 18 40 2 4 Self-employed 9 20 1 2 Professional 7 16 1 2
Parents’ highest educational attainmentd
High school 14 31 3 7 College 9 20 0 0 Masters 11 24 1 2 Ph. D. 3 7 0 0
Satisfaction towards scholarship (N=41)e
Not enough 13 32 Just enough 26 63 More than enough 2 5
Note: a Participants who are on scholarship grant given by the Taiwan government.
b Socio-economic status of the participants’ family in home country.
c Occupation of the participant’s parents / guardians (4 missing / no answer).
d Highest educational attainment of participant’s parents / guardians (4 missing / no answer).
e Scholarship recipient participants’ satisfaction rating towards monthly stipend provided by the scholarship.
In many nations incoming international students represent the premier source for university internationalization. As a newly emerging competitor host nation, Taiwan envisions its national system of higher education as an international center, where people from around the world come to learn from each other. As such the MOE government scholarships enhance the cultural composition of Taiwan universities’
student bodies and contribute to institutional prestige (Mok & Tan 2004; Lo & Weng
2005). The immersion of international students among the NCCU local students represents, therefore, a pivotal objective of the university efforts for internationalization.
The concept of immersion suggests a deep level of engagement or involvement among the Taiwan students and participants. With this in mind Table IV summarizes 7 institutionally sanctioned NCCU organizations that provide opportunities for the immersion of NCCU international students with local students. The Table also displays the percentage of participant involvement with campus organizations.
Strikingly, more than 70% of participants reported non-involvement with the NCCU organizations.
Table IV
International student participation in NCCU activities (N=45) Factor n % n %
Clubsa Yes 6 13 No 39 87 Sportsb 14 31 31 69
Calligraphy classc 10 22 35 78 Cultural tripsd 24 53 21 47
Language buddy programe 0 0 45 100 Language tutor / groupf 13 29 32 71 Student ambassadorg 4 9 41 91
Note. a NCCU organizations clubs: dance, mountain climbing, literary, book groups, etc.
b NCCU sports such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, and many others.
The lack of participant involvement is a complex and multifaceted issue which calls for close examination. Foremost it represents a responsibility of the NCCU administrators and decision-makers charged with standard-setting, capacity building
and the formulation of policies and strategies to meet the challenges posed by internationalization.
International Students’ Satisfaction at the NCCU
Table VI highlights participants’ reasons for choosing the NCCU as a host institution.
Results indicate that the strength of the NCCU is anchored by the reputation of the Mandarin Studies program as a premiere language institution. The remaining factors including, recommendation of family and friends, recommendation by the embassy or cultural offices, environment conducive to learning, informative website, and availability of course programs are well documented in the literature as important factors of the student decision making process.
Table VI
Reasons for choosing NCCU (N=91)a Factor n %
Recommended by friends / classmates 19 21 Mandarin Chinese study programs 18 20
Recommended by embassy / cultural and economic offices 16 18 Environment conducive to learning 12 13
Informative website 11 12
Course program availability / English programs 8 9 Others 7 5
Note. a Each participant selected a maximum of three factors.
Taken a step further, Table VII summarizes 7 factors and associated attributes that measured participants’ satisfaction as NCCU international students. Values in
bold above 3.90, signify significant rankings. The high values associated with three of the four attributes of the factor, Mandarin Study Program, were not surprising, as few participants would seek to complete language study in a foreign country at an institution where education standards were low. That said, these attributes were not sufficient to ensure participant selection of the NCCU as a host institution. All of the significant values outlined in Table VII work together to profile the NCCU as a reputable host institution (Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002). In other words, the NCCU must have a reputation for quality support staff; its academic qualifications moreover must be recognized by prospective international students; and Taiwan as a host nation must maintain a high international profile.
Research by Lawley (1997) and Mazzarol and Soutar (2002) showed that interpersonal influences are important factors influencing international students’
satisfaction in host institutions. The overall value of 3.96 associated with the attribute, Embassy and TECO personnel, for example, suggests that the factor, Pre-Departure Preparation represents important elements of pre-departure preparation for participants. In a similar vein the high value associated with positive interactions with the International Center under the factor, Initial Impressions of the NCCU reinforce the importance of trained support staff to assist international students with their needs from pre-departure to adjustment at the host institution. The overall satisfaction with the NCCU was rated at 4.07, indicating that participants were satisfied with their decision to study at this host institution.
Table VI
International students’ satisfaction a in Taiwan at the NCCU (N=45)b Factor M SD Min. Max.
Pre-departure preparation
VISA application 3.76 0.883 1 5 Scholarship application 3.51 0.944 1 5 Embassy / TECOc personnel 3.96 1.043 1 5
Info on academic programs/ scholarship 3.47 0.968 2 5
Initial impressions of NCCU
NCCU website 3.49 0.787 2 5 Admission procedures 3.53 0.894 2 5 Course program selection 3.49 0.991 2 5 NCCU personnel 3.93 0.809 2 5
Academic, & emotional support 3.64 0.957 1 5 Mandarin Study Program
Met academic needs 3.78 0.927 1 5
Provides a strong foundation 3.93 0.720 3 5 Teachers’ qualification 3.98 0.812 1 5 Lessons and exercises 4.04 0.796 2 5 Word of Mouth Referral 3.98 0.892 1 5
NCCU facilities
Library, gym, pool, and others 3.93 0.915 1 5 Living in dormitory 2.58 1.340 1 5
Future Expectations
Becoming an Alumni member 3.44 1.035 1 5 Retain contact with NCCU 3.60 0.939 1 5 Overall
Personal/academic challenge 3.69 0.848 1 5 Satisfaction with the NCCU
as study destination 4.07 0.889 1 5
Note. a5 signifies very satisfied, while 1 signifies not very satisfied. b Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89
cTaiwan Economic and Cultural Office.
NCCU International Students: Challenges and Rewards
Tables VIII and IX summarize factors identified by participants as the challenging and rewarding aspects of living and studying in Taiwan as NCCU international students. Table VIII displays 7 factors identified as the most challenging. The factor, memorizing Chinese characters was ranked as most challenging. This factor also represented a primary theme of focus group interviews:
When I first got to Taiwan it wasn’t just getting used to a new culture, a new way to take out the trash, or figuring out how to navigate around Taipei. It went all the way to figuring out how to study this new language that had absolutely no similarities to mine except the Roman alphabet used in pinyin.
In the beginning I studied how I did in the states—with groups of people, talking about the class, going over notes. This didn’t work because I was failing. I soon realized that Chinese required 100 percent dedication. I had to memorize the language instead of relying on the context to help me interpret.
In place of interpretation I had to know exactly what I was hearing and speaking in order to be successful and progress in the Mandarin Studies Program. Most of my friends had a similar wakeup call (FGT1).
As newcomers, participants arrived to the NCCU with established systems for coping, studying, and socializing, yet often their strategies did not fit or conform to the standards of the Taiwan cultures and the NCCU academic community.
Participants from Western nations, in particular, reported a process defined in the literature as renegotiating identities and developing habits of mind (Smith & Guarnizo, 1998) This process was likened to the challenge of memorizing up to a hundred new traditional Chinese characters weekly, adaptation to differences in education systems, disparity in the philosophy and purpose of education, learning styles, and contrasting education values.
The remaining factors: adjusting to the climate; cultural gap, adjusting to the food; homesickness and loneliness; pronunciation of Chinese; and being a non-English speaker are documented in the literature as important factors of
international students’ adjustment and academic success in host institutions (Mazzarol
& Soutar 2002). These factors work together as a holistic interpretation of the influences that challenge participants in their responsibilities as NCCU international students.
Table VIII
Challenging aspects of NCCU international students (N=100)a Factor n %
Memorizing Chinese characters 26 26 Adjusting to the climate / weather 24 24 Cultural gap 14 14
Adjusting to the food 11 11 Homesickness / loneliness 11 11
Pronunciation of Chinese Mandarin language 6 6 Being a non-English speaker 4 4
Others 4 4
Note: a Each participant selected a maximum of three choices.
Participants reported that living and studying in Taiwan added a stimulating dimension to their academic programs and a valuable investment in future careers.
Table IX displays 6 factors identified as rewarding aspects of international student status. The most significant factors, learning a new language firsthand and experiencing life outside of the home country are probably utilitarian; Cant (2004) notes that informed citizenship requires an understanding of other cultures and societies. Hence the ability to understand the Mandarin language and Taiwan culture was reported by participants as rewarding factors. Combined these factors reflected a
primary focus group theme defined by the sense of fulfillment and self-confidence born from the experience of living and studying at the NCCU:
Studying in Taiwan not only reinforced my intellectual capacity but through my Chinese studies I was given the opportunity to understand Chinese culture and the thought process of this area of the world. As a person who wants to be connected to the world and able to truly identify with someone from another culture. This was an invaluable learning and growing experience and one that I hold as a landmark of my development as a capable and independent person in a globalizing world (FGT2).
Ranking of the remaining factors: making new friends (17%); experiencing a new culture (12%); becoming a global citizen (11%); and becoming more mature (9%)) reflect the value of international experiences in terms of the ability to better relate to others and to accept diversity and different lifestyles.
Table IX
Rewarding aspects of being an international students (N=121)a Factor n %
Learning a new language firsthand 33 27 Experience life outside home country 27 22 Meet new friends 20 17
Experience a new culture 15 12
Opportunity of becoming a global citizen 13 11 Becoming more mature and independent 11 9 Others 2 2
Note. a Each participants were asked to select a maximum of three choices.
Studying at the NCCU offered participants first-hand experience to learn not only about cultural traditions, but to comprehend the place of East Asia in the world.
Regardless of their academic areas, participants reported that they were better citizens because of an increased understanding of Taiwan. One participant addressed the idea of a global experience, “Studying at the NCCU is a chance to see another culture and broaden my perspectives of the world” (FGT2b). Key words repeatedly used to describe their experiences as international students included “global consciousness”
and becoming “a global citizen” (FGT2c).
Traveling to, living, and studying in Taiwan at the NCCUs set a precedence for unavoidable social and cultural encounters that stimulated particpants’ intellect to adapt. Participants gained invaluable experiences unobtainable in classrooms and communities in their home nations:
I want to be part of an interconnected world; studying at the NCCU helped me realize that other parts of the world are real and that I am a part of them.
Being here has helped me see progress in a positive manner and to operate within a system of connectedness. A lot of people in the world, in the Untied States, are losing consciousness, without this, without empathy and knowledge, we will never progress. I remember being reaffirmed of all this when I returned to my home for a visit. I realized you take the learning back home. I taught calligraphy to an art class in my old elementary school. Wow this really opened the eyes of not only the students but the teachers too. They loved it and asked me to return the following week (FGT3).
In sum participants developed an appreciation of other cultures and the ability to effectively interact and participate in local, national, and international affairs.
IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION
This article contributes to discourse examining the opportunities and challenges of international student enrollments in institutions of higher learning around the globe. In scope it details an empirical study exploring the dispositions of NCCU international students in terms of their academic and social spheres. The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods provided clarity and extended critical interpretations of the issues and dilemmas surrounding the international student experience. The combined sample size of the questionnaire and focus groups did not allow for broad
generalizations of findings; they did however, generate a useful premise to stimulate further research.
The NCCU is aligned with twenty-first century universities facing tremendous challenges to sustain intellectual and cultural viability in a rapidly changing world and to prepare students to participate competitively in the globalized marketplace while managing the expanding surge of electronic information and knowledge. The internationalization of NCCU represents a trendy response to these challenges. Efforts of the Taiwan government to develop national policies and set targets to attract substantial numbers of international students are impressive. Key implications suggest that the capability of the NCCU as a host institution to sustain and attract increasing numbers of incoming international students is linked to factors such as the unique opportunity to study traditional as opposed to simplified Chinese characters, the availability and accessibility of Taiwan government sponsored scholarships, and the high standard of the Mandarin Studies program.
Universities committed to internationalization are called to address the realities – both positive and negative – of operating as globally competitive institutions. This im implies that attracting the right kind of international students at the NCCU and determining standards for their contribution to campus life are more important goals than the total number of international students. The NCCU has been highly successful with international marketing campaigns and the recruit of international students on a global scale. Yet Davis (1995) notes that while a statistical measure provides an anchor for policy initiatives, it should not serve as an end point. Rather, a critical interpretation is paramount to the development of policies and practices supportive of the issues and dilemmas of expanding numbers of international students on the NCCU campus.
The term diploma disease, coined by Dore (1976) signifies this phenomenon. Dore argues that the sheer magnitude of students traveling internationally in the pursuit of advanced degrees, diplomas, or certifications has shifted the purpose and direction of tertiary education. Education, says Dore, is not a commercial endeavor defined by time or space but rather the harmonious development of the physical, mental, moral, and social dimensions of life necessary for engagement with opportunities to gain both knowledge and wisdom. This stance suggests that determining the form of higher education best suited for the NCCU academic community should remain a pressing issue side by side engagement with contemporary processes of internationalization.
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