Study and Stress among First Year Overseas Students in an Australian University

ABSTRACT Overseas students bring to Australia a very different cultural, social and intellectual experience from that which awaits them. Reviews of previous studies suggest that their beliefs, values and attitudes to knowledge, to styles of learning and study can lead to study shock. A questionnaire survey of a sample of 133 first year overseas students mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, most of whom were studying for a Bachelor of Business degree, and 76 Australian born first year students mainly of British and European origin from the same classes, showed that compared to local students the overseas group had significantly greater difficulties adjusting to academic requirements, particularly with regard to managing the demands of study, specifically study methods, independent learning, language skills, participation and time management. The overseas students manifested significantly higher degrees of various stress indicators than did the local students. More academic and counselling support and resources for this increasing intake of overseas students should be provided.