This study examined the effect the provision and utilization of different support areas had on the perceived academic success of international students at a large community college in Canada. The study considered the effect of the provision of support areas on one hand, and the utilization of these support areas on the other hand on the perceived academic success of international students. A quantitative study was conducted to measure the effect of the provision and utilization of support areas on international students' perceived academic success. A target sample size of 399 international students who were pursuing different academic programs at a large community college in Canada was recruited to participate in a hard copy, one-on-one survey in the winter semester of 2019. The Canadian government's strategy at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels of increasing international students' presence in Canada as a way of addressing the aging workforce and population challenge in Canada would be more successful with increased investments in these support areas.
TopIntroduction
Community colleges in Canada belong to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), formerly the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). CICan, the national, voluntary membership organization representing publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPS (i.e. Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, in Quebec), and polytechnics in Canada, and internationally, is also the umbrella body for Canada’s community colleges and institutes serving domestic, indigenous, and international students in various campuses across the country. Community colleges are sometimes called institutes, institutes of technology, technical colleges, regional colleges, university colleges or colleges.
In Canada, community colleges play important roles in supporting economic development and innovation based on their ties and links to their communities (CICan, n.d.; Universities Canada, 2015). Community colleges provide over 10,000 different higher education and training programs to a wide variety of students ranging from high school graduates, and adult learners to international and indigenous students and university graduates including professional and on-going training for professionals in the workforce in both the private and public sectors of the economy (CICan, n.d.). Academic programs in community colleges are usually developed through industry connections and collaborations, and internship opportunities. Programs range from health, business, technology, trades, academic upgrading, university preparation, applied and creative arts, hospitality and social sciences (Atlantic Colleges Atlantique, ACA, 2018; CICan, n.d).
Furthermore, community colleges are government-regulated and the higher education programs they offer are one to two year academic and pre-professional certificates, diplomas, two to three year associate degrees, four year bachelor’s degrees, post graduate certificate (PGC), post graduate diploma (PGD) programs, and master’s degree programs (CICan, n.d.). This study considered the effect of provision and utilization of support services on the perceived academic success of international students in community colleges in Canada using the Bronfenbrenner theory of human development.
Research Questions
The Bronfenbrenner’s theory of human development provided theoretical orientations for forming research questions for this study. These questions address support areas and programs as well as policies that were available at the micro-level (individual), meso-level (institutional), and macro-level (government/societal) to international students attending a community college.
These questions were:
- 1.
Do international students utilize identified support areas available to them at the micro (individual), meso (institutional), and macro (government/societal) levels?
- 2.
Which support area(s) is/are most strongly related to international students’ academic success?
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the provision and utilization of support areas as well as policies/programs that influence international students’ perceived academic success in community colleges in Canada. Although Bronfenbrenner (1979) identified four levels that influence an individual’s development in his theory of human development, this study focused on only three of these levels (i.e., the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels). This is because the exo-level was subsumed in the other levels.