The (randomly) selected focus publication for September/October 2015 is:
Sercombe, P.G. & Young, T.J. (2015). Student Adjustment: Diversity and Uniformity of Experience. In Fabricius A.H. and Presisler,B. (Eds.), Transcultural Interaction and Linguistic Diversity in Higher Education (pp. 34-55). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Abstract: Internationalisation of higher education has become a global phenomenon, as reflected by the fact that around 4 million people are now engaged in study outside their country of origin, a fourfold increase since 1999 (OECD, 2011). The UK is the largest single destination in Europe, and the second largest worldwide after the United States . Among full-time ‘taught’ postgraduates (as opposed to those studying for research degrees) in the UK, 66% are non-UK nationals (HESA 2010).For countries in net receipt of international students, higher education has come to be seen as central to economic development (Wright and Rabo 2010); however, ‘universities are no longer just servicing the economy: now educating international students is itself a lucrative trade’ (ibid: 3). In the UK, international postgraduate students generate significant income for higher education institutions (HEIs) and it is thus in the interests of HEIs to support such students, facilitate their retention and to attract new postgraduates. Until recently, there had been relatively little research which specifically focused on international students’ (ISs) transition to postgraduate study overseas, although there are bodies of research surrounding educational transitions, e.g. from school to tertiary level education; and from education to work (Tobbell and O’Donnell 2013). We are interested in ISs’ subjective views and reflections on their experiences. In this chapter, we report on sentiments expressed by ISs managing a formal education overseas sojourn. Our specific aim was to describe perceptions and provide insights into reports of those working towards taught a Master’s degree IN Cross Cultural communication, over the period of an academic year (equivalent to a calendar year), at a single HEI in the UK.