Do Micro-level Support Areas Impact International Students’ Perceived Academic Success?

Abstract

This study examined the micro-level support areas for international students at a higher education institution (polytechnic) in Canada to determine their perceived academic success using the Bronfenbrenner theory of human development at the micro-level. A quantitative study was conducted to measure the impact of micro-level support areas on international student’s perceived academic success. A target sample of 399 international students was recruited to participate in a hard copy, one on one survey in the 2019 winter semester. The results of this study show that international students’ support areas at the micro-level were strongly related to their perceived academic success. The Canadian government’s strategy and efforts at the federal and provincial/territorial levels of increasing international students’ presence as a way of addressing the aging work force and population challenge would be more successful with increased attention and focus on the micro-level support areas