After presenting the conclusion above, the researcher would like to propose suggestions to some parties. First, international students need to be more prepared before coming to the host country. They need to do a lot of research to know the situation and condition of the host country. It will be better if they can do more research specifically to the city where they will be staying. By researching and learning more about the culture, the language, the education systems, and anything related to their needs, the international students can know what they will face in the host country thus they can be more prepared.
Second, it is important to advise the host university to pay attention to language issues because not all university staff and lecturers can speak English, and not all international students can speak Indonesian when they arrive. The host university can help international students by giving Indonesian courses within a period of time before the learning process starts, it can reduce the possibility they do not understand the courses or they cannot communicate well with the university staff. Besides it might help international students in their academics, it also helps them to be able to mingle and communicate with local people.
Third, it is also important for every department in one university in Jambi, to pay attention to the international students in their department. Many challenges that international students face can hinder their adaptation, thus they can miss many opportunities or important information. This issue may be overcome if the department can ensure that any information can be conveyed properly and equally to local and international students. One attempt that can be done is to provide a mentor who is a local student from the same department to international students.
79
It would be better if the student is a senior so that they already have some experience or advice to help international students with academic or technical problems. The existence of a mentor can also be used as an intermediary between international students and the department.
Lastly, to the future researchers who are interested in conducting research about international students. Since this research only focuses on the challenges and strategies of international students, it is suggested to the next researchers to conduct research focusing on the preparation of international students and the host country.
The future researchers can try to observe and explore the topic from various perspectives. Furthermore, since this research is limited to the first batch of international students in one university in Jambi, the next researcher can try to expand the research by increasing the number of participants.
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85 APPENDICES
86 Appendix 1
INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Exploring International Students Challenges and Strategies in One University in Jambi
Dear Participants:
You are invited to participate in a qualitative research project, conducted by Istifada under the research team (Dr. Mukhlash Abrar, S.S., M.Hum. and Dr Sri Wachyunni, S.S., M.Hum.,MA.). The purpose of the project is to explore the international students' challenges and strategies during their study in one university in Jambi.
In this project, you will be asked to participate in answering some questions related to the focus of this study. All data, including names, identities, and responses answer sheets will be kept confidential, and will be used for scholarly purposes only. Your signed consent form will be stored in a separate, secure, location from the data in the investigator’s home.
Likewise, the consent form will be destroyed upon the completion of the study.
Your decision to take part in this study is entirely voluntary and you may decline to answer any specific questions. To the best of my knowledge, there are no costs associated with taking part in this study. Also, there is no risk that could result from this study and you will not get any personal benefit from taking part in this study.
Please keep a copy of this informed consent for your records. Should you have any queries at any time about the nature of this study and the use of your responses, do not hesitate to contact Istifada via email: istifada211@gmail.com, or by phone: +6282281852524 Statement of Consent:
I have read the above description of this study. All my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. Furthermore, I have been assured that the researcher will answer any future questions I may have. I voluntarily agree to take part in this study. I will retain a copy of this consent form for my records.
Signature/ Initials Date
Signature of Investigator Date
87 Appendix 2
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL 1. Greetings
2. Could you describe yourself?
Probe:
a. Which country do you come from?
b. Which academic department are you in?
3. Can you share your experience living in Jambi?
Probe:
a. Did you have any fun and exciting experiences while living and studying in Jambi? If yes, please share it with an example.
4. Do you find it challenging to interact with people? If yes, please explain with the examples.
Probe:
a. Language b. Culture c. Personality
d. Relationship with friends and lecturers
5. Do you have problems related to your academics? If yes, please give a clear example.
Probe:
a. Courses
b. Learning activity c. Academic culture
6. Do you have any problems related to your personal issues during your stay in Jambi? If yes, please give a clear example.
Probe:
a. Financial
b. Homesickness and loneliness c. Health
d. Time management
7. Do these problems affect your study at (name of university)? If yes, how does it affect you?
8. When you have a problem living and studying in Jambi, do you manage it yourself? If yes, please explain and give a clear example.
Probe:
a. Self-practice b. Positive activities c. Positive motivation d. Leisure activities
9. Do you ask others to help you overcome your problem in living and studying in Jambi? If yes, who did you ask for help and what kind of help?
Probe:
a. Friends
b. Family and relatives c. University staffs
88 d. Professionals
10. Do you take advantage of technological applications to help you with your life and study in Jambi? If yes, what application and how do you use it?
Probe:
a. Language and learning applications b. Social media/ entertainment application c. Communication devices (telephone and email)
11. Do you believe that your strategies are effective in solving your problems?
In what way are they effective? Please, explain.
89 Appendix 3
SAMPLE OF INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
R : Do you find any difficulty during your study and living in Jambi?
P : Of course, it’s definitely for the language. You know I’m still studying Bahasa Indonesia and I only study when I got here. So, it’s quite a lot of difficulty because of the language barrier.
R : Which part of Bahasa Indonesia that you think it’s most difficult to learn?
P : The pronunciation it’s okay for me, the vocabulary is also okay but sometimes I got confused with how do you sentence the structure. Yeah. The grammar like I was say Saya dress like that but it’s supposed to dress saya, right?
Yeah, I really said that so whenever I say it my friends will be like no dress saya.
That’s how I confused with Indonesian. The others if I learn it, I will get it, of course.
R : So, do you find it challenging to interact with people?
P : The first thing that I find difficult is of course language barrier, you know most of Jambian don’t actually know about English a lot. So, for example in my class, only one third of the room of the students know how to speak English, so mostly I’m close more to them and the others I'm not really close and I find it hard when I have to like do group project or do presentations together. And sometimes, of course, for the lecturer, they mostly use English but sometimes they use Indonesian too.
R : So, the other friend that cannot use English try to talk to you or they just choose not talk to you?
P : They just choose to not talk to me actually. I try to contact with them by try using Google Translate, but they still kind of ignore me. I mean I'm fine with it.
I'm fine being alone but you know when it comes to you know stuff regarding the study it’s hard to contact with them.
R : But how about the lecturer? I think you have courses like Kewarganegaraan, Pancasila, how you interact with the lecturer? I think most of them cannot speak English.
P : Yeah, most of them. Not even most of them, all of them cannot speak English. But the way I contact with them through chat is by using Google Translate of course or by using some of the vocabulary that I know from Indonesian. And for offline, I usually ask my friend about what the material is, the brief summary of what the lecturer saying in the class or yeah that mostly it and I would ask them to translate the material that the lecturer give in Indonesian so that you know I will not have a problem in the exam or anything.
90 Appendix 4
AUDIO DIARY GUIDELINE Instruction:
1. Once a week for two months, participants need to send an audio (voice note) via WhatsApp/Telegram/Email to the researcher.
2. The content of the audio a. Challenges
The first topic is challenges, which refers to problems or difficult situations. You can share what kind of challenges you encountered during that week. You might face new challenges or the same challenges that have been mentioned in the interview. Both of the challenges need to be described by providing a detailed explanation.
b. Strategies
The second topic is strategies, which refers to any strategy or effort you make during that week to overcome your new problems or the problems that you've been dealing with for a long time. You can describe the new strategies or the same strategies that have been mentioned in the interview. Both of the strategies need to be described by providing a detailed explanation.
WhatsApp/Telegram : +6282281852524 Email : istifada211@gmail.com
Audio Diary Date
1st week 2nd week 3rd week 4th week 5th week 6th week 7th week 8th week
91 Appendix 5
SAMPLE OF AUDIO DIARIES Week 1
“So today is August thirteen on Saturday, and I have done a lot of activities but first thing first I have to start my new semester on August fifteen or seventeen. It depends on the lecturer and also, I’ve joined a modelling competition which is on twenty-seven and I am now on my way to apply for [students’ organization] ... I am just surviving doing everything that I can to do stuff that I want to do every day and of course since Riau, since Pattani [international students] from Riau came here we show them what Jambi was like, that's it. That's really it and also, I try to get along with all the international students here even though sometimes we have conflict, sometimes we just fight each other. So, yeah that's it.”
Week 2
“Okay, assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabbarakatuh. So, this is my second audio for this session record and then I am sorry for my voice because I haven’t feeling so well these few days. Might be caused by the weather, it’s raining this week. So, this week is… this is the first week of our third semester in … and I would like to share my experience with the new class, new environment, new classroom new lecturers, and new expectations. So, I think that this semester would be so great, for me it’s great experience for me because I find out that the class is a complex, complex students which means they pick local students along with four international students. And also, we have one exchange student. So, it’s mean that the faculty is really looking forward for this class which is ... And I have to tell you that I have really great impression on this classroom because my classmates are really hyperactive, really involving themselves in the conversation with the lecturers and friends, really participate well, and they like to share their experiences in front of the class. And also, the lecturer is really professional, really tolerate. I think I have quite higher expectation on this class rather than in the previous semester and I also hope that I will perform well in this semester and make myself proud also make my other international students feel inspired or motivated by my attitude. I would love to improve myself this semester so I think that’s all for me and yeah, I hope … I am prepared to share more of my experiences next time.”
Week 6
“So, for me. I didn’t have that much of problems this week and for my activities, there’s new international students from Pakistan, Gambia, and also Thailand, and we really have fun together I mean there’s not much problem today so it’s fine.”
92 Appendix 6
CODING
P1 P2 P3
Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies
Courses Technology Application
Grammar Technology Application
Academic Culture
Friends and Relatives
Loneliness Friends and relatives
Academic culture
Friends and relatives
Pedagogy University Staffs
Pedagogy Leisure Activities
Pedagogy Leisure Activities
Vocabulary Positive Activities
Complicated Procedure
University Staffs
Food Positive Activities
Physical Contact
Technology Application
Weather Practicing Weather Traffic
Loneliness Internal
Conflict
Personality Complicated
Procedure
Internal Conflict
P4 P5 P6
Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies
Food Friends and Relatives
Traffic Positive Activities
Food Positive Activities
Fluency Technology Application
Pronunciation Technology Application
Pedagogy Friends and Relatives
93
Courses Practicing Vocabulary Friends and Relatives
Courses Technology Application
Time management
Positive Activities
Academic culture
Leisure Activities
Vocabulary Leisure Activities
Weather University Staff
Pedagogy Practicing
Traffic Food
Loneliness
Pedagogy
P7 P8 P9
Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies Challenges Strategies
Courses Practicing English Vocabulary
Practicing Pronunciation Friends and Relatives
Fluency Technology Application
Pronunciation Positive Activities
Courses Technology Application
Pronunciation Loneliness Personality Leisure Activities
Food Leisure
Activities
English Vocabulary
Leisure Activities
Time Management
Friends and Relatives
Friends and Relatives
Food Technology Application
University Staff
Internal Conflict Courses
Pedagogy
94 Appendix 7
ORIGINALITY REPORT