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The impact of international students on measured learning and standards in Australian higher education

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  • Foster, Gigi

Abstract

International students, who are also often from non-English language speaking backgrounds (NESB students), are an important source of revenue for Australian universities. Yet little large-scale evidence exists about their performance once they arrive. Do these students perform worse than other students in Australian undergraduate classrooms? What happens to other students’ performance when these students are added to classrooms? I provide new empirical evidence on these questions using recent administrative panel data from the business schools of two Australian Technology Network universities. Results show strong and highly statistically significant main effects and spillover effects, raising concerns about the integration of international NESB students into the Australian tertiary environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Foster, Gigi, 2012. "The impact of international students on measured learning and standards in Australian higher education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 587-600.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:31:y:2012:i:5:p:587-600
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.03.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Geide-Stevenson, Doris, 2018. "Does English proficiency affect academic performance?," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 41-48.
    2. Tumen, Semih, 2021. "The effect of refugees on native adolescents’ test scores: Quasi-experimental evidence from PISA," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Kevin Pugh & Gigi Foster, 2014. "Australia's National School Data and the ‘Big Data’ Revolution in Education Economics," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 47(2), pages 258-268, June.
    4. Xinrong Xia & Jing Ma, 2024. "Insights from the U.S. Admissions System for the Reform of International Student Recruitment in China," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 20(6), pages 1-77, December.
    5. Chen, J. & Dobrescu, L.I. & Foster, G. & Motta, A., 2024. "Can leagues mitigate the demoralization effect of rank feedback? A randomized controlled trial," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    6. Tumen, Semih, 2018. "The Impact of Low-Skill Refugees on Youth Education," IZA Discussion Papers 11869, IZA Network @ LISER.
    7. Gigi Foster, 2018. "Ethics in Economics," Agenda - A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics, vol. 24(1), pages 61-75.
    8. Gigi Foster, 2018. "Education Policy Reforms to Boost Productivity in Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 51(2), pages 253-261, June.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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