Psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges to Saudi Arabian students in Australia

Tahir Jameel; Mukhtiar Baig; Saba Tariq; Zohair Jamil Gazzaz; Nadeem Shafique Butt; Nouf Khaleel Althagafi; Eman Yahya Hazazi; Razan Saleh Alsayed

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0262585

Psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges to Saudi Arabian students in Australia

Tahir Jameel^*, Mukhtiar Baig, Saba Tariq, Zohair Jamil Gazzaz, Nadeem Shafique Butt, Nouf Khaleel Althagafi, Eman Yahya Hazazi, Razan Saleh Alsayed

^*Corresponding author for this work

Metabolism and Systems Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Objectives This study investigated the perceptions of Saudi Arabian medical disciplines students undergoing training in various institutes of Australia regarding psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges.

Methods This cross-sectional study was from March 15 to June 15, 2019. Data were collected by an online questionnaire. It consisted of questions regarding demographic, psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Two hundred nineteen students studying in Australia responded to our questionnaire.

Results Of the total 219 students, 13(6.0%) were undergraduate, 167(76%) were postgraduate, and 39(18%) were Ph.D. students. For most students (171[79.2%]), Australia was the country of choice for studying. Most of them were satisfied with their academic performance and adjustment to the Australian way of living. Most of the students (180[82.2%]) showed satisfaction over the availability of fair chances of their religious practices in Australia. Few of them faced difficulties coping with the Australian climate (25[11.4%]), homesickness (59 [26.9%]), and food and dietary sources (44[20.1%]). Students were overall satisfied with the student advisory system (156[71.2%]), university assessments (147[67.2%]), and available research facilities (170[77.6%]). Among participants, 77 (35.1%), 119(54.3%), and 23 (10.5%) students indicated that they wished to stay in Australia only until completion of their studies, temporarily and permanently, respectively.

Conclusions Our findings showed that Saudi students in Australia had strong psychosocial well-being, cultural integration, and academic success. Most of them were satisfied and adjusted well to Australian culture.

Original language	English
Article number	e0262585
Number of pages	13
Journal	PLoS ONE
Volume	17
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262585
Publication status	Published - 31 Jan 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study project (233394) was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), KAU, Jeddah, under grant number (G:667-828-1441). The authors wish to thank DSR, KAU, for the technical and financial support of this project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We are thankful to our students Taha Mohammed Aljifri, Bander Abdulaziz Almaghrabi, Mohammed Ibrahim Albejad, Abdulakhaliq Aali Alghamdi, and Abdulaziz Naif Kadasa for their help in data collection.

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright: © 2022 Jameel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Cite this

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title = "Psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges to Saudi Arabian students in Australia",

abstract = "Objectives This study investigated the perceptions of Saudi Arabian medical disciplines students undergoing training in various institutes of Australia regarding psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Methods This cross-sectional study was from March 15 to June 15, 2019. Data were collected by an online questionnaire. It consisted of questions regarding demographic, psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Two hundred nineteen students studying in Australia responded to our questionnaire. Results Of the total 219 students, 13(6.0%) were undergraduate, 167(76%) were postgraduate, and 39(18%) were Ph.D. students. For most students (171[79.2%]), Australia was the country of choice for studying. Most of them were satisfied with their academic performance and adjustment to the Australian way of living. Most of the students (180[82.2%]) showed satisfaction over the availability of fair chances of their religious practices in Australia. Few of them faced difficulties coping with the Australian climate (25[11.4%]), homesickness (59 [26.9%]), and food and dietary sources (44[20.1%]). Students were overall satisfied with the student advisory system (156[71.2%]), university assessments (147[67.2%]), and available research facilities (170[77.6%]). Among participants, 77 (35.1%), 119(54.3%), and 23 (10.5%) students indicated that they wished to stay in Australia only until completion of their studies, temporarily and permanently, respectively. Conclusions Our findings showed that Saudi students in Australia had strong psychosocial well-being, cultural integration, and academic success. Most of them were satisfied and adjusted well to Australian culture.",

author = "Tahir Jameel and Mukhtiar Baig and Saba Tariq and Gazzaz, {Zohair Jamil} and Butt, {Nadeem Shafique} and Althagafi, {Nouf Khaleel} and Hazazi, {Eman Yahya} and Alsayed, {Razan Saleh}",

note = "Funding Information: This study project (233394) was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), KAU, Jeddah, under grant number (G:667-828-1441). The authors wish to thank DSR, KAU, for the technical and financial support of this project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We are thankful to our students Taha Mohammed Aljifri, Bander Abdulaziz Almaghrabi, Mohammed Ibrahim Albejad, Abdulakhaliq Aali Alghamdi, and Abdulaziz Naif Kadasa for their help in data collection. Publisher Copyright: Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Jameel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.",

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AU - Jameel, Tahir

AU - Baig, Mukhtiar

AU - Tariq, Saba

AU - Gazzaz, Zohair Jamil

AU - Butt, Nadeem Shafique

AU - Althagafi, Nouf Khaleel

AU - Hazazi, Eman Yahya

AU - Alsayed, Razan Saleh

N1 - Funding Information: This study project (233394) was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), KAU, Jeddah, under grant number (G:667-828-1441). The authors wish to thank DSR, KAU, for the technical and financial support of this project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We are thankful to our students Taha Mohammed Aljifri, Bander Abdulaziz Almaghrabi, Mohammed Ibrahim Albejad, Abdulakhaliq Aali Alghamdi, and Abdulaziz Naif Kadasa for their help in data collection. Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2022 Jameel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

PY - 2022/1/31

Y1 - 2022/1/31

N2 - Objectives This study investigated the perceptions of Saudi Arabian medical disciplines students undergoing training in various institutes of Australia regarding psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Methods This cross-sectional study was from March 15 to June 15, 2019. Data were collected by an online questionnaire. It consisted of questions regarding demographic, psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Two hundred nineteen students studying in Australia responded to our questionnaire. Results Of the total 219 students, 13(6.0%) were undergraduate, 167(76%) were postgraduate, and 39(18%) were Ph.D. students. For most students (171[79.2%]), Australia was the country of choice for studying. Most of them were satisfied with their academic performance and adjustment to the Australian way of living. Most of the students (180[82.2%]) showed satisfaction over the availability of fair chances of their religious practices in Australia. Few of them faced difficulties coping with the Australian climate (25[11.4%]), homesickness (59 [26.9%]), and food and dietary sources (44[20.1%]). Students were overall satisfied with the student advisory system (156[71.2%]), university assessments (147[67.2%]), and available research facilities (170[77.6%]). Among participants, 77 (35.1%), 119(54.3%), and 23 (10.5%) students indicated that they wished to stay in Australia only until completion of their studies, temporarily and permanently, respectively. Conclusions Our findings showed that Saudi students in Australia had strong psychosocial well-being, cultural integration, and academic success. Most of them were satisfied and adjusted well to Australian culture.

AB - Objectives This study investigated the perceptions of Saudi Arabian medical disciplines students undergoing training in various institutes of Australia regarding psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Methods This cross-sectional study was from March 15 to June 15, 2019. Data were collected by an online questionnaire. It consisted of questions regarding demographic, psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Two hundred nineteen students studying in Australia responded to our questionnaire. Results Of the total 219 students, 13(6.0%) were undergraduate, 167(76%) were postgraduate, and 39(18%) were Ph.D. students. For most students (171[79.2%]), Australia was the country of choice for studying. Most of them were satisfied with their academic performance and adjustment to the Australian way of living. Most of the students (180[82.2%]) showed satisfaction over the availability of fair chances of their religious practices in Australia. Few of them faced difficulties coping with the Australian climate (25[11.4%]), homesickness (59 [26.9%]), and food and dietary sources (44[20.1%]). Students were overall satisfied with the student advisory system (156[71.2%]), university assessments (147[67.2%]), and available research facilities (170[77.6%]). Among participants, 77 (35.1%), 119(54.3%), and 23 (10.5%) students indicated that they wished to stay in Australia only until completion of their studies, temporarily and permanently, respectively. Conclusions Our findings showed that Saudi students in Australia had strong psychosocial well-being, cultural integration, and academic success. Most of them were satisfied and adjusted well to Australian culture.

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Psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges to Saudi Arabian students in Australia

Abstract

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