International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Joyce L. Bautista
College of Graduate Studies and Teacher Education Research, Philippine Normal University, Philippines
Abstract: Studying in other countries reinforce academic, intercultural, and scientific competence of students (Maharaja, 2018). But despite the many possible positive opportunities and experiences’ students from other countries, they may also encounter challenges and difficulties during their studies. This study explored the academic experiences and challenges of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) Bachelor in Early Childhood Education (BECED) alumni who are teaching abroad and decided to enroll at PNU for the first time to pursue Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education (MA ECE) through the Kaway Aralan sa Bagong Kadawyan in SY 2021-2022. This phenomenological research method purposively selected 15 participants. The data were collected through online survey questionnaire that included open-ended questions, individual, and focus group interviews. Participants lived experiences were considered, transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. Findings from the study indicated that the students encountered challenges and pointed out how they addressed these challenges. The main themes that emerged include psychological readiness, practical method, and application (duties at work and studies, schedule at work and studies, learning management system, positive attitude) and functional social support. It is important to investigate the academic experiences of first-time graduate students who are based on other countries to provide the essential support and services for less hassle transition and to provide inputs to policy makers to create or enhance existing policies on admission and program delivery.
Keywords: lived academic experiences, students from other countries, first-year graduate students, online studies
I. INTRODUCTION
Universities around the world have been enriched by the enrollment of students from other countries who are carrying valuable experiences and views. These students significantly contribute to the promotion of cultural diversity in the classroom and on campus, enriching the academic environment and adding educational value to it. Most universities are offering educational programs through pure online modality specifically social media platforms and universities’ own platform. Online distance learning has been one of the modalities for flexible delivery in many universities worldwide (Karkar-Esperat, 2018; Allen & Seaman, 2014; KO & Rosen, 2017). It has gained popularity since 2003 to present for graduate students (Karkar-Esperat, 2018; Allen & Seaman, 2014; Tootoochi, 2016; Harasim, 2017). In the study conducted by Leem, Moon, & Larke (2018) revealed that most students considered their flexible learning experience