JP/18/AUSSIE

JP/18/AUSSIE

Int'l students almost on par with Australian students

The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

In response to claims that universities in Australia were
dropping standards to favor foreign students, some Australian
researchers conducted a comparative study that disproved the
earlier claims.

Results of the comparative study will be released at the AIEC
conference by Alan Olsen, Dr Zena Burgess and Dr Raj Sharma,
Australian publication Campus Review reported in October.

They said that there was "an alleged investigation" by the
Sydney Morning Herald in June, which claimed to have found
evidence of quality falling at universities as international
students with poor English were being awarded degrees so they
could be accepted for permanent residency.

The study of almost 340,000 full-time students in 22
Australian universities has found little difference in the
performance of local and international students, with Australian
students passing 89.4 percent of what they attempted while
international students passed 88.8 percent.

But there was a clear gender difference, with female students
in both groups passing nearly 92 per cent of units attempted
while the males passed 86.5 per cent.

The report notes that the 35,039 international females
outperformed the 38,890 international males, the 148,963
Australian females outperformed the 115,553 Australian males and
overall, the 184,002 female students outperformed the 154,443
male students.

"Simply put, international girls did better than international
boys, Australian girls did better than Australian boys," the
report states.

The study used the Student Progress Unit, a ratio of subjects
passed to subjects attempted, as the measure of academic
performance. Of the 340,000 full-timers whose results were
assessed by the researchers, 78 per cent were local and 22 per
cent from overseas.

Australian students outperformed international students in 13
of the 22 universities that took part in the investigation.
International students outperformed Australian students in five
institutions and in four there was no difference.

The report says the 38,890 international males outperformed
the 115,553 Australian males while the 148,963 Australian females
outperformed the 35,039 international females. Overall, however,
there was no difference.