Development of an adaptation index for overseas Malaysian students

• Main Authors: Mustapha, Mazni, Hyland, Michael E.
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/13249/1/59.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/13249/; http://www.insanmaya.net/

The main purpose of this study was to develop an index that measures adaptation experiences of Malaysian students who are studying abroad from two perspectives: “Missing things at home” and “Enjoyment of being abroad”. Prior to this study, a series of interviews had been carried out on seven postgraduate Malaysian students in Devon, United Kingdom (UK) to explore their experiences in adapting to new life abroad. Based on the information found in the interviews, 62 items were generated; with 34 items measuring “Missing things in the UK” and 28 items measuring “Enjoying things in the UK”. Data were collected from 100 student participants across the UK in various methods.In the questionnaire, participants were asked to indicate the clarity of each item.Items that were not clear were removed from future analyses. Results of the Principal Component Analysis indicated that each of the subscale (Missing and Enjoyment) was explained by a single construct. Internal consistencies of both sub-scales were found to be high (Cronbach’s Alpha >.90), indicating that they were highly reliable.