International Students in Western Developed Countries: History, Challenges, and Prospects

Various scholars have explored the academic and social challenges international students face in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia (Alden, Ryder, Paulhus, & Dere, 2013; Li, Chen, & Duanmu, 2010; Ruble & Zhang, 2013). Of the various studies on international students' adjustment to education and life in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, a common theme which is always present is the difficulty experienced by international students as they pursue their education in foreign countries. Research on international students' experiences in Western developed countries is full of studies describing the difficulty faced by international students in those countries. Given that international students encounter social, cultural, financial, medical, adjustment, and academic challenges which invariably impact their educational performance, a responsibility lies with the U.S., the U.K., and Australian higher educational institutions to ensure that adequate provision of resources are provided to meet international students' diverse academic and social needs.The call to address the social and academic needs of international students aligns with Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, and Thomas' (2006) assertion that, "to be successful in a changing and increasingly complex world, it is suggested that whole school communities need to work and learn together to take charge of change, finding the best ways to enhance young people's learning" (p. 222). In order to meet the academic and social needs of international students, host universities must be engaged in a collaborative effort to ensure students' success by implementing strategies and policies that facilitate a richly rewarding academic and social experience. To that end, educational institutions in the U.S., the U.K, and Australia must be committed to providing an enabling environment that is capable of meeting international students' needs, as well as equipping international students with relevant social and academic skills. Similarly, international students must be actively committed to studies and campus activities in order to gain the best their universities have to offer.Literature ReviewHistorical Context to International Student ContactIn International Students in American Colleges and Universities: A History, Bevis and Lucas (2007) stated that international student contact can be traced to the second and fifth centuries. They observed that "as early as the second century BCE, the attendance rolls of the city-state's schools of philosophy and rhetoric attest to the admission of foreigners in comparatively large numbers" (Bevis & Lucas, 2007, p. 15). In the fifth century, Sophists (teachers of wisdom) arrived in Athens, and were accompanied by proteges - youths from distant regions who traveled with their masters as they moved from one city to another in search of new students (Bevis & Lucas, 2007). Furthermore, Bevis and Lucas (2007) referred to Socrates' statement about foreigners who followed Protagoras from city to city in order to learn of his wisdom and philosophy. They observed that "Most of Protagoras' followers seem to be foreigners; for these the Sophist brings with him from the various cities . charming them . with his voice, and they, the charmed, follow where the voice leads" (p.14-15). From the literature, foreign students migrated from city to city in Athens and beyond as they sought to learn from the wisdom of ancient Greek philosophers. More so, it is arguable from the above historical standpoint that international student mobility started between the second and fifth centuries in Athens.However, international student contact on record in the United States did not start until the late 18th century. The American immigration laws did not make the U.S. institutions a choice-destination for international students as "the growing concern about the number of immigrants entering the country resulted in a handful of individual states passing restrictive immigration laws" (Bevis & Lucas, 2007, p. …