Une étude exploratoire sur l’usage des sites de réseautage social dans la trajectoire d'intégration des étudiants internationaux brésiliens à l’Université de Montréal

This study focuses integration processes and we are interested in the role of social network sites (SNSs) in the process of integrating Brazilian international students with a temporary resident permit and enrolled in master's and doctoral programs at the University of Montreal (UdeM).  The overall objective of this study is to better understand the use of social media by international students, especifically social network sites, and verify how the interaction processes are established, and what is the relationship between these processes and academic and social integration, and that, since the beginning of the migration project, which starts before the student's arrival in Quebec. Considering the growing number of international students in higher-education institutions in Quebec, and particularly the students of Brazilian origin, we wondered about their questioning and concerns, their performed social learning, and related to integration, as well as their social practices, which includes their integration strategies for different integration aspects (social, academy, finance, and language), in the pre and post-migration contexts for studies. The latest report from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on migration shows that the number of international students is growing, which are attracted by the main recipient countries, such as Canada. Despite the existence of supporting services for reception, integration, settlement after graduation, and the follow-up before, during and after graduation remains being a challenge.  The immigration policy makes international students closer to the permanent immigrants. On the one hand, by coming to study - without necessarily having the intention of immigrating - they experience a process similar to that permanent immigrants'. On the other hand, these students constitute a privileged basin that can help to overcome the challenges of demographic and economic growth and, in Quebec, to reflect on the sustainability of the French language. Noting the efforts of Montreal's higher education institutions to attract and retain the best international students in Montreal, we have chosen to focus on the difficulties of integrating international students and the actions for reception and integration offered to students by universities. In this sense, let us recall the importance of the problems related to these supporting devices for integration and, consequently, for academic success and perseverance. In this context, analyzing the problematic of immigrant integration and information and communication technologies (ICTs), we see that there is a relationship between the web and new migration practices. Digital social networks allow the instrumentalisation of resources and are sometimes decisive in the migration project. So, like permanent immigrants, international students learn and build their networks using these digital tools.  The specific objectives of the research are : to describe and analyze the concerns and questioning of the students at the various stages of their migration project for study; identify and describe forms of interaction and social learning related to integration during the migration for study; particularly on social network sites, to describe and analyze social practices related to the various aspects of social, academic and linguistic integration. The methodological framework developed in this study integrates the qualitative and descriptive exploratory approach, including individual semi-directed interviews with 22 international students of Brazilian origin enrolled at the Université de Montréal. We believe that the qualitative method is the most appropriate when the aim sought, as in the case of this study, is to explore the experience or the life story of the participants from their own personal experiences and the meaning they have give or the interpretation they do, thus putting the actors themselves on the front line (Paillé and Mucchielli, 2005, 2008). The thesis follows a mode of presentation by articles. Each of the articles is related to one of the objectives of the research, in the order mentioned above. Regarding the article 1, the analyzes indicate that the process of integration of international students goes beyond the academic environment and that it is necessary to have an integrated vision of the various paths or aspects of the integration of these students in order to help them better to integrate to the host society. We got this conclusion because the questioning and concerns identified range from the pre-migration context and persist (in another priority) into the post-migration context, thus representing a "continuum of immigration". The use of social network sites in both contexts (pre-migratory and post-migratory) seems to help the design and implementation of their migration project for study. However, in general, these spaces are less used in relation to physical social networks.  We have concluded that this use is mainly utilitarian and practical. For example, questions and concerns about admission, immigration, and choice of the university lead them to use social network sites in a very intensive manner. The article 2 makes clear that the main source of information and learning in the pre- and post-migration context is constructed through experiments that involve observing the successes or failures of others as explained in Bandura's theory of social learning. It seems to us that the ease of accessing the Internet and finding interlocutors privilege this type of learning. Observing the success of compatriots (pre-migratory context) or peers (post-migration context) can increase confidence in their own potential to succeed in their migration project for study. Finally, the results of article 3 have enabled us to identify the different social practices and strategies developed by students to integrate into the academic world, whether in a positive or negative situation. Positive experiences show that the vast majority of students have a very good relationship with academic staff - professors and research directors. In general, the majority also said that the relationships developed with their peers on campus are good. The interactions of international students with faculty staff (with the exception of professors and research directors) are rather negative.  This is not entirely due to their partial or near-zero control over the French language. Moreover, the students mention that they are conscious of having to improve this aspect of their academic life. However, we have noticed a problem related to the low-quality service of the staff who perform administrative work (BEI, FESP, TGDE, program managers), perceived by international students. Students have the concern to succeed in their respective programs and they know to do that they need to interact and study the French language. This situation motivates them to interact with their peers and to develop certain strategies, such as organizing reading plans, attending French classes, studying at all times on campus, attending conferences related to their field of research, besides networking and interacting with peers outside the classroom to study. This study allowed us to better understand the role played by social network sites in the design and execution of the migration project for study of Brazilian students in the UdeM. Moreover, it allowed us to clarify the relationship between the use of these tools in the learning that the students think they have to have in the different stages of the process, including detailing of the methods for each of them. Notwithstanding, these conclusions are unknown in Quebec and Montreal and contribute to the discussions over the internationalization of higher education institutions, the reception and integration activities of students, and the immigration-related services of international students. In addition, this research will help to guide certain premises related to the design and implementation of the practices, activities, and services offered to international students in order to promote their integration into the university and the Montreal life, either online or in physical social networks. It will also contribute to online activities to foster student participation and success.

Keyphrases: International students, Social network sites, Academic and social integration, Support devices, Learning and social media, Social and international mobility, Migration for study, ICT and international students