Les expériences sociales et universitaires d’étudiants internationaux au Québec,
le cas de l’Université de Montréal : comprendre leur persévérance aux études

The purpose of this research is to develop a strong understanding of persistence in higher education among a specific international population: International Postgraduate Students. We do not know much about international students in Montréal thought we think they play a key role on the economic performance of host country and institution. Therefore this thesis presents the issues relating to reception, integration and training conditions among international postgraduate students at the Université de Montréal. We begin with the Canadian and Quebec contexts of internationalization of higher education to analyze the frame of their experiences in the host community. In parallel, we have identified a large number of theories on attrition and retention in postsecondary education (Tinto, 1993), giving us factors that explain success, persistence and dropout. However, we noted that Tinto’s one in particular is not sufficient to understand persistence among international students. Thus, we analyzed the academic and social experiences of these international students and the meaning they give to such experiences (Dubet, 1994, Rochex, 1995) and, finally, we wanted to explore the temps de l’affiliation (Coulon, 1997).  Those purposes allowed me to finally identify and set the following research question: what aspects associated with student characteristics (Tinto), their social experiences (Dubet) and learning the métier d’étudiant (Coulon) may influence academic persistence among international students?  Regarding the methodology, this exploratory research used a qualitative method (collecting and analyzing data). We conducted a descriptive data analysis in order to set a portrait of the international students in Montreal. We received institutional data from the Institutional Research Office of the Université de Montréal. We also wanted to discuss students’ sense making on their academic and social experiences. So, interviews were conducted with a limited number of volunteers (n = 8) giving a stronger analysis of their experiences and different understanding of persistence.  Students voices heard in interviews suggest a strong resilience of the individual and the ethnic solidarity in spite of a lack of scholarships and other financial supports. Regarding their social and academic integration, though Canada is described as a welcoming society, they still have to deal and struggle with cultural boundaries, a lack of intercultural friendships so that they feel a general discomfort. Echoes of ethnographic interviews also suggest the influence of good quality interactions with their thesis supervisors. In a different matter, international students mention a strong relationship between their wellbeing and food. As a vehicle for maintaining or remembering their cultural identity in Canada, they struggle accepting a totally different food than the one from back home. Obviously, food, religion and language are important determinants of international students’ well being and general comfort in the new country. Research has made more audible the academic and social life of these students previously unknown in Quebec and Montreal. The exploratory and comprehensive approach showed that the decision to persist depends on the interrelation between the individual strategies and economic and social constraints. The thesis contributes to a better understanding of the experience of international students, including showing how perseverance is accompanied by fragility and they are important for universities seeking to enhance their position in the international higher education market.

Keyphrases: Temps de l’affiliation, Sociology of education, Persistence in higher education, International students, Graduate studies