The impact of regional higher education spaces on the security of international students

ABSTRACT

The security of international students in regional higher education spaces in Australia has been overlooked. Contingency theory provides the framework for this case study to explore the organisational structure and support services relevant to a regional higher education space and how this impacts the security of international students. In-depth qualitative interviews with staff and students offer insights into the small-scale organisation of a regional campus, international students’ cultural adjustment and the type and level of support available to facilitate student security in this space. This study challenges ideas that suggest international students are best served by large urban university spaces of education with top-down mechanistic administration. It is argued that the organic structure of a regional university education space is conducive to providing a high level of security for international students.

KEYWORDS:

• Contingency theory
• education spaces
• higher education
• international students
• regional
• security

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.