Promises from afar: a model of international student psychological contract in business education

Abstract

Despite their significant presence in western business schools, the needs and experiences of international students have not been adequately reflected in the business education literature. We draw upon psychological contract theory – used to understand employer–employee relationships – to develop a novel theoretical model on the international student–business school relationship. Based on a review of psychological contract and international education literatures, we propose that students perceive a variety of institutional obligations arising from explicit and implicit promises made by business schools. Fulfilment or breach of these obligations will impact upon students' educational performance and satisfaction. We also examine ways in which students' cultural orientation might moderate the psychological contract process.

Keywords:

• international students
• student satisfaction
• business schools
• management education
• cross-cultural issues in teaching and learning

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prithviraj Chattopadhyay, George Chen, Carol Kulik, Jaco Lok, Robert Rubin, Kyoung-Hee Yu, and Tom Zagenczyk for their comments on this paper. This research was partially supported by the Australian Research Council Grant (DP130104138) awarded to the authors.

Notes

1. Our paper is not about educational marketing per se. However, we wish to note that the process of educational marketing has consequences for the development of psychological contracts. International students are likely to seek initial information from agents representing the business school. Students are also likely to make sense of marketing materials such as advertisements and brochures to create perceptions of obligation. These perceived obligations based on marketing-related communication are the building blocks of the psychological contract.