Fostering internationalisation: the benefits to home students of mentoring international students

Abstract

There is a substantial and growing body of research on the experience of international students in higher education, much of which focuses on the disappointing levels of integration between visitors and their host community. This article reports on a study of a pilot mentoring project designed to promote interaction between home and international students. Few studies have investigated the home students’ experience of internationalization. The aim of this study was to gain insights into the experience of a small group of undergraduate business students who had acted as volunteer mentors to international students. Data was collected from a survey and via qualitative interviews with the mentors. Participants in the study revealed an overwhelmingly positive attitude to the experience and reported many benefits. Although students sometimes demonstrated an over-­‐simplistic notion of cultural difference, they also displayed an openness and willingness to interact with, and learn from, people from other cultures.