Margaret Kettle Knihy

Focusing on the concept of student engagement in Western universities, this book delves into the practical aspects of how international students are involved in their academic environments. It clarifies the often vague notion of engagement by exploring the necessary conditions that facilitate meaningful participation. By moving past mere policy discussions, it offers insights and strategies that can enhance the experience of international students, aiming to foster a more inclusive and supportive educational atmosphere.

Hand-in-hand with the continuing drive to recruit international students to Western universities goes an interest in student engagement. However, it is often unclear exactly what is meant by engagement. This book goes beyond the policy rhetoric to provide a practice-based explication of international student engagement and its enabling institutional conditions. By utilising a social practice conceptual model, the book explains the multiple dimensions of engagement that are often conflated in policy: the antecedents to engagement, the actions of engaging, and the achievements and outcomes of engagement. As a result, the book is able to address issues such as how English comes to matter in international student academic practice; the teaching and assessment approaches that promote international student engagement; and the metacognitive, cognitive and affective strategies that international students use to achieve academic and personal transformation.