Transitioning into the Australian higher education experience : The perspective of international doctoral students

This research explored the academic and non-academic lived experiences of higher degree onshore international doctoral students studying in one Australian university. While the academic dimension of experiences included curricular, resource, research and supervision issues, the non-academic dimension focussed on students' inter-personal experiences. Students were required to engage in a series of personal and professional transitions to engage with higher degree research programs in Australia. The findings of this research revealed that, for international doctoral students to survive and succeed at the Australian postgraduate university experience in one Australian context, several factors are important, and a series of transitions must occur. These factors and transitions range from matters related to university guidance and counselling, research and supervision experience, and the difficulties implicit in developing both pedagogical and interpersonal or intercultural relationships. The findings provide deeper insights into the experiences of international doctoral students through transitional positioning of their personal and professional behaviours.