South Asian Students' Adaptation Experiences in an Australian Postgraduate Coursework Environment

Globalization of education has become a significant trend economically in the worldwide free market operations. As a result of 'the evolution of the knowledge-based economy' (Mok, 2003) education providers perceived to offer high quality education are drawing students from all over the world. Australian universities are among those to which students flock, meaning that such students now constitute a significant part of their student population and provide a proportion of their revenue. A look at the recent statistics will show that large numbers of students from South Asia are now undertaking postgraduate studies in Australian universities. This paper, drawn from data collected for a broader study about South Asian postgraduate coursework students' initial understandings, expectations of Australian postgraduate studies and their gradual adaptation experiences, will limit itself to analyzing a few themes that emerge in their initial expectations and experiences. More specifically the paper aims at: providing an overview of the students' diverse experiences as international students in Australia; exploring some of their initial expectations as postgraduate students; and exploring some of their initial academic experiences of lectures, class participation