Exploring Self-perceived Employability and Its Determinants Among International Students in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v14i1.3027Keywords:
Self-perceived employability, international students, United StatesAbstract
The outcome of international education attracts increasing interests among scholars in the perceived employability and education-to-work transition. Yet, there is a lack of empirical studies focusing on understanding international students’ perceived employability and the strategies to improve their employability. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived employability and its factors (e.g. demographic factors, educational factors, work-related factors, language and U.S. experience factors, and family factors) among international students in the U.S. Also, the study examines how gender moderates the relationships between perceived employability and other factors. A survey was conducted among international students at a midwestern public university in the U.S. and 138 participants’ responses were included in the data analysis. The result shows that international students are confident in their employability. Interestingly, compared to female international students, the advantages brought by being in the field of engineering or having more work experiences are mainly for males.
References
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Drange, I., Bernstrøm, V. H., & Mamelund, S.-E. (2018). are you moving up or falling short? An inquiry of skills-based variation in self-perceived employability among Norwegian employees. Work, Employment & Society, 32(2), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017017749720
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Hunter-Johnson, Y., & Niu, Y. (2019). Bahamians as international adult learners determined for academic success. Journal of International Students, 9(4), 1038–1054. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i4.606
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Jackson, D., & Wilton, N. (2016). Perceived employability among undergraduates and the importance of career self-management, work experience and individual characteristics. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 747-762. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1229270
Johnson, M. E. (2018). The impact of experiential education, institution type and gender on the employability of African American engineering students [Doctoral dissertation, Texas Southern University]. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2179190116/abstract/8B5B22DCA2FA48FDPQ/1
Khoshlessan, R., & Das, K. P. (2019). Analyzing international students’ study anxiety in higher education. Journal of International Students, 2017 Vol. 7 (2), 7(2), 311-328.
Kuo, Y.-H. (2011). Language challenges faced by international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 1(2), 38-42.
Lu, Y., Chui, H., Zhu, R., Zhao, H., Zhang, Y., Liao, J., & Miller, M. J. (2018). What does “good adjustment” mean for Chinese international students? A qualitative investigation. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(8), 979–1009. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018824283
Mason, G., Williams, G., Cranmer, S., & Guile, D. (2003). How much does higher education enhance the employability of graduates? Higher Education Funding Council for England. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2003/rd13_03/default.asp
McFadden, A., & Seedorff, L. (2017). International student employment: Navigating immigration regulations, career services, and employer considerations. New Directions for Student Services, 2017(158), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20218
McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The concept of employability. Urban Studies. 42(2), 197-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098042000316100
Murray, S., & Robinson, H. (2001). Graduates into sales—employer, student and university perspectives. Education and Training, 43(3), 139–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005459
Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2014). Subjective career success: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85, 169-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.06.001
Nilsson, P. A., & Ripmeester, N. (2016). International student expectations: Career opportunities and employability. Journal of International Students, 6(2), 614–631.
Niu, Y., Hunter-Johnson, Y., Xu, X., & Liu, T. (2019). Self-perceived employability and subjective career success: Graduates of a workforce education and development program. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 67(2–3), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2019.1660843
Open Doors. (2019). Academic level: International students data. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/academic-level/
Pinto, L. H., & Ramalheira, D. C. (2017). Perceived employability of business graduates: The effect of academic performance and extracurricular activities. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 99, 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.01.005
Purcell, K., Wilton, N., & Elias, P. (2007). Hard lessons for lifelong learners? Mature graduates and mass higher education. Higher Education Quarterly, 61(1), 57–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2006.00338.x
Qenani, E., MacDougall, N., & Sexton, C. (2014). An empirical study of self-perceived employability: Improving the prospects for student employment success in an uncertain environment: Active Learning in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787414544875
Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. (2007). Self-perceived employability: Development and validation of a scale. Personnel Review, 36(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710716704
Rothwell, A., Herbert, I., & Rothwell, F. (2008). Self-perceived employability: Construction and initial validation of a scale for university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.12.001
Rothwell, A., Jewell, S., & Hardie, M. (2009). Self-perceived employability: Investigating the responses of post-graduate students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(2), 152-161. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.05.002
Ruiz, N. G., & Budiman, A. (2018). Number of foreign college students staying and working in U.S. after graduation surges. Pew Research Center.
Shapiro, S., Farrelly, R., & Tomas, Z. (2014). Fostering international student success in higher education. TESOL Press.
Statista Research Development. (2013). Share of international students in the United States in 2012/13, by academic level & gender. https://www.statista.com/statistics/297146/international-students-us-by-academic-level-and-gender/
Sudhershan, A. (2012). Fostering autonomy in intercultural language learning in the foreign language classroom: A case study of international students learning English at a higher education institution in Ireland. https://core.ac.uk/display/11310618
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2015). Glossary. https://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary4
U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). Current population survey, annual social and economic (ASEC) supplement. Table PINC-05: Work experience in 2016 – people 15 years old and over by total money earnings in 2016, age, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and disability status. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/cps-pinc/pinc-05.html
Zhou, J. (2015). International students’ motivation to pursue and complete a Ph.D. in the US. Higher Education, 69(5), 719–733.
Zhu, Y., & Zhang, L. (2014). Rethinking “cultural adjustment”: Language learning, career choice and identity construction of Chinese international students in a university preparation program. Critical Intersections in Education, 2, 1–14.
Amuedo-Dorantes, C., & Furtado, D. (2019). Settling for academia? H-1B visas and the career choices of international students in the United States. The Journal of Human Resources 54 (2), 401-429.
Arias-Valenzuela, M., Amiot, C. E., & Ryder, A. G. (2016). Which one to take on?: International Students’ identity acquisition in the Hyperdiversity of Montreal. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 48(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2016.0002
Batterton, J., & Horner, S. L. (2016). Contextual identities: ethnic and national identities of international and American students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 20(5), 472–487. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315316662979
Behson, S. J. (2002). Which Dominates? The relative importance of work–family organizational support and general organizational context on employee outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61(1), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1845
Bowers-Brown, T., & Harvey, L. (2004). Are there too many graduates in the UK? Industry and Higher Education 12, 243–254. https://doi.org/10.5367/0000000041667538
Bracht, O., Engel, C., Janson, K., Over, A., Schomburg, H., & Teichler, U. (2006). The professional value of ERASMUS mobility. International Centre for Higher Education Research (INCHERKassel). https://www.eurashe.eu/library/modernising-phe/mobility/professional/WG4%20R%20Professional%20value%20of%20ERASMUS%20mobility%20Teichler.pdf
Brown, P., & Hesketh, A. (2004). The Mismanagement of talent: Employability and jobs in the knowledge economy. Oxford University Press.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). Employed and unemployed full- and part-time workers by age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat08.htm
Carlson, D. S. (1999). Personality and role variables as predictors of three forms of work–family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55(2), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1680
Cifre, E., Vera, M., Sánchez-Cardona, I., & de Cuyper, N. (2018). Sex, Gender Identity, and Perceived Employability Among Spanish Employed and Unemployed Youngsters. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02467
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Drange, I., Bernstrøm, V. H., & Mamelund, S.-E. (2018). are you moving up or falling short? An inquiry of skills-based variation in self-perceived employability among Norwegian employees. Work, Employment & Society, 32(2), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017017749720
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2003). Work time preferences and work-life balance in the EU: some policy considerations for enhancing for quality of life, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin.
Farčnik, D., & Domadenik, P. (2012). Has the Bologna reform enhanced the employability of graduates? Early evidence from Slovenia. International Journal of Manpower, 33(1), 51–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437721211212529
Farčnik, D., & Domadenik, P. (2012). Has the Bologna reform enhanced the employability of graduates? Early evidence from Slovenia. International Journal of Manpower, 33(1), 51–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437721211212529
Fearn, H. (2008). Makeover Mania. Times Higher Education, 6, 39–43. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/makeover-mania/400939.article
Greer, T. W., & Waight, C. L. (2017). The value of an undergraduate HRD degree: An exploratory investigation of perceived employability and career success. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 19(2), 190-206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422317695230
Han, X., Stocking, G., Gebbie, M. A., & Appelbaum, R. P. (2015). Will they stay or will they go? International graduate students and their decisions to stay or leave the U.S. upon graduation. PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0118183. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118183
Herold, M. E. (2012). Second Language Learning: Cultural adaptation processes in international graduate students in U.S. universities. Journal of International Students, 2(1), 124–125.
Hillage, J., & Pollard, E. (1998). Employability: developing a framework for policy analysis. DfEE.
Huang, R. (2013). International experience and graduate employability: Perceptions of Chinese international students in the UK. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 13, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2013.07.001
Hunter-Johnson, Y., & Niu, Y. (2019). Bahamians as international adult learners determined for academic success. Journal of International Students, 9(4), 1038–1054. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i4.606
Institute of International Education. (2019). Number of international students in the United States hits all-time high. https://www.iie.org:443/en/Why-IIE/Announcements/2019/11/Number-of-International-Students-in-the-United-States-Hits-All-Time-High
Jackson, D., & Wilton, N. (2016). Perceived employability among undergraduates and the importance of career self-management, work experience and individual characteristics. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 747-762. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1229270
Johnson, M. E. (2018). The impact of experiential education, institution type and gender on the employability of African American engineering students [Doctoral dissertation, Texas Southern University]. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2179190116/abstract/8B5B22DCA2FA48FDPQ/1
Khoshlessan, R., & Das, K. P. (2019). Analyzing international students’ study anxiety in higher education. Journal of International Students, 2017 Vol. 7 (2), 7(2), 311-328.
Kuo, Y.-H. (2011). Language challenges faced by international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 1(2), 38-42.
Lu, Y., Chui, H., Zhu, R., Zhao, H., Zhang, Y., Liao, J., & Miller, M. J. (2018). What does “good adjustment” mean for Chinese international students? A qualitative investigation. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(8), 979–1009. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018824283
Mason, G., Williams, G., Cranmer, S., & Guile, D. (2003). How much does higher education enhance the employability of graduates? Higher Education Funding Council for England. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2003/rd13_03/default.asp
McFadden, A., & Seedorff, L. (2017). International student employment: Navigating immigration regulations, career services, and employer considerations. New Directions for Student Services, 2017(158), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20218
McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The concept of employability. Urban Studies. 42(2), 197-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098042000316100
Murray, S., & Robinson, H. (2001). Graduates into sales—employer, student and university perspectives. Education and Training, 43(3), 139–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005459
Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2014). Subjective career success: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85, 169-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.06.001
Nilsson, P. A., & Ripmeester, N. (2016). International student expectations: Career opportunities and employability. Journal of International Students, 6(2), 614–631.
Niu, Y., Hunter-Johnson, Y., Xu, X., & Liu, T. (2019). Self-perceived employability and subjective career success: Graduates of a workforce education and development program. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 67(2–3), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2019.1660843
Open Doors. (2019). Academic level: International students data. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/academic-level/
Pinto, L. H., & Ramalheira, D. C. (2017). Perceived employability of business graduates: The effect of academic performance and extracurricular activities. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 99, 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.01.005
Purcell, K., Wilton, N., & Elias, P. (2007). Hard lessons for lifelong learners? Mature graduates and mass higher education. Higher Education Quarterly, 61(1), 57–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2006.00338.x
Qenani, E., MacDougall, N., & Sexton, C. (2014). An empirical study of self-perceived employability: Improving the prospects for student employment success in an uncertain environment: Active Learning in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787414544875
Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. (2007). Self-perceived employability: Development and validation of a scale. Personnel Review, 36(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710716704
Rothwell, A., Herbert, I., & Rothwell, F. (2008). Self-perceived employability: Construction and initial validation of a scale for university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.12.001
Rothwell, A., Jewell, S., & Hardie, M. (2009). Self-perceived employability: Investigating the responses of post-graduate students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(2), 152-161. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.05.002
Ruiz, N. G., & Budiman, A. (2018). Number of foreign college students staying and working in U.S. after graduation surges. Pew Research Center.
Shapiro, S., Farrelly, R., & Tomas, Z. (2014). Fostering international student success in higher education. TESOL Press.
Statista Research Development. (2013). Share of international students in the United States in 2012/13, by academic level & gender. https://www.statista.com/statistics/297146/international-students-us-by-academic-level-and-gender/
Sudhershan, A. (2012). Fostering autonomy in intercultural language learning in the foreign language classroom: A case study of international students learning English at a higher education institution in Ireland. https://core.ac.uk/display/11310618
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2015). Glossary. https://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary4
U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). Current population survey, annual social and economic (ASEC) supplement. Table PINC-05: Work experience in 2016 – people 15 years old and over by total money earnings in 2016, age, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and disability status. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/cps-pinc/pinc-05.html
Zhou, J. (2015). International students’ motivation to pursue and complete a Ph.D. in the US. Higher Education, 69(5), 719–733.
Zhu, Y., & Zhang, L. (2014). Rethinking “cultural adjustment”: Language learning, career choice and identity construction of Chinese international students in a university preparation program. Critical Intersections in Education, 2, 1–14.
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How to Cite
Exploring Self-perceived Employability and Its Determinants Among International Students in the United States. (2022). Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v14i1.3027
