SOCIAL EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA HIGHER EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v6i3.711Keywords:
social educational support, student participation, international students, MalaysiaAbstract
In recent years, international students have commonly faced challenges related to cross-cultural adaptation. Existing research suggests that well-developed social support systems and high levels of academic engagement can effectively mitigate these issues. This study investigates Malaysian international students, aiming to examine the relationship between social educational support and student engagement, thereby offering insights for optimizing cross-cultural adaptation strategies. Utilizing simple random sampling, 381 participants were selected from a population of 53,000 Malaysian international students. The findings indicate that: (1) Malaysian international students report generally high levels of social educational support and student engagement; (2) Student participation in classroom activities, extracurricular settings, and virtual environments varies significantly by gender, nationality, and age, although virtual engagement shows no significant correlation with degree level; (3) Regression analysis reveals that family support, peer support, and technological support are significant positive predictors of student engagement, while lecturer support does not exhibit a statistically significant effect. The results provide empirical evidence to inform the development of targeted institutional support systems, offering valuable guidance for enhancing the cross-cultural adaptation of Malaysian international students.
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