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The Support the University of New Brunswick Gives to International
Students’ Spouses.
A Needs Assessment
4/10/2012 University of New Brunswick
Prepared by: Valerie Lewis
2
The purpose of this needs assessment is to look at the support the University
of New Brunswick gives to international students’ spouses for them to be
functional within a new environment.
.
Table of Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Population ................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
Findings .................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................................. 20
Reference............................................................................................................................................................... 21
Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix B ........................................................................................................................................................... 25
Appendix C ............................................................................................................................................................ 29
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Introduction
The University of New Brunswick has a population of about 1000
international students. These international students represent about 100
different countries. Of this population, about 1000 international students,
approximately 316 are graduate students, who are either doing their masters
or PhD. It is customary for older and more mature students to take along their
families when studying. Ninety-eight percent of the international student
population with spouses are male students and the other 2 percent are female
students with their husbands. The purpose of this needs assessment is to look
at the support the University of New Brunswick gives to international students’
spouses, for them to function within a new environment. The needs
assessment seeks to find the gap between the support that is given now and
what should be given or what is expected.
The University currently provides support for international students and
their spouses through its International Student’s Advisor office. This office
employs two people— one International Student Resource Coordinator and the
International Students’ Advisor. The office provides support on immigration
matters, forums for such matters as settlement for new students and their
families, guidelines for working in Canada, and how to access health care.
Students are also free to make appointments to speak to the International
Students Advisors regarding any topics or issues that affect them.
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From discussion with the International Students’ Advisor and by
observation, it was concluded that most international students’ wives are left at
home every day with no friends or social life. Also, most are unable to read or
speak English or French. They are unable to conduct essential business
without their husbands. Some do not have a health card or a work permit and
as a result, most do not work outside the home. These spouses also perceive
that the locals are not welcoming to them.
The literature does not show that there are any studies done to support the
importance of spousal support in persuading further education/studies.
Hence, I will use few quotes from two spouses to show the importance of their
support.
One wife has this to say about her duties as a wife of an international student:
“I feel that giving my husband respect, as well as supporting him in his duties and
studies, is my way of showing appreciation for him. My being here also helps him to
focus more on his studies because he knows exactly what is happening to his family.”
Another one had this to say: “We are close and work together to achieve goals. He
would be lonely here without me. He would not be able to concentrate.”
These heartfelt expressions show the importance of spousal support in study.
This kind of support benefits the student. It allows the student to focus on
his/her studies, without having to worry about the well-being of the family.
The goal is to look at ways in which UNB can provide:
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1. Social experiences for these women at a reasonable, or no, cost.
2. Help them to speak English or French.
3. Integrate them into the Fredericton community.
4. Immigration advising
Population
The population studied for this needs assessment consisted of twenty-
three (23) graduate students. Twenty (20) of these were male and one female.
It also included twenty spouses, nineteen of whom were female, and one lone
male, along with the International Students’ Advisors. The age range of the
population was from age 26 to 45 and they were from such diverse countries as
Libya, China, Bangladesh, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. They spoke their
own local tongues fluently, such as Korean, Chinese, Arabic, and many other
languages— some speaking as many as three languages. The majority of the
population spoke only a little English and no French. The population has been
in Canada between fifteen months to four years. Most of the families have
children in ages ranging from one year to three years, with 99 percent of the
families having one child and one percent with two.
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Methodology
The data was collected using a variety of methods, in order to ascertain
the information as best as possible over a period of two months from February
to March of 2012. To collect the data from the students, an online survey was
sent out via the international students’ news using Survey Monkey. This survey
was sent out twice, so as to capture as much of the international students
population as possible. The second half of the data was collected using a
paper-based questionnaire. This was handed out in person after
whichinterviews were done using a focus group setting, where ladies met in a
common group of interest (children’s play group) and held a discussion. The
researcher went twice, so as to garner additional respondents, to get a more in-
depth view of the issues that affect these international students’ spouses, as
well as to clarify information from the previous week that was not understood.
Some amount of data was also collected via interviews with a few Saudi
women. Small, informal talks were also held with international students and
their spouses throughout the period. Data was also collected from the
international students’ website and informal interviews were done with the
International Student Advisor.
Findings
Below are the findings from all of these data sources:
Frequency in Attending Programs
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When spouses were questioned about the frequency with which they
attended the current programs that the university hosts for them, they said
they attended often. This was evident from the fact that most of the ladies I met
were at the children’s play group. The spouses also reassured me of their
commitment to attend any program that is put inplace for them (see chart 1).
Spouses also rate the current programs they attend as excellent, and say they
learn a lot from the programs. They would be very interested to see other
programs that are geared toward them. However, they also point to the fact
that they only know about one program, the children’s play group that was
geared toward them.
Chart 1
Language Class
One of the most pressing concerns, among the international students
and their spouses, is the need to learn the English language. This, for them, is
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a major issue, since most of them are very qualified in various fields such as
education, pharmacy, nutrition, and accounting, and many other disciplines.
They would like to work in Canada, in their area of speciality.
When questioned about the reason why they do not work, about 80 percent
gave the reason of not being able to speak or understand English adequately.
This was what one lady had to say: “I am a pharmacist but I cannot get a job
because I don’t speak English”Also, when asked about their ability to speak
French, only 40 percent of the population could speak French a little and the
others not at all (see chart 2). This also affects their ability to socialize because
of the language barrier of communication between them and the locals. They
cannot understand each other.
Chart 2
The entire population of spouses are very educated and professional.
However, it is clear that these ladies are non-functional in Fredericton, since
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the official languages are English and French and they do not speak either of
the two languages. Although French is also the official language, most would
rather speak English, since they think it is the language spoken mostly in the
town and around the world. One graduate PhD student (Female) reported that
her husband went to the multicultural office to ask for help with his English.
He was told that he is not a permanent resident and, hence, could not access
the services provided by the multicultural association.
Support for Parenting Strategies
Another pressing issue for the ladies was that of parental support.
Most of the international student wives are young mothers with children in
ages ranging from 1-4 years.For most of these ladies that I met, the process of
reproduction,prenatal care, and parenting is new to them. These ladies have
never gone through these processes of parenting before they entered Canada.
The ladies have suggested that informational sessions on prenatal care would
help to them to be comfortable and adopt to the same understanding about
child care and birth as Canadian women.They also suggested that information
sessions about parenting would be beneficial, since they are new mothers
immersed in a new culture that has different standards and beliefs about child
care and parenting, which for them are new skills. As one mother said,
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“This is my first child. I did not know what to expect at birth, what to feed, or how to
dress my child. We dress children differently in Libya than in Canada. I do not go out
often enough to see how children are dressed.”
Social Women’s Groups
Another suggestion was to have a women’s social group, where
international women can share ideas about obstacles and successes which can
serve as insight /motivation for each other. This women’s social group would
help with the English language, provide social interaction, andprovide a forum
and seminar about any burning issues (e.g. Child care, immunization, etc.)
Support for Children’s Actives
In addition to parental support, another area of concern is support for
children’s social development. Children, for the most part, only socialize with
parents. They are introduced only to the official language of their parents.
Children get littleor no time to be with their peers. Since most parents are in
class at the time of the play group (10 o’clock Thursday), they don’t have the
time to take them there and most ladies would be shy to be outside without
their husband. Parents are suggesting that children’s play groups should be
held in the evening and/or on weekends, so as to give parents options as to
times, and also to allow more children to participate.Parents are also convinced
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that this would help them and their children develop their English skills.
Another support that parents crave for kids is in the form of day care. Parents
complain about the cost of daycare and also of the long waiting list that they
are placed on. Students feel that this could be remedied by the university
having a low cost day care program for international students.
Orientation Program to Involve Spouses
The students stated that although the present orientation programme is
good they would like it to be extended to their spouse. The spouses also
strongly suggest an extension in the orientation programmes to students’
spouses. They would also like the orientation to include a tour of the campus.
A tour of the town, trips to the malls, and other key shopping areas and doctor
offices would also be welcome. They also suggested the orientation programme
could provide tips about dressing appropriately in Canada, since they are
coming from countries such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, and China where they do
not experience such drastic weather change.
Helping Assess Spouses’ Qualifications
Another strong area of concern for both spouses was that of getting
qualifications assessed, since most of them were active professionals in their
countries. They stated that they would like to have an idea of what their
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certification is worth in Canada, and about contributions they can make to
society while they are here. They stated that they don’t know where to go to
discuss this matter. One wife has this to say,
“I am a pharmacist but the university don’t offer any course in pharmacist so I
don’t know where to go to get my papers assess”.Without a doubt some help
within this area would be beneficial for the ladies.
Food Choices
It is difficult to find food from different cultures in Fredericton, since the
population of the different cultures is notlargeenough to support such unique
needs. Understandably, the international students have difficulty finding
ingredients to make dishes from their culture. This limits the choices of the
food that one eats.
“I couldn’t believe it, I lost 15 pounds in the first 4 months I was here; we just
did not know what to eat”.
Another factor that they cite is their inability to prepare foods/ dishes from the
Canadian culture, so as to help them to be able to eat more of the food that
they see around them.
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Transportation Service
One very large concern that international students have is that of
transportation on Sundays. Since most of the graduate students are Teacher
Assistants and go to class all week, the students find it hard to do personal
shopping during the week. Students,therefore, do shopping on Saturdays and
Sundays. On Saturday, students find it a little easier to get around using the
limited bus service.On Sunday, there is no bus service— hence, students have
to walk. Also, graduate students reported that they are being put out of “Safe
Ride” * as of this academic year, with drivers citing that safe rides are for
undergraduate students and not for graduate students. Also their spouses are
not allowed to take Safe Ride, since they do not have an identification card.
*Safe Ride is a means of transportation that is provided by the University for
Undergrad students in the evening (6-12pm).
Recommendations
The recommendations made below are suggestions and are meant to
service as possibilities and options regarding the situation that exists, rather
than as definite solutions. Suggestions presented here are based on our focus
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group interviews, surveys, discussions, reviews of literature, personal
knowledge of a variety of factors, and my position as an international graduate
student, within a family. However,much of what is suggested in the
recommendations comes from spouses of international students and the
international students themselves.
Additional Staff at the International Students’ Office
In order to carry out all the necessary functions, I recommend that
additional staff members be employed by the International Students’ Office
either by means ofspouses, or students to help provide newcomers with some
advice and orientation. This would alleviate the burden on the current (two)
staff and give students and spouses’ access to more personnel.
Language Classes
When you move to a different country or region, learning the local
language will definitely help you to communicate with the locals and integrate
into the local community. Doing so will demonstrate your interest in and
commitment to, being a part of the community and help you to be better able
to access services. It is with this view in mind that I make these suggestions:
1.Extension on the English corner to include spouses of international students.
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2. Implementation of a Women’s Conversation Club where women speak to
each other using the two local languages. This will not only help the ladies to
learn the language, but also to form lifetime friendships.
3. Ask international students to voluntarily teach a language class on rotating
bases.
Support for Parenting
Parenting is one of the most important jobs a parent can do. It is said
that good parenting builds strong families, and strong families build strong
communities. When families migrate to a new culture, it is difficult for them to
understand the norms of the culture without any form of induction. In a
similar way, it is difficult for a young mother to totally understand how to care
for a child without any form of support from the outside world. It is with this
view in mind I made the following recommendations:
1. Request that volunteers from the School of Nursing have talks with
international students’ spouses. This could be set up to be a part of the
nursing students’ grades.
2. Invite doctors and nurses to sessions and workshops about parenting.
3. Request volunteers from the education counselling department. Again,
this could be a part of student grades.
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Social Groups for Women
It is recommended that a woman’s social group be held once per week
Women’s social groups could be used to discuss parenting, help to develop
language skills, share ideas about food, culture, job searches, and any other
important issue.
Children’s Play
From my observation at the children’s play group, most of the children at
the play group average about two years old, and are from different ethnic
backgrounds. I observedthese children socializing with each other without
reservation. This group also brings together adults that share the same
interests and passions. Taking this into consideration, it would be
recommended that the program be extended from once a week to twice, to
include a weekend day to get more parents out.
1. School age children to participate, so as to get a wider mix of age
groups.This could help to boost the small children’s language skills
2. To give parents who are busy during the week the opportunity to
participate.
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3. Ask for volunteers from the education department to help with home
work sessions for children
Orientation Program to Involve Spouse
According to (Info- Line, ASTD, 2000,p1) Orientation is a process … not an
event. It is part of the overall integration of new employees or people into the
organization or community by which the organization / community helps the
new hire / residents to adapt to the work environment / community and the
job. .. Successful orientation speeds up adaptation process, helping new
employees/residents feel comfortable at the job/community.An unsuccessful
orientation can mean more than slow adaptation for employees, it can mean no
adaptation.” It is with this statement in mind that I make the following
recommendations:
1. Extend orientation not only to students, but to their family at large.
2. Have orientation not just the first week, but over a period of time with
different events.
3. Make orientation time flexible— not just week days but include
weekends, evenings, and mornings so everyone gets a chance to be
involved.
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4. Make orientation current and relevant (e.g. demonstrations of how to
dress for winter, how to read a bus map, etc.)
Helping with Assessing Spouses’ Qualifications
After conducting my interviews with the spouses, it is surprising to learn
that most of these ladies are professional women, who gave up their jobs to
chase their husbands’ dreams. It was noted that these ladies are from various
careers such as teachers, pharmacists, accountants, computer specialists, and
many other professions. Recognizing this, I recommend that a committee be set
up at the International Students Advisors office,whichcan look at their
qualifications. Also locally, the International Student Advisorcould provide
sessions, regarding places where qualifications can be assessed.
Food
In order to stay healthy one needs to eat foods from the entire food
groups daily. It may be hard for international students to find the food they
love and enjoy in a small town like Fredericton, where the population is
predominantly Canadian. To help to alleviate the burden of food choice a
number of things can be done:
1. Continue to tell students where the different stores are located during
orientation.
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2. Give students a hand book with basic Canadian recipes for which
ingredients are readily available, for e.g. meat, burger etc. Also include
places /sources of international food in town in the handbook.
3. Once per month, setup what is known as international quisling,
starting with a few Canadian dishes first,and then extendingthis to other
countries. Dishes would be prepared in view of the students / spouses.
4. Ask international students to share easy to cook recipes.
Transportation Service
Transportation inFredericton is a big problem. In order to help international
students and their spouses to deal with this situation, the university can do
other things along with giving them the bus passes they currently enjoy:
1.Provide international students with taxi discount.
3. Have talks with the undergrad office, to allow international grad
students and spouses to take Safe Ride.
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Conclusion
The needs assessment carried out in this activity was meant to look at
the support the University of New Brunswick gives to the spouses of
international students, for them to be functional within a new environment. It
explores some of the problems that the spouse faces, and gives
recommendations that can be used as a guide to implement changes where
necessary.
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Reference
ASTD. (2000). Successful Orientation Programs. Info-line , 1.
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Appendix A
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LVQMS7K
UNB Support Given to the Wives of International Students (Students
Survey)
TO: International students
From Valerie Lewis
RE: Needs Assessment
The purpose of this survey is to complete my requirement for a course. It will also provide
information that may be of use to the International Student Advisor, regarding ways in which
they can improve and include more programs that are beneficial to the wife/ spouse of
international students. The information you provide will help them look at ways in which they
can help spouses of international students settle in Fredericton /Canada. It will also aid them in
finding ways to reduce, and remove, some of the barriers that your spouse faces as the spouse of
an international student.
This survey will ask questions about the present program that UNB offers to you, your spouse's
experience as an international student’s spouse, and about other programs that you would like to
be put in place to benefit you as a foreigner. They would like to learn more about the barriers that
may affect your ability to find employment. Your participation in this survey is completely
anonymous. Survey results will only be reported as a group, not as individuals. Your responses
will in no way affect your access to any programme that you now enjoy at UNB. If you have any
questions, please email me at [email protected]
1. How long have you been here at UNB?
How long have you been here at UNB?
2. How many members of your family are here with you?
23
How many members of your family are here with you?
3. Describe how well your spouse can speak and understand English?
Describe how well your spouse can speak and understand English? Poor
Barely Acceptable
Fair
Good
Excellent
4. What is your area of study and what level degree will you receive after you
have completed your studies?
What is your area of study and what level degree will you receive after you have completed your
studies?
5. If you were speaking to someone from your country, who wants to come here
(UNB) to study and bring their wife/family, what advice would you give them?
If you were speaking to someone from your country, who wants to come here (UNB) to study
and bring their wife/family, what advice would you give them?
6. if you were to travel to Fredericton with your family again, what would you do
differently?
If you were to travel to Fredericton with your family again, what would you do differently?
24
7. What kind of support would you like UNB to provide for your family?
What kind of support would you like UNB to provide for your family?
8. How would you rate the support that UNB gives now?
How would you rate the support that UNB gives now? Poor
Fair
Barely Acceptable
Good
Excellent
9. Which programs that the University offers now are most beneficial to your
family?
Which programs that the University offers now are most beneficial to your family?
10. What programs would you like UNB to implement?
What programs would you like UNB to implement?
25
Appendix B
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LD88B73
UNB Support Given to the Wives of International Students (Spouse Survey)
TO: International students
From Valerie Lewis
RE: Needs Assessment
The purpose of this survey is to complete my requirement for a course. It may also provide information
to the International Student Advisor, regarding ways in which they can improve and include more
programs that are beneficial to you, as the wife/ spouse of an international student. The information
you provide will help them look at ways in which they can help spouses of international students settle
in Fredericton /Canada. It will also aid them in finding ways to reduce, and remove, some of the barriers
that you face as the spouse of an international student.
This survey will ask questions about the present programs that UNB offers to you, your experience as an
international student’s spouse, and about other programs that you would like to be put in place to
benefit you as a foreigner. They would like to learn more about the barriers that may affect your ability
to find employment. Your participation in this survey is completely anonymous. Survey results will only
be reported as a group, not as individuals. Your responses will in no way affect your access to any
programme that you now enjoy at UNB. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].
1. What is your gender?
What is your gender? Male
Female
2. How long have you lived in Fredericton?
How long have you lived in Fredericton?
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3. What country are you originally from?
What country are you originally from?
4. What is your official language?
What is your official language?
5. Do you have a health card?
Do you have a health card? Yes
No
6. Please use the rating scale to answer the following questions,
Not at all very little pretty well very well to
How well do you speak English?
How well do you speak French?
7. Do you work outside the home?
Do you work outside the home? Yes No
If not, why?
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8. Do you attend any programs that the university now offers?
Do you attend any
programs that the
university now
offers? Always
Very often sometimes rarely never
If yes, please specify which program(s):
9. Please use the rating scale to answer the following questions:
Poor Fair Good Excellent
Would you say that the current
programs that are offered now to
international students’ wives are
beneficial?
How would you rate these programs?
10. If UNB provided programs for you, would you attend?
If UNB provided
Programs for you,
would you attend?
Always
Very often Sometimes Rarely Never
28
Please comment:
29
Appendix C
Question for Focus Groups
1. What are your expectations as the wife of a graduate student?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. On a weekly basis, how many times do you get out of the house? __________________
3. What skills do you have?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. What skills would you like to learn?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5. What programs would you like to be involved with?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
6. What type of services would you like UNB to provide for you?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
30
_______________________________________________________________________
7. What facilities would you like UNB to provide for you as a group?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
8. Report any experiences you have had, as the wife of a UNB international student, whether it be a
positive or a negative experience.
_______________________________________________________________________
