Perceived discrimination, anxiety in intercultural encounters, self- construal, and the wellbeing of international students in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

The present study investigated international students' perception of discrimination by local students in imaginary intercultural encounters and its correlations with their well-being, self-construal, and anxiety. A sample of 71 male and female overseas students from Victorian universities participated in this study. Data was gathered using a questionnaire comprising the Subjective Well-being measurements, the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, the Self Construal Scale, the Perceived Discrimination Scale and the Anxiety Scale. Results demonstrated that the samples were more likely to perceive local students as discriminating against international students and less likely to perceive international students as rejecting local students (t=5.68 (70); p<.01). Perceived discrimination by local students was found to relate negatively with life satisfaction of international students (r = -.20, p<.05) and to relate positively with negative affect (r = .32, p<.01). Interdependent self-construal was associated with less anxiety in dealing with the unpleasant imaginary situations (r = -.28, p<.05). This research has contributed towards providing supportive environment for cross- national learning. Some limitations of this study include the heterogeneity of sample and the low internal consistency of the Perceived Discrimination Scale. Future research would benefit from further development of the Perceived Discrimination Scales and more homogeneous samples of international students.