ISANA

Andres Gabriel Villamizar Maldonado

Abstract: The study reported in this document explores the perceptions and attitudes of international students of Hispanic background on their experience at Monash university and the different factors which influence their involvement in campus-based activities compared to off-campus community based events. The participants are 14 international students who are members of the Monash Hispanic Community Club (registered and unofficial members). They were contacted via the Facebook group Monash Hispanic Community, created by Andres Villamizar with the following vision:

A space for Hispanic students at Monash University, their friends and other Australian and international students who share genuine interest in the Spanish and Portuguese languages and Latin American and Spanish culture (Monash Hispanic Community group, 2007). The data was collected via self-administered paper-based questionnaire and inform l conversations with currently enrolled international students of Hispanic background at Monsah University. In addition, the survey was also distributed to former international students of Hispanic background who have studied at Monash University within the past two years.

The results show consistent feelings of pride of the Hispanic cultural heritage and Spanish language and openness to interactions with international students of different backgrounds. Additionally, desire to improve exposure to Australian culture by meeting and interacting with domestic students and sense of difficulty when wanting to meet other international students of Hispanic background were demonstrated by the survey results.

Based on the participants’ experiences and ideas, this report concludes with suggestions towards identifying the most efficient strategies to develop and/or improve social and communication networks among international students of Hispanic background, as well as with domestic and international students from other backgrounds studying in Melbourne.

Keywords: Hispanic students, social networks, communication, international students, culture

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