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Schooling in Rural New South Wales: The Experience of Overseas Students

This paper serves to identify some of the issues encountered by overseas secondary students undertaking studies in rural Australia and illustrates the need for the researchers to be culturally and personally sensitive and adaptable when researching this population. The aim of this study was to document the experiences of a group of overseas students attending boarding school in a town in rural Australia. The country town, where the study participants were located, is unique as it has a large population of school students within the private sector. Study findings indicated that the students received a high level of support from their peers, parents, and their schools. The support they received contributed to their relatively smooth adjustment, although they were, at times, under stress due to English language difficulties and their parents’ high expectation concerning their academic achievement. Female students more frequently reported feeling isolated, lonely, and sad, and generally wished to return home upon the completion of their studies. On the other hand, the male students were much keener to remain in Australia to undertake further study.