THE PROVERBIAL wandering scholar of the Middle Ages, to whom we refer invariably as we sketch the history of student exchange, must have had a relatively easy time preparing his period of foreign study. There were, after all, but a handful of seats of learning to choose from, their teachings and teachers were world renowned, and the young scholars' needs in those days were few. The prospective foreign student of this age has a much harder time in coming by the necessary advance information. He must make his choice from thousands of institutions, teaching the widest range of subjects, their courses varying in aims and content, both within one country and from country to country. He has to overcome language barriers and familiarize himself with visa regulations and currency restrictions. Since he is usually dependent on financial assistance, he has to find out whether or not the schooling and credentials obtained abroad will be acceptable back home. How and where does he procure this information ? There are, of course, international reference works and masses of printed descriptive literature, but unless the student knows pretty much what he is after and unless he is familiar with the educational terminology, he needs someone to interpret the information for him and help him to relate it to his own situation. If he is lucky, he lives within reach of the embassy or consulate of the country concerned, which usually maintains a reference library and often has a counsellor at the disposal of those who need advice. Some organizations in the field of international exchange maintain offices in other countries-the British Council, the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, the Institute of International Education, among them. Some professional organizations operate foreign centres, e.g. the Council for Foreign Medical Graduates, which holds examinations in o103 foreign centres. However, judging from the vast number of calls for help sent all over the world and from complaints regularly voiced, information sources in most countries are highly inadequate. A very busy office in New York, the Counselling Division of the Institute of International Education, one of the major exchange organizations, is one of the recipients of such requests for factual and evaluative information. It processes between 70,000 and 80,ooo inquiries per year. "May I have information on study opportunities in England ... Scandinavia ... Latin America ... China ... New Zealand ?" "Where in the United States can a Korean study for a Master of Business Administration ?" "Where does one apply for a post-doctoral research grant to India ... a teaching post in Uganda ?" "Do you have the catalogue of Monash University... a bibliography of books on education in the Middle East ?" "What is the equivalent in other countries of the German "Abitur" ... the "Certificat d'mtudes superieures" awarded in the Congo ?" "Can one get a degree by correspondence ?" "Is XYZ a bona fide organization ?"

The Institute of International Education

Well, someone can decide by themselves what they want to do and need to do but sometimes, that kind of person will need some information and emotion the emergent affective paradigm in information behavior research and theory references. People with open minded will always try to seek for the new things and information from many sources. On the contrary, people with closed mind will always think that they can do it by their principals. So, what kind of person are you?

Information and Emotion: The Emergent Affective Paradigm in Information Behavior Research and Theory

Changing dynamics of society along with the evolution of technology require us to accept and embrace the benefits and applications of using digital technology in everyday life. Many international student mothers seek help from digital technology and media for engaging their children so that they can complete their tasks, despite disadvantages associated with early childhood media exposure. Their choice of doing so lies in the lack of affordable and reliable childcare options available to them as an unemployed student, balancing time constraints, as well as cultural, social and academic expectations. My research seeks to explore the use of digital technology and media as childcare assistant, and contributes towards designing safe, affordable and productive digital media applications which can act as a childcare assistant for international student mothers.

Digital childcare: need of the hour for international student mothers

The struggle to thrive as a productive student researcher, an attentive parent, and a caring partner can be difficult, particularly for international student parents who are far from home and also possibly burdened with complex cultural expectations, interpersonal dynamics, and institutional biases. Using uses and gratifications theory as a framing mechanism, we describe interviews with twelve international student mothers in the United States who are primary caregivers of children between six months to five years old, focusing on the context of their use of screen media content and devices, the gratifications they seek from their children's use of screen media devices, and the differences in their perceptions about the use of screen media as an educated, non-US parent. Our findings give an initial account of the role of screen based technology in their domestic life with young children, and the limitations of their technological experience. We present four opportunities for designing for this population including technologies for positive distraction, interactive language aids, playful acquaintance tools, and anonymous peer networks for parent support. We conclude by formulating future promising avenues of research in this design space.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3479584

Parenting, Studying and Working at Home in a Foreign Country: How International Student Mothers in the US Use Screen Media For and With Their Young Children: Parenting, Studying and Working at Home in a Foreign Country

Information seeking challenges when moving across cultures: the case of Saudi Female International Students in Australia

The number of students studying internationally has grown significantly in recent years. Saudi Arabia comes among the top countries sending students to the United States. While settling overseas, Saudi international students face many challenges. In particular, student-mothers encounter the challenges of fulfilling their family and childcare responsibilities while pursuing their studies abroad. Despite the rich literature of information and technology use by international students, few studies considered international students from Saudi Arabia or student-mothers, who face dual expectations of their higher education and family roles. Therefore, my dissertation research aims to explore the information practices and technology uses among the community of international student Saudi mothers in the United States during their studies.

Wajanat Rayes

Papers

Understanding Information and Technology Role in the Life of International Student Saudi Mothers in the United States