%0 Journal Article
%T International students¡¯ transitions to UK Higher Education ¨C revisiting the concept and practice of academic hospitality
%A Josef Ploner
%J Journal of Research in International Education
%@ 1741-2943
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1475240918786690
%X With the increasing mobility of international students to UK universities, the appropriate facilitation of their transition remains a critical issue in terms of higher education practice and research. Much existing research and practice is characterised by assimilationist approaches to transition where international students are seen to ¡®adapt to¡¯ and ¡®fit in¡¯ seemingly uniform host environments. This study however draws on the concept of ¡®academic hospitality¡¯ (Bennett, 2000; Phipps & Barnett, 2007) to develop a more nuanced stance which emphasises reciprocity between academic ¡®hosts¡¯ and ¡®guests¡¯. The findings presented here emerge from semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of international students who spent their first year abroad at a well-established UK university. Elaborating on different experiences and forms of academic hospitality (material, virtual, epistemological, linguistic and touristic), the paper contributes to a refined theorisation of international student transition. It also offers valuable insights for academic practitioners and policy makers who seek sensible approaches to internationalisation
%K international student transition
%K internationalisation
%K UK higher education
%K academic hospitality
%K first-year experience
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1475240918786690