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International education is a great experience, which provides students with the opportunity to gain a number of valuable benefits. However, the literature demonstrates that international students experience the differences between their home culture and the new culture, which may have a great impact on their study. International students face a new learning environment, a foreign language, difficulties related to finance and accommodation, as well as different cultural aspects and norms (Borland & Pearce, 2002; Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007; Trice, 2007). These challenges tend to be more complex if the students' home culture is markedly different from the new culture. Although adjustment to a new learning environment is not an easy process, previous research shows that international students generally take a positive approach to overcome all the difficulties and they have the ability to adjust to the new environment (Vole & Renshaw, 1996; Wu, 2011).With the establishment of the King Abdullah Scholarships Program in 2005, there has been a significant increase in the number of Saudi students enrolled in Australian universities over the last few years, with about 10,000 Saudi government-sponsored students in 2011 (Ministry of Higher Education, 2012). Being supported financially by the government, Saudi students may not struggle with financial burdens but they face a new environment, which is vastly different from their home country, which may have a significant impact on their study.Despite the significant increase in the number of Saudi students enrolled in Australian universities, very little research has been done to understand their experiences and how they bridge the cultural differences. Thus, this study sought to investigate the language and cultural difficulties facing Saudi students and the strategies they use to cope with the new environment. The findings of this study will greatly enhance the educational experiences of international students in general and Saudi international students, in particular. The findings will also assist education providers in Australia to make a better plan for international education.LITERATURE REVIEWLanguage Issues Affecting International StudentsStudying in a non-native language is one of the main difficulties facing international students. Proficiency in the target language is a fundamental factor that enhances their academic achievement and cultural adjustment. Stoynoff (1997) examines the main factors affecting international students' academic performance and found that there is a correlation between their academic achievement and language proficiency. Based on another study by Lewthwaite (1996), lack of confidence in the language of instruction is one of the main frustrations that may face international students and their contribution inside the classroom. Many aspects of academic language barriers facing international students have been identified in previous studies (Robertson, Line, Jones, & Thomas, 2000; Shin, 2011; Wong, 2004; Wu, 2011). For example, Wu (2011) investigates the difficulties faced by Taiwanese students enrolled in an American university and found that the main problems were related to written assignments, tests, the use of language, second language comprehension, note-taking, oral presentation and participation in class discussions. In her case study, Bifuh-Ambe (2009) summarizes the main difficulties faced by international students into four domains: the receptive and expressive language, written language such as written assignments and note-taking, comprehension such as understanding texts, and difficulties related to the methods of teaching and assessment in the host country.Language barriers also affect international students in the social settings as they contribute to their socio-cultural adjustment. Besides the academic language, international students need to acquire the social language as well. They need to have competence in the language used in academic contexts as well as in informal, non-academic, contexts. …

Factors Affecting the Academic and Cultural Adjustment of Saudi International Students in Australian Universities