An Investigation of Factors Effective on Foreign Student's Educational Problems in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Foreign students encounter educational problems which make studying in the host country difficult. Given the importance of the educational problems of foreign students, and identifying the factors which alleviate these problems, this study examined the educational problems of international students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
This was a quantitative-qualitative study with a descriptive-analytical design. In the qualitative section, interviews were conducted with 14 foreign students, and in the quantitative section, 56 students were selected through random sampling proportional to sample size. Semi-structured interviews and a researcher-made questionnaire were used to collect information. Data analysis was conducted using categorization methods, descriptive statistics, univariate t-test, ANOVA, post hoc test, and multiple regression in SPSS software.
In the qualitative section, the foreign students’ educational problems included weakness in understanding Persian, different educational system, the professors’ inappropriate teaching method, and dissatisfaction with textbooks. In the quantitative section, the educational problems were not significant at a 0.05 level. Moreover, the student's problems in terms of culture and the length of stay in Iran showed significant differences.
The results of predictor factors of educational problems revealed that cultural dissimilarity and short presence in Iran are the main predictor factors. Therefore, in order to motivate learning in foreign students, and thereby, decrease their educational problems, it is necessary to familiarize them with Iranian customs and hold classes to introduce them to the Iranian educational system.