Thank you for your interest in participating in this research project. Please read the following information about the project so that you can decide whether you would like to take part in this research. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have about our involvement in the project.
You will be given time to consider the information presented in the Participant Information and Consent Form and can proceed to the first survey after giving consent to joining the study. Your decision whether you take part, or not to take part, or to take part and then withdraw, will not affect your relationship with the University of Queensland. If you are enrolled in PSYC1030 or NEUR1040, completion of the study will earn 2 SONA credits for your participation in semester 1 and if you’re enrolled in another of these courses you can earn 1 more SONA credit for the follow up survey in semester 2.
We aim to understand how international students adjust to their new environment, focusing on how factors such as social relationships, social interactions and cultural background affect well-being and integration into the host society. The study will use a theoretical model from social psychology called the "Social Identity Model of Identity Change" to look at how international students' identities and experiences change when they move to Australia for university. The study will focus on their interactions with students from their own country, other international students, and local Australians. The study will involve a variety of international students from different backgrounds in your first year in Australia, recruited through sources like the Psychology SONA research system, UQ Union clubs, residential colleges, and the UQ Voices international student choir. The results from Australia will be compared with data collected from international students in the UK by the Nottingham Trent University researchers (named above).
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a two-part online survey now, and a follow up survey in 3 months’ time (in second semester), which will allow us to follow changes at three time points throughout the academic year. The first part of the survey asks you to retrospectively report on your experience and social connections when you first started university in Australia at the start of this semester, and the second part of the survey asks you to respond about your current experience about 3 months after starting university in Australia. If you agree to participate in the future waves, we will contact you via email in about 3 months’ time to track how your experiences are changing over time.
The survey will ask questions about your group memberships, well-being, adjustment to life in Australia, and experiences with contact with students from other nationalities. You will also be asked to provide some demographic information, such as your age, gender, nationality. These can be completed on any device at a time and place that is convenience to you. The total time commitment is about 2 hours, and the duration of your participation will be 3 months.
There may be no direct benefit to you as a participant. The potential benefit of the research for the wider society and the research field are that it will test a theoretical model to explain the process of students’ social identity change during their transition to university in a foreign country. This will provide background evidence that can inform supports and interventions for international students in Australia and in the UK.
Participation carries no physical risks. There's a small risk of emotional discomfort due to discussing personal experiences, loneliness and wellbeing. If you experience any emotional discomfort during or after the survey, please do not hesitate to reach out to the university’s Student Central for support and guidance (https://my.uq.edu.au/contact/student-central).
All information collected about you will remain confidential. Your data will be kept in password protected files in the researchers’ University of Queensland secure accounts. The survey data will be kept confidential by using a unique identifier that links the responses across the three surveys. This unique identifier, along with your email, will be stored securely and will only be accessible to the research team. Once all the surveys are completed, both the unique identifier and your email will be deleted, and the data will be fully anonymized and stored in the UQ Research Data Management system. It is anticipated that the results of this research project will be published and/or presented in a variety of forms, including in student Xiaoquan Yuan’s honours thesis. In any publication and/or presentation, information will be provided in such a way that you cannot be identified, except with your expressed permission.
If you decide to participate in this research, please keep in mind that your participation is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you don’t have to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to stop at any time, and you would not need to give any explanation for your decision to stop participating. You will still be awarded partial SONA credits (or entry to the prize draw) for your participation to that point.
Participants will be sent a summary of the study results by email in November 2025. Results may also be presented at a relevant conference or published in a scholarly journal in due course.
This study adheres to the Guidelines of the ethical review process of The University of Queensland and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Whilst you are free to discuss your participation in this study with researcher Professor Genevieve Dingle, contactable on Email: dingle@psy.uq.edu.au; or if you would like to speak to an officer of the University not involved in the study, you may contact the Ethics Coordinator on +617 3365 3924 / +617 3443 1656 or email humanethics@research.uq.edu.au
This research Ethics ID number: 2024/HE002594
I have read the Participant Information Sheet and agree to take part in this study. I understand that my participation is completely voluntary and that I may withdraw at any time without consequence. You do not have to give a reason, just close your browser. I understand that the results of the study will be reported in this thesis and journal articles; however, I will not be identified individually.