Abstrakt

Analyzing the Impact of Peer Mentoring on Levels of International Student Wellbeing and Integration in Australia

Yiran Guo*

International students in Australia, do face several challenges when transiting to new schools and living in that country. Some students may be mentally ill, and this poses a great challenge to the students coping with domestic students. It is observed that since the introduction of peer mentoring as well as counseling in schools, there have been reduced challenges faced by the mentally ill international students in Australia. Little and quality research evaluating the social life, wellbeing, and integration of mentally ill international students have been done in Australia. Some show positive correlation while others negative correlation on the impact of peer mentoring and counseling towards the wellbeing and integration of mentally ill international learners. This then prompts a need to fill a gap between the practices of counseling and peer mentoring, wellbeing and integration of mentally ill international students within Australian schools. This research, showcase the familiarities of 17 mentally ill international bachelor’s students from Melbourne University Australia. The students filled questionnaires during the first month after reporting school and three months later. The aim of the questions was to test for effects of peer mentoring and counseling for the levels of students well-being and integration. Results showed that peer mentored mentally ill students were five times socially integrated with the campus environment and had great satisfaction while studying as likened to non-mentored international students. Integration of students somewhat involved link concerning mentoring international scholars, mental illness and their social wellbeing at the University. By analyzing the control effects, the results showed that peer mentoring and counseling at Melbourne University would affect the students wishing to join universities in Australia. The discussion of the results based on the self-determination theory and wellbeing within Melbourne University as well as the methodology of research and the limitation of the study.