1. Introduction 1.1Aim The aim of this report is to investigate the accommodation choices made by Deakin University students while they’re living in Geelong. This report is written for the DUSA4U Support Officers-Accommodation Section. This report was written to find out the options available to students, reasons for their decision and the effects of these choices on students lives. 1.2 Background 1.21 Background information It is a considerable step to be move away from home. (Shun, 2009) There are many new international students coming to Australia every year. For a student who has just come to another country, finding a suitable accommodation is the most basic essential requirement. (Claudia, 2005,) Consequently, we need to choose suitable accommodation for ourselves. The report may give you some advice to fix the problem. The report is focused on Deakin University student accommodation. What kind of challenges they face with their accommodation, what happens if they live a long way from school, what they have choose for their accommodation, reasons for their choices and the effects of these choices on student’s lives. This report is important because accommodation is necessary for everyone and the report may give advice and recommendations to avert any problems. So, students have enough information to choose their accommodation. The next section is the method (2.0) which shows the secondary sources, primary sources and the development of the questionnaire. After that is the results and discussion (3.0) which has 5 figures which have important information to present the results. Following is the conclusion (4.0), a brief summary of the major findings of the report. After that is the recommendations(5.0), some possible actions which may taken. Finally is the references which provide the sources information that have used in the report. 2.0 Method 2.1 Secondary sources This report resources were found in Deakin University library and the internet. The reference gives several accommodation choices for international students. They have selected because the data is useful for this report and clear to understand. 2.2 Primary sources Subject A total of 15 international students who lived in Geelong were selected because it is a requirement of the topic. The numbers of male and female were equal because the information that it show will be balancer. Moreover, all of the respondent was study in Deakin University. 5 of them were MIBT students, 2 of them were EAP 2 students, 8 of them were engineer students. This report has selected them because the result will more overall if the report have more different kinds of students. Questionnaire Questionnaire design The questionnaire was discussed with one EAP2 student who has a same topic as this report. This questionnaire was tested by 2 EAP2 students and one EAP2 teacher to get recommendations and some feedback, the questionnaire were improved with their advice. Finally, the questionnaire was printed out and given to the investigation. Type of questions It consisted of 13 different questions which include multiple choices, type a likert scale, type b likert scale, open question and yes/no questions. These types of questions are easy to understand and clear. The question unless include students choices, reason for their choices and what the effects of their choices, this report is trying to find out the related between accommodation, language improve, transport. The procedure for administering questionnaire and collating the results. Most of the questionnaire was administered on the internet to the students who are studying at Deakin. On the other hand, 2 copies of the questionnaire were administered to 2 EAP2 students. All the questionnaire were collected in 2 days. After collecting the data, the results were discussed and collated. 3.0 Results and Discussion Figure3.1 The pie chart demonstrates the percentage of accommodation which Deakin University students chose. According to the chart, 8/15(52%) of the students are living with their friends, 5/15(33%) of the students are living in home stay, 1/15(5%) of the student are living in the school dorm and 1/15(5%) of the student are living with their parents. Homestay is the most popular choice for an international student because homestay provides a lot of additional benefits for international students. Most home stay parents will students to open a bank account and show the way to school for students. It is helpful for international students. Moreover, students who are under 18 years of age require living in home stay. However, students usually live with their friends when the students know the environment around their school and city, Students not long need any more additional benefits from the home stay. In addition, home stay cost a approximately double that of living outside, so most international students try to save as much money as they can. Moreover, 2/15(10%) of students choose school dorm and the students think school dorm is close to school and convenient to go to school every day. 1/15(5%) of students live with his/her parents. It is possible she/he do not know how to take care himself/herself. His/Her parents require take care him/her all the time. Figure 3.21
Figure 3.22
Result : The two pie charts show the proportion of reason for accommodation choices which were made by Deakin University students. According to the results, 3/5(60%) of the students who are living in homestay did not have chance to choose. Furthermore, 2/5(40%) of the students wanted to know about a different culture. On the other hand, 3/8(38%) of the students who live with their friends did not want people to control them. 5/8(62%) of the students said that living outside is cheaper than school dorm and homestay. Some of the international students are still not 18 years old. This is the main reason why the students have no chance to choose, moreover, when students in their country decide on their accommodation in Australia, most of the agent provide home stay service for student’s accommodation only. In this case, most students usually trust agents because majority of students know nothing about Australia, it is their only choice. In addition, some of the students may be interested in Australia food and home stays often provide food to students and they are not required to worry about their food. Students want to know more different culture. 5/8(62%) of students who live with their friends think it is cheap. This was because some of them want to save money to buy something they want. Maybe they spend less money in their country and they continue that habit in Australia or they have some financial problems. 3/8(38%) students do not want to be control by others because three of them are teenagers (All of them are 18). They want to do what they want and do not want anyone to disturb them. Figure 3.3 Detail: 8 marks mean they improve their English a lot, 0 marks mean they do not improve their English. The bar chart shows the average of student’s option about whether they can improve their English or not. The majority of students who live in the school dorm think they have improve their English. (7.5/8 marks) Following is the students who live in home stay. They think their English had improved. (7/8 marks)Then there are the students who are living with their friends. They think they have not improved their English a lot. (3/8marks) The student who is living with his parents thinks he never improves his English. (1/8 mark) School dorm provides a good English environment to the students. Students usually use English to communicate with others even though they have the same first language because it is one of the standard practices in the school dorm. It is not easy to break. Furthermore, students who are living in homestay often speak English because the home stay parents usually are local. Students are require to speak English to communicate with each other, but some of the roommates may come from the same country as the responders, they can communicate with others in their first language, this may be the reason why the marks of homestay is a little bit lower than the school dorm. Moreover, the reason why the marks the home stay’s students and those live with friends have differ greatly is because students living with their friends do not use English to communicate with each others. Students can choose their rommmates, and they usually choose roommates from the same country as themselves. It is the main different between homestay and living with friends. Furthermore, students who are living with their parents never get improve their English because they have the same first language as their parents. They only use their first language to communicate with each others. Consequently, their English does not improve. Figure 3 Relationship between the time of students stay in Geelong and their accommodation choices. The diagram reveals the relationship between the time of students stay in Geelong and their accommodation choices. 4/5 students live in homestay when they stay in Geelong between one day and two months. But there are 1/5 student live in homestay when they stay in Geelong between three months and six months, and there is no students live in homestay who is stay in Geelong more than a year. 1/8 student live with their friends when they come to Geelong for 1 days to two months. 2/8 students live with their friends when they come to Geelong for three months to six months, 5/8 students live with their friends when they stay in Geelong for six months. There are the students who living with their parents have stay in Geelong for 1days to two months and the one who live in the school dorm stay in Geelong between three months to six months The main reason for the result may be because most students like to make friends at school. As the time lapses, student’s friendships become better and better, and they will live together when they know each other’s behavior. Consequently, students who live with their friends are increase in the time in which the students have stay in Geelong. On the other hand, homestay is more expensive than living outside. Students live in homestay in the first few months because students want to know more about the environment around the school and Geelong. When the students are living in home stay, they will show students the environment in Geelong and give help to students when students are in trouble, Students do not need help after they know the environment of Geelong. It is a fact that the numbers of students who live in homestay falls as the time the students stay in Geelong increase. 4. Conclusions In conclusion, most students choose homestay or share a house with their friends as their accommodation. 60% of the students who live in home stay said that they do not have chance to choose their accommodation and 40% of students said that they want to experience different culture. 62% of the students who is living with their friends said that it is cheap and 38%of the students explained they do not want to be control by anyone. In addition, school dorm and home stay is a good environment for improve English, but live with friends and parents are not a good choices to improve English. Finally, the research found that numbers of students who live in home stay fall with time and numbers of students who live with their friends increases with time. 5.0 Recommendations The recommendations are written for DUSA4U Support Office-Accommodation Section to help students to fix their problems. 5.1 Keep the home stay’s additional benefit Home stay’s additional benefit is the main reason why students choose it. But Home stay parents can provide more benefit for students, for example, home stay parents can bring students to go sightseeing. Home stay will be more popular if home stay has this service. 5.2 Provide more additional benefit for the teenagers and give more information for agent to provide more accommodation choices for students. Teenagers do not want to control by anyone because they feel scare in their psychology and physiology. School can provide more lecture to correct their problems. In addition, School can give Geelong accommodation information to the agent to provide international students more choices. 5.3 More additional benefit in school dorm Living in school dorm is a best way to your University study. It is a good way to have a better friendship from local and the world. (Deakin University, 2008) School can provide more additional benefit to draw more students to live in. School dorms are a good place for studying and improve English. 5.4 Home stay can have a lower cost According to the results, home stay is a good environment to improve English. If home stay cost lower, students may choose home stay for their accommodation. Because according to Figure 3.22, 62% of the students live outside because living outside is cheaper. 6. References Deakin University 2009, Accommodation at Deakin, CRICOS, 9 Dec 2009, <http://www.deakin.edu.au/cop/accommodation.php> Doria C, 2005, The truth about being an international student, Globally United Publishing, South Melbourne Deakin University 2008, want to live on campus?, CRICOS, 9 Dec 2009, <http://www.deakin.edu.au/studentlife/residences/live/index.php> | 