Does PathwayU work with international students?

 

This article provides more details for using PathwayU with international students.

Do the PathwayU instruments work well with international students?

What should we be mindful of when using PathwayU with students from overseas?

• The short answer is yes, we are confident that PathwayU will work well with most international students when administered and interpreted thoughtfully.

The longer answer starts by explaining the basis for that appraisal. We constructed PathwayU with careful attention to several factors, such as evidence of reliability and validity, length, and fairness and inclusiveness of our assessments across diverse groups of users. Concerning the latter, we reviewed evidence showing that the underlying models on which the platform is based have evidence of cross-cultural validity — especially the models we use for vocational interests (RIASEC) and personality (HEXACO). Both of these models have been examined all over the world. While there are some complexities in those results, most reviewers of the research conclude that each of them are as close to a human universal as we can find in individual differences research.

That is to say, the presence of the six dimensions for interest and personality (and in the case of interests, the patterns of their relationships with each other) show up repeatedly in diverse cultures. In the case of work values and workplace preferences, there is relatively little cross-cultural research overall, and most that has been conducted suffers from sampling problems (e.g., use of small, homogenous convenience samples), so can be difficult to interpret. In the case of values, the same dimensions seem to emerge cross-culturally, but there is some evidence of group differences along individualist vs. collectivist lines. So in individualist cultures, intrinsic values such as independence and achievement are more salient, whereas, in collectivist cultures, values for relationships with others and conformity with norms and traditions are higher. Keep in mind, though, that in PathwayU’s platform, our patented career match algorithms place more emphasis on interests rather than values.

In using PathwayU with international students, our first concern would be English proficiency. Students for whom English is not their first language but are nevertheless proficient in English should find that their results effectively capture their personal characteristics. But there may be challenges for students who struggle with English. It would be ideal for such students if someone could be present while they complete the items, simply to help explain any item that might be confusing or unclear to the student. We would not recommend someone else read off each item to the student and capture their response that way, just to avoid any subtle influencing of responses. However, it would work well to have someone “on standby” to answer any clarification questions the student might have as they go through the items. Also, some of our partner schools have piloted the use of the Google translate function of Chrome by administering the assessments to multilingual staff. They report a high degree of translation accuracy, suggesting that this method might also be an option. Still, out of an abundance of caution, we encourage appropriate tentativeness in interpreting scores for any students who are not proficient in English.

It is important to recognize as well that many international students express a need for extra assistance understanding the U.S. occupational system, which undergirds PathwayU’s career match tool. (Fortunately, an enormous amount of detail is available within the tool, curated from the O*NET.) Also, PathwayU’s job connector tool is searchable by location (e.g., city, zip code) in the U.S., but not in other countries. International students also sometimes have complex issues to navigate regarding their student and work visas.

Finally, many international students have a different set of pressures to navigate with respect to their family’s expectations than do U.S. students. For example, it is not uncommon for families overseas to send their student to the U.S. specifically to pursue a particular course of study like engineering or medicine. Changing from those paths can be very tricky for those students. For all of these reasons, most career counseling experts suggest that when working with international students, it is essential to collaborate with the client to name and clarify the particular cultural and personal values that are salient when navigating the career decision-making process.

Doing that well with not only build rapport and a strong working alliance with the student, but it should help boost their confidence that they can move forward in an informed and wise way, with eyes wide open.