An ARC funded study by the University of Western Sydney has found that Australian universities would benefit from viewing international students as more than empty vessels whose fees make up for shortfalls in public funding.

Through interviewing Chinese students in the final year of their undergraduate degrees from across several Australian universities, the study found that by recognising the knowledge that international students have acquired in their own language, universities can produce graduates that are highly employable in an increasingly global workforce.

UWS researcher Professor Michael Singh says damaging stereotypes that dismiss international students as plagiarists, formulaic learners and uncritical thinkers, completely disregards the student's individual skill sets.

"Universities need to go beyond teaching international students, whose first language isn't English, about grammar and spelling," says Professor Singh.

"While correcting errors at this level is necessary, it is important to concentrate on their conceptual understanding as a way towards improving their advanced linguistic skills."

A good deal of meaning can be lost in direct translations to and from English. As we know, there are some words that have comparable meanings when directly translated, but there are many others that do not.

The study has found that these cultural barriers of teaching and learning can be dealt with by having students explore the critical thinking practices, writing conventions, acknowledgements of sources and learning strategies debated within their own educational cultures.

"By encouraging students to provide feedback and interpretations in their first language to texts that are being studied in English, and by 'back translating' into English, educators can bring additional nuances to the text and provide new meanings from which all students can benefit," says Professor Singh.

"Not only does this give due recognition to students' knowledge, it enables them to see that their studies in Australia here are building on their prior learning.

"Through cross-cultural meanings and international interpretations of the subject, lecturers can be given a basis for new, global teaching methods," Professor Singh says.