Post-enrollment academic support and perceived learning effectiveness among international students in Chinese universities

Abstract

Introduction As international student mobility expands beyond traditional Anglophone destinations, universities increasingly need to understand how perceived academic support relates to students’ participation, adaptation, confidence, and learning effectiveness after enrollment. Less attention has been given to the relationship between academic support conditions and perceived learning effectiveness in non-Anglophone higher education contexts. Methods This study tested an educational psychology framework linking selected background characteristics, perceived academic support conditions, and perceived learning effectiveness among 218 international students in Chinese universities. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, follow-up confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling with bootstrapping. Results Student support services and academic quality, safety, and career preparedness showed significant positive associations with perceived learning effectiveness, whereas gender, funding type, and prior GPA showed no significant direct associations. Funding type was associated with academic and administrative reliability and learning environment quality but was not directly associated with perceived learning effectiveness. Discussion The findings highlight the relevance of post-enrollment academic support conditions for international students’ perceived learning effectiveness, with implications for advising, communication support, counseling access, and career-related guidance.