Students who study abroad are more confident and have a higher capacity for learning new languages and embracing new cultures. International education helps a student prepare better for their career and increase their global competitiveness. But when a student goes abroad to pursue further education, it is essential to consider the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) when selecting a country.
In the 1970s, American psychologist John Flanagan created the Quality of Life Scale, which measures the quality of life on various parameters. By using this scale to identify how well or how poorly a country performs in terms of quality of life, you can define a country suitable for studying abroad. The categories in which QOLS is measured are:
Material and physical well-being – The two parameters measured in this category are:
- Material well-being and financial security
- Health and personal safety
As a student, both of these will make a big difference during your stay. Countries with low financial security and personal safety may have more instances of crime.
This puts students at risk, especially if they come from a country which has a higher quality of life. Health also plays an important role. Countries, where health and medication is a concern, should raise a red flag since your health can hardly be compromised for studies.
Relationships with other people – It following parameters are measured under this category:
- Relations with parents, siblings, other relatives
- Having and raising children
- Links with a spouse or significant other
- Connections with friends
During your stay abroad you will end up with friends who often become an extended family, especially since you may end up celebrating many festivals and birthdays with them.
By identifying countries which perform better on this scale, you will be able to choose countries which are friendly when it comes to outsiders.
Social, community and civic activities – The two parameters measured in this category are:
- Activities related to helping or encouraging others
- Activities related to the local and national government
These factors play a role in establishing how easy it will be for you to socialize and participate in activities during your term of stay abroad.
Personal development and fulfilment – The factors measured in this section are:
- Intellectual development
- Personal understanding
- Occupational role
- Creativity and personal experience
By checking a country’s quality of life as per these parameters, you can identify how easily you will be able to connect with people in the country and how much creativity and personal experiences are valued in the country where you may end up studying.
Recreation – This category measures the following parameters:
- Socializing
- Passive and observational recreational activities
- Active and participatory recreational activities
Recreation is essential for everyone. Finding out how a country performs in the recreation scale will help you understand how well you often, you will get the chance to indulge in recreational activities organized by your school, college, and friends.
The quality of life scale helps a student gather information about the lifestyle of people in the country they have chosen for studying abroad. This scale is useful because it puts together all aspects of life in a country on a personal and social level. It is an excellent way to measure how easy or how difficult it could be for a person to live in a country.
Knowing the quality of life in a country will also help you prepare in a better way of living there. In some countries, material and physical well-being may be high, but the country may not be open to social and civic activities, which means that you will have adequate personal safety, but you may not see a lot of socializing and friendliness among the people.
The quality of life scale, however, is not the only thing that should affect your decision of choosing a country in which you study. By choosing your study abroad, you should be able to embrace the idea of learning about new cultures and religions and look for courses.
These courses offer immersive experiences where you get the opportunity to experience local customs and traditions. Such experiences help in building respect and tolerance for other cultures and at the same time, enhance your global competitiveness.
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