The need for context-sensitive measures of educational quality in transnational higher education

This paper argues that the current approach to educational quality formation in transnational higher education promotes educational imperialism, and that guidelines and practices should be altered to embrace context-sensitive measures of quality. The claims are sustained by findings from a study that investigated how academics understood and pursued educational quality in an Australian university programme delivered in partnership with a Chinese university in China. A key finding was that a home programme functioned as the single reference point for quality in the programme delivered in China. Quality in the China programme was sought through the imposition of practices and philosophies associated with the home programme, which required the suppression of local educational traditions. The paper points out that reliance on a home programme as the single measure of quality is encouraged by governing UNESCO/OECD guidelines on quality in cross-border provision.     

Crossing the ‘bridges’ and navigating the ‘learning gaps’: Chinese students learning across two systems in a transnational higher education programme

ABSTRACT

Chinese universities are actively pursuing cross-border collaborations in the form of transnational higher education programmes. Our study captures the experiences of Chinese students to illuminate how they navigate their learning journeys in a China-Australia articulation programme. To communicate the complexity of learning in modern transnational higher education programmes, we employed activity theory as the theoretical framework to explore cross-cultural contradictions shaping students’ experiences of learning. Assessment, programme rules, teaching strategies, and class and campus settings created contradictions that students had to negotiate as in-between learning spaces. We argue that cross-system contradictions play important roles in transnational higher education programmes. Therefore, instead of seeking to eliminate these contradictions or smooth cross-educational differences, these contradictions should be leveraged as learning opportunities to enrich transnational higher education programmes.     

Pathway from vocational education and associate degree to higher education: Chinese international students in Australia

Understanding factors influencing international students' decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students' educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students' motivations for enrolling in vocational education and associate degree programmes are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake vocational education and associate degree programmes. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language proficiency, previous academic performance, agent's recommendations and relatives' and friends' advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programmes. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen vocational education programmes in a dual-sector university over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the programme, practical training and favourable location are key issues that these students draw on when making their decision to study in a dual-sector university.     

Intent to pursue further studies among Chinese Students

The number of students pursuing graduate qualifications has increased, especially in Asian countries and cities, such as China, Macao and Hong Kong. This paper examines the intent to pursue further studies among Chinese students according to the theory of planned behaviour. Based on responses from 321 final-year students in higher education institutions in Macao, Hong Kong and mainland China, path analysis shows that subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and attitude toward graduate studies owing to intrinsic motivation significantly affects the intent to pursue further studies. The paper also identifies the important attributes that influence students’ choice of a graduate programme. These findings can help higher education management improve the effectiveness of graduate recruitment and address the concerns of Chinese students.     

校园安全与校园性骚扰 ——一项基于北京高校的调查研究

本研究基于对12所北京高校4381名学生的问卷调查数据,采用交叉分析和多值逻辑回归的方法探究校园安全与校园性骚扰之间的关系。研究发现,学生对夜晚学校不同场所安全状况的感知低于白天,在控制相关变量的情况下,学生对夜晚校园安全状况的感知与遭受性骚扰的频率之间具有显著的负向关系。同时,居住在校内的学生较之居住在校外的学生更不容易成为性骚扰行为的受害者,这说明高校的安全保卫对预防校园性骚扰有着积极的作用。此外,男生相对于女生更容易成为性骚扰行为的频繁受害者。基于这些研究发现,本文从学校和学生两个方面提出了建设平安校园和性别平等校园的建议。     

What motivates Chinese women to study in the UK and how do they perceive their experience?

This paper addresses two crucial questions facing the UK HE sector: what motivates female Chinese globally mobile graduates to continue their education in the UK?; and, are they satisfied with their experience? First, this mixed methods study revealed that the primary motivations were: early and mid-career gains, competitive advantages derived from completing a 1-year master’s programme, favourable exchange rates, and the opportunity to travel. Alongside these, a number of challenges and concerns were also noted, including: high UK tuition fees and living costs, shifting Chinese employer perceptions of an overseas education, and punitive UK visa regulations. Second, findings indicated mid- to high levels of satisfaction with the experience. Students believed that the main strengths and benefits of a UK-based education related to the high levels of tutorial participation and interaction which facilitated increased subject-matter engagement, as well as to the development of interpretation and application skills. Nevertheless, respondents reported that there are many ways in which we need to improve, such as by: offering clearer language guidance, closing the assessment requirements expectations gap, offering more opportunities for classroom participation, cutting class sizes, reducing fees, and ironically, attracting students from geographical zones other than China to facilitate academic development and programme diversity.     

Chinese Postgraduate Choices When Considering a UK Business and Management Programme

This research investigated Chinese students' decision making processes for enrolling on a postgraduate taught business and management programme in a UK university, based on structured interviews, followed by a survey of just over 450 respondents. The validity and reliability of the research instrument were assessed prior to issuing the survey. Convenience sampling was used to collect questionnaires from Chinese students in seven universities in the Northwest of the UK, and the findings were analysed using frequency and factor analysis. The research shows that Chinese students chose a country first, a programme (Business & Management) second, a university third, and a city last; the four choices are determined by 14 factors comprising 42 variables. This study has managerial implications for UK universities' policy makers, managers and practitioners to promote their programmes in China.     

Why do Chinese postgraduates struggle with critical thinking? Some clues from the higher education curriculum in China

There has been a good deal of research into the problems Chinese postgraduate students studying in English-speaking universities face with regard to critical thinking. This project is an attempt to tackle this issue from a new perspective. It aims to explore how a unique aspect of the university curriculum in China – the so-called ‘four treasures’ (four compulsory modules of political thought taken by all Chinese undergraduate students: ‘The Fundamentals of Marxism’; ‘Maoism and Chinese Characteristic Socialism’; ‘The Outline of Modern Chinese History’; and ‘Moral Thoughts, Legal and Civic Education’) – influence Chinese students in terms of their political and cultural values. It will trace the emergence of this programme and offer a content analysis of the curriculum. The study also uses focus groups to investigate how the Chinese postgraduate students regard their undergraduate courses in China. This article will argue that the higher education curriculum in China, which is heavily regulated by the state, has become one of the main obstacles preventing Chinese undergraduate students from developing independent and critical thinking, particularly in the arts, humanities and social sciences.     

Factors affecting the quality of transnational higher education in China: a qualitative content analysis on Chinese host universities’ self-appraisal reports

In response to the increasing literature on transnational higher education in host countries, this paper aims to identify prominent factors affecting the quality of transnational higher education in China, as perceived and reported by Chinese host universities. A qualitative data analysis was conducted on 122 self-appraisal reports on transnational higher education programmes submitted to China’s Ministry of Education in 2017 by 112 Chinese host universities. The analysis identified and examined relationships between four interrelated factors: low foreign language proficiency among students, shortage of a sustainable supply of highly qualified teachers, low quality of curriculum design and implementation and deficiencies in institutional regulations. The findings are discussed in the context of the literature, revealing two issues in transnational higher education in China: using local Chinese teachers to teach the imported foreign courses and outsourcing foreign language teaching. The paper concludes with some limitations of the study and implications for future research.     

Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push–pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau

Within the context of broad literature on cross-border flows for higher education, this article examines the distinctive case of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. These territories are a sort of bridge between the fully domestic and the fully international. Hong Kong and Macau higher education plays a dual role, as a destination in itself for higher education and as a stepping-stone for students’ further international development. Patterns in Hong Kong are slightly different from those in Macau, and the territories may thus be usefully compared with each other as well as taken as a pair for comparison with other parts of the world. The paper begins by noting the literature on the ways that push and pull factors influence student mobility, and then turns to motivations in pursuit of academic and professional growth, economic benefit, individual internationalisation, and enhanced social status. The paper shows that flows of mainland Chinese students are driven by both excess and differentiated demand. Analysis of the distinctive features of this pair of territories adds to wider conceptual understanding of the nature of cross-border flows for higher education.     

高职院校服务质量实证研究——以我国27个省、市、自治区高职院校应届毕业生抽样调查为例

根据用户满意度理论和利益相关者理论,编制"学生评价高等职业教育服务质量评量表",并对我国27个省、市、自治区28所高职院校应届毕业生进行在线抽样调查。结果显示,学生的总体满意度较低,为74分,期望值为81.4分,满意度与期望值的差距值为7.36分;学生对"关心学生"、"入学与学籍管理"、"收费"、"校园安全"评价较高;对"学校生活环境"、"实践教学"与"就业服务"评价较低。研究发现,学生评价结果与人才培养水平评估结果、与学校是否是示范性学校关系不密切,与教师、学校管理人员的评价也不同;加强对学生的学习与实践指导、密切校企合作、提高选修课程比例和创造更舒适的校园生活环境是改进高职院校服务质量的优先事项。     

Chinese students' assessment and learning experiences in a transnational higher education programme

Abstract

Chinese universities are increasingly entering into transnational higher education partnerships with institutions in primarily English-speaking countries. With this increase in programmes, there is a growing body of research investigating both policy and practice. Our study contributes insight into how students in a China–Australia programme experienced assessment drawing on theorisations of sustainable assessment. We present findings from interviews with 10 Chinese students who shared stories and reflections of their experiences of assessment and learning that reveal the complex ways students negotiated qualitatively different assessment experiences, while displaying sophisticated levels of agency, between Chinese and Australian universities. In making sense of the interviews in relation to sustainable assessment, we evoke notions of cultural ignorance to illuminate aspects of a cross-cultural ignorance in teaching and learning practices. In doing so, we argue that conversations about cultural ignorance combined with principles of sustainable assessment can create space to support partners to better plan and coordinate for meaningful assessment and learning experiences for students in cross-cultural articulation programmes.     

Education abroad, human capital development, and national competitiveness: China��s brain gain strategies

This is a documentary study of education abroad policy in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) between 1978 and 2009. By examining the dynamics underpinning the PRC state’s efforts to shape the flow of Chinese students and scholars from and into China, this article reveals the major strategies that have enabled education abroad to become a source of brain gain. It argues that China’s brain gain strategies feature three characteristics: a proactive diplomatic approach to international educational relations; strategic dependence on foreign higher education resources and a decentralized economic mechanism to raise foreign-trained human capital. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of Chinese experience for our understanding of the complex and dynamic relations between the state, the market, universities and international relations as relating to cross-border academic mobility, international educational relations, and national development in a globalizing world.     

基于产品生命周期的高校国际学生教育成本分担政策的研究

国际学生教育成本分担政策影响着我国国际学生教育市场的发展。文章在总结我国国际学生教育发展现状以及国外成本分担政策的基础上,以产品生命周期理论为基础,系统阐述国际学生教育产品性质随生命周期而改变的特征。根据生命周期理论,目前我国国际学生教育尚处于成长期,由于国际学生的准公共产品性质,国际学生教育应采用政府为主、家庭为辅的二元化分担方式。进入成熟期,国际学生教育产品的属性以私人产品为主,宜采用家庭为主、政府监控的多元化分担方式。     

跨境教育的能力建设与我国中外合作办学问题研究

能力建设,作为推进教育尤其是高等教育国际化的目标和发展跨境教育的方法和战略,已成为研究跨境教育的重要维度.中外合作办学,作为我国目前引进外国优质教育资源以提升高等教育人才培养能力的重要方式和途径,也必须关注其对能力建设的贡献.     

Departing from the beaten path: international schools in China as a response to discrimination and academic failure in the Chinese educational system

International schools are commonly depicted in the academic literature and popular press as offering elite educational credentials to an elite, oftentimes international, student body. In this paper, I draw on a case study of a Canadian international school to argue that a new form of international school is emerging in China – one that offers a haven for domestic students from certain competitive and discriminatory features of the Chinese educational system. Fieldwork was conducted at a Canadian curriculum high school for Chinese citizens in Beijing. Most students at the school were internal migrants or children of China’s ‘new rich’ entrepreneurial class; that is, their families had economic resources but occupied precarious social positions in contemporary Chinese society. Analyses reveal that the international school offers a pathway to obtain baseline academic credentials in the absence of other opportunities for progress in the Chinese educational system. Together with evidence of dramatic growth in international schools and tracks in China, this case study suggests the emergence of a new type of international education programme that departs from a picture of international education as ‘elite’ in terms of student body, academic environment, and expected educational trajectories of graduates. The paper also develops our understanding of class and educational strategies in contemporary China.     

An inquiry into the delivering of a British curriculum in China

This paper reports a qualitative inquiry on teaching a British undergraduate management programme to Chinese students in China. The research objectives were to develop a deeper understanding of challenges students face in their academic learning within an English speaking and study environment, and to enhance organisational learning through developing practical pedagogical techniques to improve classroom interactions. A longitudinal participatory action research strategy was employed. The subjects were second and third year undergraduate students who were studying for dual-degrees in international tourism management at a Sino-Foreign educational institute. The inquiry found that various instructional techniques could help the students engage with fellow students and the lecturer in the classroom setting. We conclude that, in addition to linguistic factors, normative values of education in Chinese culture ought to be appreciated so that Chinese students’ learning needs can be better served.     

The development and initial validation of a questionnaire of inclusive teachers’ competency for meeting special educational needs in regular classrooms in China

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument of inclusive teachers’ competencies for teaching students with special educational needs in China. Data were obtained from a preliminary and large-scale investigation in Beijing. The primary analyses included exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings indicated that Chinese inclusive teachers’ competency is underpinned by four factors: teaching and instruction; communication and cooperation; attitudes and beliefs; and reflection and development. The four-factor model was obtained with satisfactory reliability and validity. The validated questionnaire generated a theoretical understanding of inclusive education teachers’ competency in China. In addition, the findings of the study provided knowledge that will allow for the development of professional standards and teacher education programmes for inclusive education.     

One international university,two perspectives: the role of English as a lingua franca as perceived by Mainland and Hong Kong Chinese students

Internationalisation of higher education greatly facilitates cross-border student mobility, which has been extensively researched. This comparative study focuses on the relatively under-explored field of intra-regional educational mobility. It compares attitudes towards learning and using English of M ainland Chinese students and Hong Kong Chinese students while studying side-by-side at an English-medium university in Hong Kong. Using a mixed methodology the study found that the two groups expressed a similarly strong need for, and acceptance of, English as an academic lingua franca but expressed significantly different attitudes, needs and desires in relation to the use of English for social intercourse. The weaker presence of a social lingua franca was accompanied by perceptions of a lack of inclusivity. If, as is suggested in the literature, both social and academic integration are integral to the university experience, the findings reveal a lacuna in the learning environment of this and potentially other similarly internationalised universities.