International education and meaningful contributions to society: Exploration of postgraduate international students’ perspectives studying in a Malaysian research university

International education is sought after by students primarily for career development. However, very little is known about other meaningful educational outcomes of students pursuing international education in a Malaysian university system. This paper investigates how international students perceive their meaningful contributions to society upon study completion in one research university in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the university with 33 international students, mainly from Nigeria, Pakistan and China. Findings show that postgraduate international students not only want to contribute to their home society through research and teaching at higher education institutions but also to their host-country and third-country communities. The analysis illustrates the interplay between macro internationalisation of higher education policies and factors shaping the micro-level experiences of international students. This study contributes new insights into vital nuances of the international educational outcomes relating to meaningful contribution to society and community development.     

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.     

The communication patterns of Chinese students with their lecturers in an Australian university

Chinese students are now the largest group of international students in the Australian higher education sector. The patterns of Chinese communication and education affect the ways that Chinese students engage with their lecturers and manage their learning relationships. A case study of these patterns provides a small window through which to observe the progress of higher education internationalisation in Australia. In this study, the experiences of seven Chinese students in a multicultural educational context are explored, with a focus on their communication practices and relationships with their lecturers in Australia. This paper contributes to understandings of how student–teacher communication practices affect learning experiences for Chinese students in Australian or other international universities.     

Intercultural Learning,Adaptation, and Personal Growth: A Longitudinal Investigation of International Student Experiences in China

Despite the rapid increase of international students in the Chinese higher education sector, little is known about their experiences in China. This paper reports a longitudinal study investigating experiences of a small group of international students during their undergraduate study in an English-medium medical course at a Chinese university. Data were generated through annual interviews, complemented by two rounds of questionnaire surveys respectively held at the beginning and end of the course. Drawing on self-determination theory, findings reveal the learning process through which the participants, responding to and interacting with new academic and social environments, gradually achieved adaptation and personal growth. Meanwhile, the research presents evidence of the students’ dissatisfaction, arising mainly from three aspects of their university environments: linguistic, pedagogical, and attitudinal. Policy implications are discussed and suggestions for future studies are given.     

Academic Integration of Chinese Students in Finland and Germany: A Comparative Perspective

It has been recognized that international students studying in non-Anglophone countries face more challenges in integrating into local higher education institutions for a number of reasons, such as the local language barrier and cultural differences. This study aims to understand the challenges and coping strategies of academic integration in non-Anglophone countries from the students’ perceptive, taking Chinese students as an example and using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 58 Chinese students in Germany and Finland. It shows that, despite learning environment differences between Finland and Germany, Chinese students face similar challenges, including individual ones, such as the mismatch between their academic background and learning requirements, or contextual ones, such as a lack of consideration for international students in the pedagogical approach and curriculum design adopted by the host higher education institutions. The results challenge the existing stereotype of Chinese students and present evidence of students’ resourcefulness in generating novel approaches to develop their learning capabilities. It also shows that traditional learning techniques may be used as pathways to achieving deep learning and understanding.     

The transition experiences of direct entrants from overseas higher education partners into UK universities

This two-year study was conducted to explore the experience of international direct-entry students making the transition from overseas higher education partners to a UK University. Using mainly qualitative data from forum discussion, focus-group interviews and face-to-face interviews with students and staff, we document how international direct-entry students cope with academic and social anxieties during their transition. The findings reveal that there are some similarities, such as language issues, which are experienced by most international students. However, this study has highlighted a distinguishing factor for direct-entry students which relates to the use of intra-networks to overcome their social anxieties. The exploratory analysis also indicates that international students entering directly into an academic programme at a later study stage face a steep learning curve and require additional support to adapt quickly to a UK educational system.     

Exploring expectations,experiences and long-term plans of Chinese international students studying in the joint Sino-Russian degree

This article investigates the transitioning process of international Chinese undergraduate students studying in Russia. The paper offers new insights into changes in the expectations and experiences of Chinese students at various stages of their joint educational studies in China and Russia. Drawing on a qualitative study of 20 Chinese undergraduates studying in Russia, the findings of the study indicate that before studying in Russia, most of Chinese students had low expectations about their study programme. However, once they were in Russia, students’ perception of the value of their international education experiences changes through varied opportunities for self-reflexivity in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The study also offers an example of methodological approach useful for researching international students’ experiences, particularly within but not limited to context of Sino-Foreign university partnerships.     

国际教育和职业发展之关系研究——以中国留英学生为例

国际教育在全球化时代已成为培养二十一世纪人才十分重要之途径。通过与12名接受英国高等教育的博士毕业生个人访谈,分析研究对象之定性、定量数据,发现国际教育有助于积累个人文化资本,其本身包含着明显的象征资本。得出结论：留英经历对中国学生个人事业发展和取得成功起着里程碑的作用;国际教育影响中国高层次人才之培养。     

Inequalities and Agencies in Workplace Learning Experiences: International Student Perspectives

National systems of vocational education and training around the globe are facing reform driven by quality, international mobility, and equity. Evidence suggests that there are qualitatively distinctive challenges in providing and sustaining workplace learning experiences to international students. However, despite growing conceptual and empirical work, there is little evidence of the experiences of these students undertaking workplace learning opportunities as part of vocational education courses. This paper draws on a four-year study funded by the Australian Research Council that involved 105 in depth interviews with international students undertaking work integrated learning placements as part of vocational education courses in Australia. The results indicate that international students can experience different forms of discrimination and deskilling, and that these were legitimised by students in relation to their understanding of themselves as being an ‘international student’ (with fewer rights). However, the results also demonstrated the ways in which international students exercised their agency towards navigating or even disrupting these circumstances, which often included developing their social and cultural capital. This study, therefore, calls for more proactively inclusive induction and support practices that promote reciprocal understandings and navigational capacities for all involved in the provision of work integrated learning. This, it is argued, would not only expand and enrich the learning opportunities for international students, their tutors, employers, and employees involved in the provision of workplace learning opportunities, but it could also be a catalyst to promote greater mutual appreciation of diversity in the workplace.     

The Adaptation of Chinese Split-Site Business Students to British Classrooms: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Chinese business education differs from British business education in many respects. On the whole, it focuses on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, whereas British business education places far more emphasis on soft management skills and team-work. This paper examines a split-site business degree program offered by a Chinese international school and a British business school, and explores the attitudes and expectations of the Chinese participants and their Chinese and British lecturers from an “English for specific purposes” perspective. The study conducted classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and a questionaire survey, and identifies areas of difficulty for Chinese business students in the UK, in particular regarding their beliefs about teacher and student roles, their learning priorities and learning strategies, and their “goal-oriented” approach to discussion, which is at odds with the more collaborative and exploratory Western discussion strategies. The findings have implications for pre-sessional and in-sessional English course design, the management of split-site business degree programs, the teaching of Chinese students, and the enhancement of learning experiences generally in international business programs.     

The attitudes of male student teachers towards a career in special education

This study considers the reasons why so few male student teachers are entering the special education sector. This comes as recent statistics reveal that the percentage of male teaching staff in special education in Northern Ireland is much lower than in England. The article first critically considers the international literature on male students’ perceptions of entering the teaching profession. The study then examines the opinions of the post‐primary student cohort at one major initial teacher education institution in Northern Ireland and contrasts male and female responses in terms of students’ confidence in their knowledge of special educational needs and their relative willingness to consider specialising in this area. The study reveals significant differences in the cohort between male and female students’ perceptions, and through individual interviews it explores further the reasons why male students are reluctant to specialise in special educational needs.     

Social media's use in postgraduate students' decision-making journey: an exploratory study

Universities globally are showing increased interest in the potential of social media as a marketing recruitment tool. This paper explores how and why potential postgraduate business students looking to study internationally use social media in their educational decision-making process. Due to a lack of existing research, this study adopted an exploratory approach, gathering data through in-depth interviews with 12 postgraduate international students at an Australian university. The findings indicate that besides Facebook and YouTube, students are using blogs in their study search. The two most common reasons for social media usage are finding out about student life and reading reviews from former students. In the decision-making process, social media is mostly used in the information search and evaluation stages. Students’ use of social media also varies across source countries. Our findings are a good information source for education marketers who need to engage more actively with social media.     

International students in transnational mobility: intercultural connectedness with domestic and international peers,institutions and the wider community

International students’ connectedness with their peers, institutions and the broader community significantly affects their learning and wellbeing. It is important to understand their multiple desires for intercultural connectedness in order to nurture it. This paper analyses the motives and nature of international students’ intercultural connectedness. It is based on a study that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork with international students and staff from 25 vocational education colleges in Australia. Drawing on Blumer’s symbolic interactionism theory as a conceptual framework, the study found international students’ motivation to engage in intercultural connectedness is linked to not only their desire for respect and recognition for intellectual, cultural and linguistic capacities and diversities but also for employment aspirations. The research shows various dimensions in which intercultural engagement is seen to encompass not only empathy, sociability and equity but also employability. The findings suggest meaningful interaction is essentially bound to reciprocal learning.     

Learning through working: a case study of Chinese college students in South Korea

This qualitative case study was designed to provide an understanding of the work experience of Chinese college students in South Korea. A growing number of Chinese students are coming to South Korea for college education, and their aspirations for better work materialize into work experiences in South Korean businesses. In-depth interviews were conducted with five Chinese students to investigate their learning experience at local workplaces. The Chinese students' work experience not only led them to a deeper understanding of local culture and language, but also gave them integral learning within an experiential, situated learning environment.     

Intercultural advising for Chinese international students: a reflective inquiry

In the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Chinese international students studying overseas. There has also been a corresponding increase in the media stories about their cross-cultural difficulties. Reported in this study is a reflective inquiry into my work as an international student advisor with a large number of Chinese students in a top Canadian university. Through five composite stories, I hope to present a few areas of challenges Chinese students experience and reflect on how advisors can better support them from the intercultural perspective. I also hope to engage other advisors through this study in exploring ways to contribute to the field of international education as frontline practitioners.     

Challenging Performative Fabrication: Seeking authenticity in academic development practice

While extensive discussion has been devoted to internationalising the curriculum in a response to the presence of international students, little is known about how academic staff members perceive the presence of this student cohort. Using data collected through semi‐structured interviews with 80 academic staff from four different faculties in one higher education institution, this study investigates staff understanding regarding international students, with particular attention given to how disciplinary differences shape their responses. Findings indicate that staff from ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ disciplines hold different instructional beliefs, which then affect their teaching and learning practice. Discussions are provided on how these differing conceptions of teaching fit into the context of academic development with respect to international education.     

汉语国际教育专业学生跨文化思辨能力培养研究

随着汉语国际教育事业的逐步推进,高校的汉语国际教育人才培养也应该与时俱进,提升学生的跨文化思辨能力。从解析跨文化思辨能力的含义入手,结合汉语国际教育事业的发展现状,分析汉语国际教育专业学生提升跨文化思辨能力的必要性,并提出促进高校汉语国际教育专业学生跨文化思辨能力培养的建议。     

Aspirations and tensions in developing international mindedness: case study of two students in an IB school in an Indian Ocean Island Nation

International mindedness is considered by many educational researchers and organizations as a determining feature in international education. This article used data as part of a PhD case study inquiry to explore how international mindedness is developed by two students in an IB school in an Indian Ocean Island Nation. Through a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm, it provides insights into the complexities of the students' development of international mindedness through the following questions: Why do the students aspire to develop international mindedness? What are the tensions they experience in developing it through the theory of knowledge programme in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)? Using socio-cultural frameworks, the article discusses theories on knowledge development, identity and post-colonialism. Data were collected through a survey, journal entries and interviews. The analysis was conducted using theoretical sampling, categorization and coding. The findings revealed that students' cultural backgrounds and identities are critical factors determining their sense of engagement with the development of international mindedness in the IBDP. They indicated also that the Diploma Programme (DP) knowledge content needs to be carefully addressed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) host school, which also must consider the socio-cultural and historical factors of the country in which it is found, in negotiating a locally meaningful implementation of the IB's international mindedness.     

The purposes and processes of master's thesis supervision: a comparison of Chinese and Dutch supervisors

The number of international Chinese students enrolled in research programmes in Western universities is growing. To provide effective research supervision to these students, it is helpful to understand the similarities and differences in the supervision process between the host country and their home country. We explored which learning outcomes supervisors of master's theses aim for in two cultures, China and the Netherlands, and how they help their students to achieve these learning outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with 10 Chinese and 10 Dutch supervisors revealed, besides a strong resemblance, some clear differences between the two groups. For example, the Chinese supervisors aim to prepare their students for future jobs and use explicit assessment and regulation to monitor student progress, while the Dutch supervisors aim to enhance student well-being and use implicit regulation, emotional support and frequent posing of questions to facilitate student learning. Implications for cross-cultural and international education are provided.     

中高级水平留学生汉语文化词习得研究

二语词汇习得中包括文化词习得。文章以问卷调查为主,并结合访谈对中高级汉语水平留学生文化词习得状况进行了实证研究,发现：第一,习得的总体状况欠佳;第二,习得最好的文化词多是与其生活密切相关的,要么课本中专门学习过,要么是在其来源国有广泛传播,习得最差的是历史词语和一些带有比喻义、引申义、象征义的词语：第三．来自儒家文化圈的留学生与来自非儒家文化圈的留学生在文化词习得上差异十分显著。据此,文章建议要加强中高级汉语教学中文化词和中国文化的教学,并要区分不同文化词的习得难度,对不同文化圈留学生提出不同的习得目标要求等。