Engaging in classroom discussions: Academic socialisation of Chinese international students in the UK

Abstract

This study reports on a qualitative multiple-case study that investigates Chinese international students’ academic socialisation through classroom discussion. It explores how these students navigate their classroom participation and socialisation process. The participants included six Chinese international postgraduate students, studying in the UK for the first time. Data were collected over eleven months through multiple means, including formal interviews, classroom observations, and reflective interviews. The findings reveal that the students underwent academic self-socialisation mainly through negotiating prior and present academic experiences, negotiating competence and identity, and making efforts towards improvement. In the process of academic self-socialisation, they exerted different types of agency to drive the process, such as strategic, defensive, and reflective agency as well as agency for improvement. The study has important implications for academic staff and international students in a study-abroad context.