English

Abstract

This paper explores Chinese students’ experience through investigating their learning journey in UK higher education: how they went through the process of acculturation, overrode the English language barrier, and finally completed their international education and formed personal cultural capital. It scruitinises two groups of students: the first one consisted of 23 students who joined the UK postgraduate taught programme after completing their 1-year pre-Master’s course in China; the second group was 12 past students (including one visiting academic) who either remained to work in the UK or returned to China for work after completing their doctoral research. This study draws on qualitative data of in-depth interviews and focus group studies and combines the quantitative data of ‘closed-questions’, English test scores and longitudinal learning outcomes. It concludes that the Chinese students, though challenged in their academic study and social lives, achieved academic success and formed personal cultural capital while receiving UK higher education, which contributes significantly to their career development. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data in the paper improved the reliability and validity of the research.