Exploring the Impact of the Academic Interactions and Social Relations of Graduate Black African Students on their Learning Experiences in Beijing

Abstract

Current data on international student has not particularly examined the experiences of the international African students in China. Furthermore, faced with a situation where the researcher encountered challenges as a student in China; I self-located in exploring the experiences of the African student in adapting to a new social and academic environment. A phenomenological research framework using semi-structured interviews was used to explore the social and academic experiences of 12 African Graduate students from three Universities in Beijing, China. Participants identified Chinese language as a major challenge, reported limited interaction with Chinese lecturers and discriminatory treatments during classroom dynamics. Added to these, there is much preference given to students from western countries. The study concludes by discussing the implication for practice and emphasizes the importance of universities acknowledging the cultural background of each other and incorporating perspectives of all students in a particular class to enhance student life experiences.