Institutional Social Capital and Chinese International Branch Campus: A Case Study from Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Driven by the intensified competition among institutions for foreign students, there is a growing trend that higher education institutions expand their campuses to foreign countries to enhance student recruitment. In the special context of international branch campuses in China, which is a kind of middle way between Chinese and Western cultures, this chapter examines the role of institutional social capital and the ways it may influence Chinese students’ university experiences. Based on the findings generated from interviews with students, this chapter argues that although certain aspects of institutional social capital are curtailed in the branch campus, students still have many chances to cultivate it in campus settings. However, the most commonly addressed function of institutional social capital, i.e., its role in students’ job-hunting, is not observed in this research. This chapter contributes to the current literature by pointing out that because of historical and cultural reasons, Chinese students attach special importance to institutional social capital. The finding has implication for institutions and participants of internationalization of education.