Experiences Of Chinese International Students Research Articles

Understanding Chinese international students’ language ideologies and multilingual practices in English-medium instruction programs in Germany

Analysed through the lens of language ideology, this qualitative study delved into the multilingual experiences of Chinese international students in English-medium instruction (EMI) studies in Germany. Drawing on semi-structured interview data from 16 Chinese postgraduate students in an international university, this study probed into these students’ language ideologies related to English, German, and Mandarin Chinese. Data analysis showed that their language ideologies were complex and intertwined with academic success, social integration, future employment, solidarity within ethnic groups, and widening local networks. It was also found that the participants’ multiple while often conflicting language ideologies were pivotal in shaping their investment in and usage of particular languages. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the diversity inherent in international students’ language ideologies in EMI and have significant implications for the internationalisation of multilingual environments in higher education (HE).

The COVID-19 Pandemic's Stigma Effects on Chinese International Students' Lives and Mental Health

As COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, spreads globally in 2019, there has been a surge in discrimination against people of Chinese descent. Negative labels such as "disease carrier" and "potential threat" have become closely associated with the Chinese community, resulting in social segregation characterized by exclusion, discrimination, and, in some cases, physical harm. This study aims to explore whether the stigma against Chinese international students still exists today when the epidemic has ended. This study collected 100 questionnaires from Chinese international students in Western countries regarding personally identifiable information, personal experiences of stigma, and reactions to stigma. By analyzing the questionnaire data, the stigmatization experiences of Chinese international students after the epidemic were summarized. Stereotypes such as "virus carriers" that arose during the epidemic still existed and continued to affect the 324dc health of Chinese students who study abroad. At this same time, many Chinese students were able to recover from the trauma quickly, but there are still some students who have difficulty or are unable to fully recover from the trauma. This paper hopes to draw the attention of more overseas universities to this current situation and create a healthier and more inclusive learning environment for international students.

중국인 유학생의 한국 대학에서 생활 경험에 대한 질적 사례 연구

Objectives This study attempted to present implications for the management of foreign students in Korean university institutions and the government's direction of attracting excellent international students by revealing the characteristics of Chinese international students' life and experiences in Korean universities.
 Methods To this end, a qualitative case study was conducted on 5 Chinese international students. Data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review, and the characteristics of the life experiences of Chinese international students were analyzed through the process of coding and categorizing the collected data. Finally, in order to secure the validity of the study, the research results were reviewed and confirmed by participants and third parties.
 Results As a result of the study, it was found that Chinese international students in Korea decided to study abroad to acquire and succeed in obtaining academic background in terms of admission and chose a prestigious school within the range of admission. As it is difficult to understand and express Korean in terms of instruction, they cannot adapt to the class and prefer a passive purpose-oriented relationship. In addition, it was found that in terms of life, they prefer individual-oriented life rather than participating in school activities.
 Conclusions It is necessary to prepare a counseling center for universities and majors before admission to help Chinese international students adapt to Korean university life, and Korean language classes specialized in each major are needed to help with difficulties caused by language skills. It is also necessary to prepare an environment and conditions to activate exchanges with Korean students and to provide accurate and detailed guidance on their foreign students life.

Positive Psychology in International Student Development: What Makes Chinese Students Successful?

Most of the current literature on the experiences of Chinese international students tends to adopt a deficit-based approach, focusing on the weaknesses, problems, and challenges Chinese students face while studying overseas. In other words, they tend to focus on struggling Chinese students, “problem” Chinese students, and Chinese students who are failing their overseas studies. Though the intention may be good, these studies may strengthen a negative stereotypical image of Chinese international students that is problem ridden. This study aims to introduce some positive psychology in international student development by focusing on successful Chinese students, their success stories, and what success secrets they can share with future Chinese students studying abroad. With the completion of an undergraduate program adopted as a minimum threshold of student success, this study aims to glean the experiences of successful Chinese students in the United Kingdom and disseminate them as lessons for future students. The study finds that proactiveness in networking and seeking support, open and adaptive attitude toward learning and life, and metacognitive skills in self-management are the most important factors contributing to Chinese students’ success in overseas studies.

Affective geographies and tribal epistemologies: studying abroad during COVID-19

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between epistemologies, tribalism and affect in the experiences of Chinese international students studying in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on data from student diaries, interviews, and focus groups, it explores how boundaries between in-groups and out-groups were erected and dismantled through processes of socio-temporal scaling, whereby social actors configured affective geographies by linking local spatial relationships to higher level (national and international) scales. The analysis reveals how negative emotions like fear of infection led to practices of spatial distancing and the drawing of cultural boundaries between groups, while feelings of worry about family members in China shaped communication patterns and information flows across geographic spaces. At times, however, positive emotions like affection and sympathy helped participants transcend boundaries, leading them to readjust their emotional mappings of the world and reevaluate their beliefs about COVID. The study highlights the central role affect and emotional labor play both in the formulation of epistemologies around health and in the drawing of boundaries between groups.

Beyond Language and Culture: A Qualitative Exploration of Mental Health Barriers for Chinese International Students Seeking Therapy in the U.S.

This qualitative study explores the experiences and attitudes of Chinese international students in the U.S. towards psychotherapy, with an emphasis on identifying potential barriers and facilitators to their mental health treatment. Data were drawn from individual experiences of undergraduate and graduate Chinese international students who had engaged in therapy in the U.S. A grounded theory approach was employed to dissect these experiences and assess their attitudes towards psychotherapy. The grounded theory identified several themes from the students’ therapeutic experiences, such as: the inconsequential role of language barriers, the significant yet not prohibitive impact of cultural differences, the critical role of health insurance, the influence of therapists’ professional demeanor, and the correlation between mental health knowledge and attitudes towards therapy. Interestingly, the study also unveiled an emergent theme concerning professional boundaries within therapy. These findings suggest that while language and cultural differences might not be direct obstacles to therapy, factors such as therapists’ backgrounds and attitudes, insurance coverage, and accessibility can pose substantial challenges to Chinese international students seeking mental health treatment. Importantly, a heightened level of mental health knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes toward therapy. As a culmination of these findings, we formu- lated a triadic model emphasizing cultural understanding within the therapeutic setting, service accessibility, and mental health knowledge as key influences on the psychotherapy experiences of Chinese international students.

“Why Do They Hate Us?”: Learning from the Racialized Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States during COVID-19

“Why Do They Hate Us?”: Learning from the Racialized Experiences of Chinese International Students in the United States during COVID-19

The Impact of International Education and Cultural Empowerment in the Global Job Market

Abstract This article challenges the idea that international education only has positive spillover effects on the students going through it, assessing students’ capacity to understand and, if possible, explore new working opportunities in the host country. It discusses to what extent an international education experience and regular exposure to an alternative educational, social, and working environment could provide opportunities for students to broaden and deepen their views and perceptions of the world, and to use cultural capital gained from international mobility to increase their employability in the global job market. Based on a study conducted among a small group of Chinese students based in France, this article highlights when, how, and under which circumstances students’ mobility capital is understood and explored as a new source of economic opportunities, discussing motivations and integration in the experiences of Chinese international students.

The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on motivation to stay: a comparison between Chinese and non-Chinese international students in Nova Scotia, Canada

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted international students due to unexpected changes in policies and regulations regarding their visa status and immigration, travel restrictions, and heightened scrutiny against foreigners. Such changes potentially disrupt and affect international students’ post-graduation migration plan: whether they decide to go back to their home country or stay in Canada and apply for permanent residency. This may particularly be the case for Chinese international students, the 2nd largest group of international students in Canada, due to the rise of anti-Asian racism and the stigmatization that the COVID-19 is a ‘Chinese virus’. Using ‘intellectual migration’ as our analytical framework, we pay particular attention to the experiences of Chinese international students in the province of Nova Scotia, an intellectual periphery in Canada. Drawing upon data from online surveys and focus groups, this study compares the experiences of Chinese and non-Chinese international students during the pandemic and whether these experiences have impacted their post-migration plans and their motivation to stay in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Remote Learning in Higher Education During the Pandemic: A Study of the Experiences of Chinese International Students at United Kingdom and United States Universities in 2020/21

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, many universities around the world made a drastic change by transferring most of their offline classes to emergency remote learning (ERL). The aim of this study was to explore how Chinese students, who studied in United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) universities during the 2020/21 academic year, perceive their experiences of remote learning. As the UK and the US have two relatively advanced education systems, the arrangements of their universities for ERL and their support for international students are worth exploring. Moreover, during the ERL, a portion of Chinese students had online classes in their home countries instead of the country in which their universities are located. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were carried out to explore the academic experiences and social interaction of students who studied in UK and US universities, while remaining in China. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The findings showed that ERL was perceived negatively by students despite its flexibility in areas of academic learning experiences and social interaction.

The intercultural experiences of Chinese international students in the UK

This paper aims to investigate a group of Chinese students’ intercultural encounters studying in two articulation programmes in one British university and analyses the barriers that seem to exist between them, home and other international students. This research is qualitative in nature. Thematic analysis of sixteen Chinese students’ interviews and reflective narratives were adopted. A core finding is that the power of the ‘Chinese circle’ provides this group with a comfortable zone but also presents a barrier to engaging in intercultural communication and developing more intercultural identities. Contributing factors to this pull of the Chinese circle include changing attitudes to English and Chinese language, negative intercultural experiences, and a lack of awareness of intercultural identity. It is suggested that universities should diversify their international recruitment, enhance intercultural education and training provided for all international students before and during their studies abroad.

Experiences of Chinese international students living in Australia: Wellbeing from "we" to "me"

Whilst there is evidence of subjective wellbeing being related to academic success, good performance within and beyond university, degree attainment, and positive subsequent physical, mental, economic, and social outcomes in the university student population, less is known on how different student populations perceive, experience, and cultivate wellbeing. The current study explored the perspectives and experiences of one such population: Chinese international students at several universities across Australia. Semi-structured interviews with 30 students indicated that participants mainly experienced wellbeing through experiences of competence, feeling supported by family and friends, low levels of pressure, and giving to others. Almost half of the participants believed that people around them had low wellbeing. Students indicated drawing upon intrapersonal activities as the primary pathway to support their own wellbeing, whereas they pointed to interpersonal activities to support other’s wellbeing. The findings show the mismatch between students’ wellbeing experiences and pathways, shed light on understanding students’ wellbeing in the higher education context, and identify some of the contextual and cultural factors that contribute to wellbeing experiences and pathways. Implications for interculturally nuanced approaches to understanding and supporting wellbeing are considered

Outside in the Moana? Chinese International Students’ Experiences of Studying in Pacific Studies at The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Scholarship that explores the experiences of Chinese International Students in New Zealand have identified language barriers, differing rationale in classroom participation and “face” as a concept that mediates their scholastic journey. At the University of Auckland, New Zealand, the majority of Chinese international students take up majors such as finance, computing and engineering. This paper is the first to explore the experiences of Chinese international students majoring in Pacific Studies at a postgraduate level. We make use of data gleaned from critical autoethnographic and talanoa interview methods to explore the uniqueness of this positionality through a thematic talanoa. In doing so we argue their experiences are similar but also differ in important ways from other Chinese international students, in that those in Pacific Studies were also presented with a greater awareness of the need to negotiate their lives between multiple cultural contexts: Mainstream New Zealand society, Pacific Studies – a learning environment that emphasises decolonisation and Indigenous knowledge – while living as Chinese students in a foreign land

A Study Of Chinese International Student Dropout: Acculturation Experiences And Challenges In A Pre-University English Language Improvement Program

With an increasing number of international students coming to Canada for higher education, Canadian universities are offering diverse English language improvement programs (ELIPs) to improve international students’ English proficiency. However, some Chinese international students struggle to pass such programs and eventually withdraw. This study examines the living and learning experiences of Chinese international students who dropped out of ELIPs and identifies the factors associated with their decisions to drop out. The findings indicate that Chinese international students dropped out due to academic failure that was related to low learning motivation, lack of time management and self-regulation, and insufficient academic and social integration. Implications for educators in higher education, study support services, and students are presented.

A Qualitative Study of the Role of Social Ties and Learning Style Differences in Affecting Chinese International Students’ Perceived Academic Performance

This qualitative study aimed to solicit the perceptions of Chinese international students about their social tie formation and learning styles in a European country (Belgium) and relations to their perceived academic performance. Four focus groups, involving 21 Chinese students were conducted. This focus group study provided a picture of the interactional and learning experiences of Chinese international students in Belgium. The results indicated that Chinese students have built primary co-national ties, secondary international ties and  tertiary host-national ties (i.e., domestic students) and perceived a number of learning style differences as compared to the western students. Furthermore, this qualitative study captured some essence of how these different social ties and learning style differences influenced Chinese students’ academic performance.

Making friends in Australia: expectations and experiences of Chinese international students in Australian secondary schools.

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships.

“Why universities need to actively combat Sinophobia”: racially-traumatic experiences of Chinese international students in the United States during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This phenomenological study explores the experiences of Chinese international undergraduate students in the United States as they work through the complications of COVID-19 that are potentially intertwined with Sinophobia. By drawing on insights from critical race theory, especially the lens of racial trauma and trauma-informed care, the current study interprets four primary themes: (a) Paradox: Confusions about Racism in Academic Life; (b) Racially-Traumatic Incidences and Risk Factors in Social and Cultural Life; (c) Exodus: Burnout, Homesick, and the Dilemma; and (d) Determined Traumatic Symptoms: Insomnia, Nightmare, and Negative Memories. Noticeably, social justice issues such as isolation, exclusion, threats, and discrimination were present during the 2020 academic year. Therefore, the implications are explored through sociopsychological perspectives.

Developing Critical Thinking: Experiences of Chinese International Students in a Post-1992 University in England

Critical thinking is a key attribute for students in British higher education, but there has been little research on how Chinese students develop critical thinking during their studies at British universities. Based on interviews with sixteen Chinese students at a university in England, this paper reports their experiences of developing critical thinking during their one-year Master’s programmes. Developing critical thinking was not always an easy task for these students. In addition to cultural background, other factors that played important roles in influencing how these students developed critical thinking included the teachers’ questioning approaches, group discussions in the classes, English language proficiency, and the criteria for assessing critical thinking in writing practices. The findings suggest that it is time to shift the ‘deficit’ conceptualization in which Chinese students are seen as lacking critical thinking and reexamine the ways that lecturers can facilitate the development of critical thinking of these students.

Health and Employment Experiences of Chinese International Students in Australia

Chinese international students represent a significant social, economic and cultural force in Australian society. Research has demonstrated that Chinese students enrich Australia not only through their economic contribution, but through soft diplomacy and cultural links. Despite this, and the recent rapid growth in the number of Chinese international students to the country, only a small number of studies have focused specifically on understanding the health and employment experiences of Chinese students in Australia. This paper examines interview data from an ethnographic study involving ten Chinese international students pursuing higher education in New South Wales, Australia. Topics concerning work rights and exploitation, migration, and cultural differences are touched upon within their health and employment experiences. This paper provides insights for those working with Chinese international students in the areas of health education and promotion, diversity and inclusion, employment and mobility studies. The results contribute to broader insights into the inward/outward mobility of higher education students and Australia’s National Strategy for International Education 2025.

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry at a Canadian University

This hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry explores the lived experiences of Chinese international students at a Canadian university in COVID times with gender comparison. Ten participants between 20 and 30 years of age are interviewed via Zoom meetings and WeChat videos to reveal specific insights they have gained from their experiences. Based on resilience theory as a theoretical framework, the findings display the students’ protective factors, including internal assets and external resources, i.e., perceived competence, coping skills, self-efficacy, family connectedness, parental support, peer support, school connectedness, and community support, and the risk factors the students face during these challenging times, i.e., academic barriers, mental issues, health threats, and racial prejudges. The interactions of protective factors and risk factors are examined, in reducing or avoiding the negative effects of adversity exposure. Special resilience-based interventions are discussed.