scholarly journals Perceptions of Mainland Chinese Students Toward Obtaining Higher Education in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 623-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Bartlett ◽  
Wei Han ◽  
James E. Bartlett, II
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
States Data ◽  
And Migration

Since 1978, when the first group of 50 mainland Chinese students came to the United States for education, increasing numbers of mainland Chinese students have come to the United States to get a degree (Lampton, Madancy & Williams, 1986). In 2009, China surpassed India, becoming the largest source country of international students in the United States, and since then, China has the most international students seeking education in the United States (Open Doors Data, 2015). The purpose of this Q methodology study is to explore personal perspectives of mainland Chinese students on the value of getting a degree in the United States. Data analysis grouped similar viewpoints. Based on data from ten mainland Chinese students, we categorized three different groups of mainland Chinese students: job and education group, education group, and migration group.

scholarly journals Self-segregation, sense of belonging, and social support: An inquiry into the practices and perceptions of Chinese graduate students at an American Mid-Atlantic University

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
P. J. Moore-Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Chinese Graduate Students ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students

Chinese students studying in the United States face great challenges when adapting to cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical differences. Although discouraged in the literature, self-segregation is a practice common among some international students and is especially prevalent in the Chinese community. This qualitative study explored the motivation and frequency of this practice vis-à-vis social support, and its effect on the participants’ sense of belonging. Insider status was employed to conduct focus groups of mainland Chinese students currently enrolled in graduate programs at a Mid-Atlantic University in the United States. Findings from the study explore how administrators, educators, and the students themselves view the practice of self-segregation and its consequences.

The academic and personal experiences of Mainland Chinese students enrolled in a Canadian Master of Education Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane P. Preston ◽  
Anhui Wang
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese Student ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Master Of Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to communicate the positive and challenging aspects of a Master of Education program, as perceived by Chinese students at an Atlantic Canadian university. Design/methodology/approach Assuming a qualitative methodology, 21 Mainland Chinese students participated in individual, paired, and focus group semi-structured interviews. Interviews were member checked. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings are discussed using Deardorff’s (2006, 2009) concept of intercultural competence. Findings Students perceived the best features of their educational experience to be personable instructors, their enhanced English skills, and practical course-based experiences embedded in the program. The main challenges were social isolation, English language requirements and related assignments, and theoretical expectations of the program. Research limitations/implications This study contains a somewhat small qualitative small sample size (i.e. 21 participants), therein, disabling any generalization of results. In other words, the data findings are unique and non-generalizable beyond the particular research case. However, transferability, which refers to the extent in which the results of an original study can be applied to similar people, contexts, or settings (Lincoln and Guba, 1985), may be applied to the findings if the reader deems the context of this study in alignment with his/her situation. Practical implications Approximately, 82 percent of Canadian universities rate internationalization as a top priority, supporting the need for research in this area. An implication of the study is that internationalization of higher education must be more than just the recruitment of international students. Universities have direct and fiduciaries responsibilities to support the academic needs, personal needs of their international students, as well as the intercultural competence of all students, instructors and staff. Originality/value There is a plethora of research documenting experiences of international students, in general, but such research is not directly transferrable to the Chinese student. The issues and problems encountered by Chinese international students are unique and should be addressed independently from international students. Moreover, a lot of the research that focuses on Chinese students enrolled in North American universities, predominantly, is conducted within the USA, and such research tends to spotlight the challenges only. In turn, the authors’ research addresses a specialized focus of the international Chinese student in Canada.

Acculturative Stressor and Meaning of Life as Predictors of Negative Affect in Acculturation: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study between Chinese International Students in Australia and Hong Kong

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 740-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Yan Pan ◽  
Daniel Fu Keung Wong ◽  
Lynette Joubert ◽  
Cecilia Lai Wan Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Students ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare the predictive effects of acculturative stressor and meaning of life on negative affect in the process of acculturation between Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Method: Four hundred mainland Chinese students studying at six universities in Hong Kong and 227 Chinese international students studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia completed a questionnaire that included measures of acculturative stressor, meaning of life, negative affect and demographic information. Results: The Australian sample was found to have a higher level of acculturative stressor and negative affect than the Hong Kong sample. Acculturative stressor had a positive impact on negative affect in both samples, but the impact of different domains of acculturative stressor on negative affect varied between the two groups. Finally, meaning of life partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stressor and negative affect in the Hong Kong sample, but no such effect was found in the Australia sample. Conclusions: Acculturative stressor is a critical risk factor for negative affect in acculturation for Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Meaning of life acted as a protective factor that mitigated negative affect for mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong, but not for the Chinese international students in Australia. The theoretical and practical implications for resilience-based and meaning-oriented intervention for Chinese international students are discussed.

scholarly journals Interest Convergence and the Commodification of International Students and Scholars in the United States

JCSCORE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-109
Author(s):  
Christina W. Yao ◽  
Tiffany Viggiano
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Interest Convergence ◽  
Official Statement ◽  
And Migration

International students and scholars in the United States (U.S.) have often been excluded from conversations about race, ethnicity, and migration within U.S. contexts. However, with the issuance of what is commonly known as the Travel Bans, fears emerged from the international education community of the Travel Bans affecting international student recruitment and enrollment. In this study, we highlight the ways in which an official statement from leaders of international higher education organizations employ interest convergence arguments, followed by a discussion of the ways in which convergence in this case is employed as a tool to garner U.S. soft power. The examination of a brief of amicus curiae submitted by the American Council on Education and 32 additional higher education associations revealed the commodification of international students and scholars when using interest convergence as an analytical frame for examining the soft power (Nye, 2008). International students and scholars contribute to U.S. soft power as a means of garnering diversity, contributing to foreign policy, producing knowledge, and generating economic gains.

scholarly journals Qualitative Study on Chinese Students’ Perception of U.S. University Life

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaokang Tang ◽  
Daniel Collier ◽  
Allison Witt
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
International Students ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Parental Expectations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
American Universities ◽  
University Life

This qualitative research was conducted on Chinese international students preparing to study in the United States about their expectation and perception of American universities. It explored motivation for pursuing degrees in the United States, expectations of life in the United States, and plans post-graduation. Findings suggest that these students foresee U.S. classes to be rigorous due to two notable barriers: English proficiency issue and difference in learning environment. Furthermore, the students promoted desires to build relationships with domestic students but already internalized beliefs that this action was unlikely. They presumed that most networking would occur with co-nationals due to comfort and ease. Finally, parental expectations emerged as a significant factor that influence Chinese international students’ desire to study in the United States and post-graduation plans.

The connection between VFR experience based and sociocultural dimensions of international students and mainland Chinese students

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung Shing Chan ◽  
Birgit Pikkemaat ◽  
Dora Agapito ◽  
Qinrou Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Students ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Tourism Resources

Purpose This paper aims to present the host experience of student hosts in Hong Kong, a popular educational destination for international students from mainland China and other countries. This study examines the interconnection between the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, considering the overall host experience, the host–guest relationship and post-hosting changes in perception of both the VFR experience and destination. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a qualitative approach to compare the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of VFR travel considering international university students as VFR hosts in Hong Kong, taking a student sample from both mainland Chinese and overseas students. Based on a voluntary sampling approach, the research team had face-to-face interviews with the students that agreed to participate. The interviews were conducted voluntarily and anonymously and included those students who had hosted any friends or relatives in the past 12 months. A total of 26 interviews were successfully completed, including 10 mainland Chinese and 16 non-mainland Chinese students. Findings The results confirm that the VFR host experience is generally shaped by an integration of internal characteristics (sociocultural characteristics of both hosts and visitors) and external environment (urban infrastructure and tourism resources). The two groups distinctively express their host experience that shows some areas of cultural barriers and geographical proximity. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research mainly lie on its relatively small sample size because of constraints in accessing the contact information of international students across universities. These shortcomings should be improved by adopting a research design that uses other sampling approaches, such as snowball sampling, to include a wider scope of students from different local universities, or convenience sampling, to interview and compare responses of international students from various educational destinations. Alternative data sources may be considered, for example, through user-generated contents from online and social media platforms that contain sharing of students as hosts. Practical implications The geographical and cultural proximities influence VFR tourism development and social construction of values and the consequent hosting behaviour. The unique role of international students should be further explored, especially in the Asian context. The outcome of VFR travel must be evaluated and studied more from cultural and personal dimensions than economic gain, which should be relevant to host perspective such as improved quality of life, social ties and place attachment and psychological benefits. The changing risk perception caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may be examined through some forms of travel intention. Social implications Firstly, the destination marketing organisations of the educational destination should address the difficulty faced by student hosts in terms of external attributes such as local culture, urban infrastructure, tourism resources and information accessibility. Secondly, to target the hosts, some specific VFR-related products and services may be developed for international students through local tertiary institutions such that the role of hosts as ambassadors can be facilitated and enhanced. Thirdly, the functional role of international students can be distinctive based on their unique network, activities and knowledge constructed upon learning during the period of education. Originality/value The studentification of many educational destination cities, the dynamism of the role of international students as VFR hosts and their cultural differences between places of origin have provided an opportunity for deepening the understanding of VFR tourism.

Place attachment and affinity: turning the Mainland Chinese students into “Word-of-Mouth Champions”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Ivan Ka Wai Lai ◽  
Baoyi Song
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Place Dependence

PurposeMainland Chinese students are the largest group of international students globally. The role of international students in destination marketing can be seen as “Word-of-Mouth Champions”. This study attempts to examine the effect of place attachment and affinity for Mainland Chinese students on generating word-of-mouth intention towards their place of study.Design/methodology/approachSix well-trained research assistants collected paper-based questionnaires in six institutions in Macao. They chose every tenth student who passed by to fill in the questionnaire at six locations in each institution. This study employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the strength of causal relationship among place identity, place dependence, affinity and intention to word-of-mouth.FindingsThe results of the survey from 327 students in Macao indicate that place dependence, place identity and affinity drive Mainland Chinese students to provide word-of-mouth regarding Macao. Place dependence has a positive influence on place identity, and place identity has a positive influence on affinity with residents. However, place dependence has no significant direct effect on affinity.Practical implicationsEvidence from this study indicates the importance of students' word-of-mouth as they as sojourners, in particular, the students' place attachment and affinity for residents is critical to positive their Word-of-mouth on destinations. This research offers insights about the potential group which need require attention.Originality/valueThis study fills a research gap by exploring the relationship between place attachment and social distance in influencing Mainland Chinese students' behaviour, a relationship that has rarely been investigated in tourism research. Practical recommendations are provided to the governments, universities and education enterprises according to the results of the study. From both theoretical and practical perspectives, the findings from this study suggest promoting international students to turn into real “Word-of-Mouth Champions”.

scholarly journals Higher Education as an Immigration Path for Chinese Students and Scholars

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bangchen Pang ◽  
Nicholas Appleton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
To Come

The purposes of this study were to identify and describe the factors that influenced the choices made by mainland Chinese students and scholars to come to the United States, to identify and describe the factors that influenced their settlement in the United States, and to identify and describe the role that higher education played in this process. An explanatory multiple case study design was used as the basic strategy for the study. In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted to describe, from the participants perspective, the factors that influenced their successful immigration to the United States. The participants were a convenience sample of 10 Chinese immigrants from mainland China selected from several Chinese professional and social organizations in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. The participants were of different genders, professions, and ages.

Migration and the Internet

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas John Cooke ◽  
Ian Shuttleworth
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Dynamics Models

It is widely presumed that information and communication technologies, or ICTs, enable migration in several ways; primarily by reducing the costs of migration. However, a reconsideration of the relationship between ICTs and migration suggests that ICTs may just as well hinder migration; primarily by reducing the costs of not moving.  Using data from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics, models that control for sources of observed and unobserved heterogeneity indicate a strong negative effect of ICT use on inter-state migration within the United States. These results help to explain the long-term decline in internal migration within the United States.

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