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Recollected Experiences of Chinese Students Who Study in the UK in a Pathway
Program
by
Song Wang
A Dissertation
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education
August 8, 2020
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Abstract
Many students in China seek post-secondary educational opportunities in the UK because graduating from or even just attending a college or university there can facilitate upward social mobility and employability in China once they have returned there to live. However, these
Chinese students face a number of challenges when they attend a university in the UK, ranging from culture shock and social isolation to academic difficulties encountered because of their problems with the English language. If not adequately addressed, these challenges can lead to poor academic performance and ultimately dropout. Pathway programs, bridging programs tailor-made for international students that aim to provide the students with the adequate supports they need to help them cope with their initial transition period and even through their integration into a university, began to be developed in the UK in the early 1990s. Today, more and more universities in the UK—even the most prestigious ones—offer pathway programs, and many are heavily dependent on pathway programs for their international student recruitment. Chinese students account for almost 50% of the pathway students in the UK, and the number promises to grow in the future. A better understanding of why and how pathway programs can be most useful to Chinese students, and what supports are most needed by the students who use them, can help more Chinese students succeed in the future. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors that are relevant to the retention of Chinese students enrolled in pathway programs at a for-profit private college in the UK. Using Tinto’s theory of student retention, this
Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study seeks to answer the following research question: What are the pathway program experiences of Chinese students studying in a for-profit private college in the UK? 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Before I began this program, I understood it must be a challenging and enjoyable experience.
However, I absolutely underestimated both the challenges and enjoyment. It was really enjoyable when I completed a periodic task, especially when I successfully passed my thesis defense.
However, I was also almost overwhelmed several times by certain time-consuming tasks. I owe massive thanks to several people who have helped me throughout this memorable journey. I understand I could never have made it this far without their help.
I am indeed grateful to my wife, Jingtao Lei. Her daily encouragement and supports in every possible way made me feel guilty if I didn’t complete my study successfully. I am also indeed grateful to my mum and dad, Xiuling Bi and Qinghe Wang. Their “reality distortion field” of
“Our son is always capable of anything” makes me believe in it gradually. The joy of competition with my sweetheart daughter, Henan Wang, may easily kiss away all my dismay during the journey. I still remember the scene when my daughter and I sat in the same IELTS examination room (I needed a qualified standard language level score in order to be admitted into this doctoral program and she just didn’t want me to walk alone!). She was just in the right and five rows in front of me. I hope time may stop at that moment and it was such a beautiful freeze-frame in my life!
I want to give my heart-felt thanks to Dr. Kelly Corn. I was really overwhelmed by the module semester taught at the very beginning. Her almost real-time reply to my questions with amazing details, and her face-to-face tutorial dispersed the fog of all my concerns. I also want give my special thanks to my thesis chair, Dr. Lynda Beltz. Her great professionalism, consideration, and 4 patience took me all the way through my dissertation year smoothly without hassle. Many thanks also to my thesis committee members, Dr. Kristal Clemons and Dr. Kevin MeKelvey. They reviewed my thesis twice, picked out my errors and gave me professional advice. I also want to give my special thanks to my proofreader, Dr. Lee Sebastiani. Her massive patience and her attention to details polished my thesis so well that I am very proud to present it to anyone. At last but not least, I want to give my sincere thanks to my Kaplan colleagues in Beijing, Hong Kong,
UK, US, and Australia for their support and encouragement; some colleagues are really considerate after they knew about my doctoral study. Special thanks to my colleague, Linda
Cowan—she asked me twice to share my research findings and it makes me feel my study does have some practical value in it!
It is autumn in Beijing now. Autumn is a season of harvest. When I look back, combing through all my memories on the way, I feel so fulfilled as I harvest not only practical knowledge, unforgettable stories, but also so many friends during the trip! Now, I have deeper understanding of the Chinese saying: To make life meaningful, keep either your heart or your feet on the road…
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Table of Contents
Abstract ...... 2 Acknowledgements ...... 3 Table of Contents ...... 5 Chapter One: Introduction ...... 9 Chinese Students Abroad ------10 Education Agents ------12 Challenges Faced by Overseas Chinese Students in the UK ------13 Pathway Programs for Chinese Students in the UK ------14 English Pathway Programs ...... 16 Pathway Programs Versus Degree Programs ...... 16 Kaplan and China ------18 Kaplan International Colleges and Other Pathway Providers ------19 Significance of the Research Problem ------20 Research Central Questions/Hypothesis and Sub-Questions/Hypothesis ------22 Positionality Statement ------22 Positionality From the Ecology and Epistemology Perspective ...... 24 Theoretical Framework ------25 Student Retention Theory ...... 26 Summary ...... 28 Conclusion ------28 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...... 29 Introduction ------29 The Seminal Work of Tinto and Altbach on Student Retention ------30 Vincent Tinto ...... 30 Philip Altbach ...... 32 Focus of the Chapter: The Pathway Program ...... 33 A Comparison of Pathway and Traditional Degree Programs ...... 34 The History of Chinese Students’ Study Abroad ------36 The Beginning of Study Abroad in Groups ...... 36 The Republican Period ...... 38 The People’s Republic of China ...... 39 China’s Opening Up Policy ...... 40 The Opportunities of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study ------41 Improving English Language Fluency ...... 41 The Job Market ...... 42 Enhancing “Hard” and “Soft” Employability ...... 43 The Rise of Chinese Universities ...... 45 Staying in the Host Country After Graduation ...... 46 Overseas Study Experience and Social Class Upgrade ...... 47 English-Speaking Environment, Developed Countries, and Future Prospects ...... 49 High Quality Education (Human-Capital Theory) ...... 50 Invisible Cultural and Economic Push and Pull ...... 51 6
Widening Horizon and Perspectives ...... 51 Summary ...... 52 The Challenges of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study ------53 The English Language Barrier ...... 53 Academic Difficulty and Stress ...... 55 Social Isolation ...... 56 Cultural Shock ...... 58 Parents Making Decisions About Student’s Study Plans ...... 59 IELTS/TOEFL Preparation Programs ...... 61 Less Common Challenges ...... 62 Potential Issues With Host Universities and Possible Solutions ...... 62 Summary of the Challenges of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study ...... 64 Conclusion ------64 Chapter Three: Research Design ...... 66 Introduction ------66 Research Design ...... 67 Research Tradition ...... 68 Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) ...... 69 Participants ------70 Nottingham Trent International College ...... 71 Recruitment and Access ------73 Protection of Human Subjects ------73 Data Collection ------75 Data Storage------78 Data Analysis ------78 Trustworthiness ------79 Limitations ------80 Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis ...... 81 Identifying the Themes in the Data ------82 Theme 1: Choosing the UK as an Overseas Study Destination ------83 Subtheme 1: Recommended by Their Friends or Relatives ...... 84 Subtheme 2: The UK is an English-Speaking Country ...... 85 Subtheme 3: High Quality Education ...... 86 Subtheme 4: Time Savings ...... 87 Subtheme 5: Enhancing Employability...... 88 Subtheme 6: Safety and Local Culture ...... 88 Subtheme 6: Rich History of the UK ...... 90 Summary ...... 90 Theme 2: Choosing a Pathway Program ------92 Subtheme 1: Pathway Programs Help Students Enhance Their Foundation Knowledge ..... 93 Subtheme 2: Improving Students’ Language Capacity...... 94 Subtheme 3: Topping Up” Students’ Academic Qualifications ...... 95 Subtheme 4: Pathway Programs Have More Flexible Entry Dates ...... 96 Subtheme 5: Students Follow Their Friends’ Choice of Entering Pathway Programs ...... 98 Summary ...... 99 Theme Three: Enjoyment and Gains in the Program ------101 7
Subtheme 1: Progression Into Their Preferred Universities ...... 102 Subtheme2: Maintaining and Expanding Their Hobbies ...... 103 Subtheme 3: Enjoying Their Dining in the UK ...... 104 Subtheme 4: Making New Friends...... 105 Subtheme 5: Academic Achievement ...... 106 Summary ...... 106 Theme 4: The Striking Differences Between Study in China and in the UK ------107 Subtheme 1: More Freedom in Both Academic Study and Social Life ...... 107 Subtheme 2: Differences in Teaching Methodology ...... 110 Subtheme 3: Communication Limitations in Both Study and Daily Lives ...... 111 Summary ...... 112 Theme 5: The Biggest Challenges at the Pathway Program ------113 Subtheme 1: Inadequate English Language Ability ...... 114 Subtheme 2: Unfamiliar Educational Methodology ...... 116 Summary ...... 118 Theme 6: Advice for Future Chinese Pathway Students ------119 Subtheme 1: Self-discipline ...... 120 Subtheme 2: Follow Your Teacher and Tutor’s Advice ...... 121 Subtheme 3: Follow the Rules ...... 122 Subtheme 4: Improve Your English Beforehand ...... 123 Subtheme 5: Make Friends With Local People ...... 123 Subtheme 6: Critical Thinking ...... 124 Subtheme 7: Other Advice ...... 125 Summary ...... 125 Chapter 5: Discussion ...... 127 Analysis of the Research Findings ------127 Finding 1: Chinese Students Enjoy Their Studies and Life at Their Pathway Program ..... 127 Finding 2: Pathway Programs Provide Secured Progression to “Higher Ranking” Universities ...... 128 Finding 3: Diversified Opportunities from the Students’ Perspectives ...... 130 Finding 4: Some Difficulties and Challenges ...... 133 Factors Relevant to the Retention of Chinese Students Enrolled in a Pathway Program ----- 135 Academic Difficulties ...... 135 English Language Barrier ...... 136 Commitment to Academic Study ...... 137 Time Management ...... 138 Recommendations ------138 Pathway Programs Are Good Bridging Programs...... 138 Add Compulsory Commitment and Time Management Elements to the Curriculum...... 139 Chinese Students Need to Learn English in a Different Way...... 140 A Student Tutor System Is a Good Complement...... 141 Areas for Further Study ------142 References ...... 144 Appendix A: Sample College Approval ...... 155 Appendix B: IRB approval ...... 156 8
Appendix C: NIH Certificate ...... 157 Appendix D: Email for Interviewee Recruitment ...... 158 Appendix E: Interview Guide ...... 159
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Chapter One: Introduction
In virtually every country, it is widely believed that higher education facilitates people’s upward social mobility and enhances their employability. In China, constantly increasing job market competition leads to more and more Chinese students’ choosing to study at outstanding universities overseas in order to gain advantages when they enter the Chinese job market. Cheng
(2018) listed nine reasons for Chinese students to study abroad:
1. enriched experience—a new way of life in a different environment; studying under an
educational system that is unlike their own
2. meeting a diverse range of people—long-lasting networking opportunities with diverse
international students
3. future employment prospects—opportunities for finding a job and advancing in a career
which are seen by both students and their parents as benefits of study abroad
4. improving their language skills—immersion in English yielding greater fluency in
speaking, as well as better writing
5. avoiding China’s rigorous national college entrance exam—eliminating the pressure on
students (and their parents) to do well on the intensely competitive Gaokao, considered
the most important exam for college-bound high school seniors
6. future immigration and working abroad—a way to prepare for the rigorous process of
applying for immigration
7. influence of their friends—not a significant factor in choosing to study abroad, but can
sway the decision
8. better learning environment—perceived by Chinese students as more flexible and
enhancing interpersonal and communication (“soft”) skills 10
9. parental request—respecting the tradition of strong family support for education in China.
Chinese Students Abroad
Chinese culture has a long history of valuing education. As long ago as the Sui Dynasty
(about 605 AD), the emperor Sui Yang Di started the tradition of “national tests” in order to choose royal officers. These exams were analogous to US Civil Service exams; they were open to males from every social class. The focus of the test was the Confucian classics—it was difficult, but a passing grade led to a highly-sought career in the imperial bureaucracy.
Education is still widely perceived as an effective way of social upward mobilization for all people. Therefore, for hundreds of years it has been widely believed that parents have the obligation to provide their children with proper education opportunities.
Secondly, compared with Western culture’s individualism, Eastern culture values collectivism more. In almost every Chinese family, education is not only the parents’ obligation, it extends to all elders—grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, etc. If a child does well. It will be an honor to the whole family, but if a child does poorly. it will shame all the family members
In the past three decades, increasing numbers of Chinese students have chosen to study in
English-speaking countries overseas, such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
This is mainly because English is the most popular language used worldwide, and English is also the foreign language most widely taught in China (Liu, 2016). Liu (2016) pointed out that the
“English language is another factor in their [Chinese students’] choice of overseas education destinations. The global village we live in seems to have necessitated the existence of a global language” (p. 55)
At the same time, many universities in English-speaking countries are actively engaged in recruiting Chinese students. Liu (2016) suggested that “Western universities, mostly in 11
English-speaking countries, step up their efforts in a fierce competition for Chinese students”
(p.42). Overseas student tuition forms abundant and steady university revenue. According to Liu, cash-strapped universities in particular view Chinese students as a source of revenue, both from tuition and their daily living expenses. The Chinese “saving culture” implies that extended families will make any financial sacrifice necessary to send a child to study abroad without requiring the student to apply for loans or other assistance. In addition, governments in host countries faced with the challenges of changing demographics view Chinese students as a source of highly qualified labor if they ultimately emigrate.
Among all the English-speaking countries, the US is the most popular destination for
Chinese students because of its superpower position in economics and global political influence.
However, especially in recent years, according to Huang (2013), a growing number of Chinese students have chosen universities in the UK. UK universities’ rich history and reputation for quality teaching are two main reasons for their popularity among Chinese students. Also, as
Altbach & Teichler (2001) have pointed out, compared with the US, the UK and some other countries “have become more active and skilled in marketing study opportunities and services for foreign students” (p.11).
At the same time, both university administration and faculty in the UK believe that overseas students may enrich local students’ experience and therefore benefit the local students in return. Altbach & Teichler (2001) commented that “there is also recognition that mobility and internationalization within the United Kingdom benefit the majority of nonmobile students”
(p.14). Both economic and academic drives motivate people to study in the UK. 12
Education Agents
More and more education agents are currently recruiting Chinese students for foreign universities. According to the American International Recruiting Council, a professional organization which offers a rigorous certification program for agents, an agent is “an organization, company or association that recruits and places students into accredited colleges, universities, secondary schools and other educational institutions on a commercial 'fee for service' basis” (AIRC, n. d.). Agents typically provide advisement and counseling services to students, including selection of major/degree, language testing, help with visa applications, and arranging interviews with campus admission staff. Agents collect a fee for placement from educational institutions; students may also pay a fee.
Education agents have become more and more professional and have strengthened foreign universities’ visibility and influence in China. Recent statistics show that overseas
Chinese students in the UK have been the largest international student body for many years. In
2018, there were over 662,000 Chinese students studying overseas. Among them, 30,200 were sponsored by the government, 35,600 sponsored by companies, and 596,300 were self-paid students. There were 519,400 Chinese students who returned to China (after they completed their studies) in 2018. Among them, 25,300 were sponsored by the government; 26,500 were sponsored by companies; and 467,600 thousand were self-paid students. Compared with 2017, overall outbound students increased by 53,700 (an 8.83% increase); returned students increased by 38,500 (an 8.00% increase).
From 1978 to the end of 2018, the aggregated outbound students were 5.9 million.
Among them 1.5 million students are studying overseas; 4.3 million have completed their studies. Over 3.6 million who have completed their studies chose to return China and develop 13 their careers. A total of 84.46% of students who studied overseas completed their degrees
(Chinese Ministry of Education, 2019). After the global COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers will likely continue to be high. Supporting statistics are not yet available, but this is a reasonable speculation given that (a) the pandemic may not change Chinese culture and its tradition of study overseas; and (b) the post-pandemic economy may be weak, and lower employment rates will also push students to study overseas.
Challenges Faced by Overseas Chinese Students in the UK
Many students in China seek post-secondary educational opportunities in the UK.
However, these students face a number of challenges. An English language barrier, culture shock, academic difficulties, and social isolation are widely perceived among overseas Chinese students. Chinese students study English as a foreign language in China rather than a second language. Second-language acquisition indicates that the learner is surrounded by the language and has many opportunities to practice in a natural setting; this is not the case with foreign languages, which are not spoken in the learner’s immediate environment (Mitchell & Miles,
2004).
Most Chinese students do not use English in their daily lives except for exams in their classrooms. They can pass written English capacity-level tests, but they are not proficient at speaking English. One of the main reasons why this is so is that Chinese students grow up under
Confucianism and collectivism. There is a striking difference when they interact with their peers in college who are from a Western culture where individualism is stressed. There is also a difference between the Chinese education system and their host country’s education system which results in certain knowledge gaps, including expected teaching pedagogy and study skills.
Western pedagogy is now often characterized by a constructivist approach, where students are 14 actively involved in constructing their own knowledge, rather than passively listening to lectures and memorizing facts (Richardson, 2003). Language barriers, cultural differences, and homesickness often make overseas Chinese students feel lonely and isolated. If not adequately addressed, these challenges can lead to poor academic performance and ultimately drop out
(Lisciandro & Gibbs, 2016; Dooey, 2010).
Pathway Programs for Chinese Students in the UK
Because of the difference between British and Chinese educational systems, there are two ways for Chinese students to enroll at universities in the UK: A-level tests and pathway programs. An A-level test is the traditional UK university entry exam for high school students in the British educational system who want to enroll at universities in the UK. A-Level stands for
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level. It is for year 11 students who have successfully completed their GCSE programs under the British educational system. All universities in the UK accept A-level programs regardless of where the students took them. A- level programs are offered at secondary schools, colleges, and even online. A student needs to choose three to five relevant subjects and obtain qualified marks in order to be admitted to study certain majors at certain universities. Facilitating subjects are those most commonly required by universities and include English literature, history, modern and classical languages, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and geography (Success at School, n. d.).
Before pathway programs came into being, A-levels were the only way for Chinese students to attend a high-ranking university in the UK. However, pathway programs now provide an alternative. A-level programs tend to be more theoretical, systematic, and difficult. Pathway programs are more practical, focused, and easier for Chinese students. 15
Pathway programs (also called bridging programs, pre-university entry programs, enabling programs, conditional acceptance programs, foundation years, foundation programs, and international year one) are newly emerging programs tailor-made for international students who have the equivalent of 11 years of education. Lisciandro & Gibbs (2016) argued that there is increasing interest from higher education institutions and funding bodies in pathway programs.
Understanding the mechanisms of pathway programs may facilitate student retention and enhance student engagement. A common aim of pathway programs is “the development of strategies for maximizing opportunities for university access and participation” in order to increase retention rates (p. 199).
Pathway programs do not have a standard curriculum or syllabus, and typically offer three, not the traditional two, yearly enrollment periods. However, most pathway programs contain three elements: English language programs, study skills (including cultural elements) and introductory courses for certain majors. They aim to fill the gap between British and non-British educational systems and provide a smooth transition bridge for international students who want to transfer from their non-British educational system and enroll at universities in the UK.
Pathway programs aim to help those less qualified international students; and to equip them with necessary English language capacity, relevant foundation knowledge, and cultural skills necessary to achieving successful university lives (Lisciandro & Gibbs, 2016; Dooey, 2019;
Miller et al., 2015).
Cross & Loughlin (2013) concluded that universities in many countries “have seen an increased reliance on international student enrollments.” At the same time that pathway programs are helpful for students, modern higher education institutions have come to rely more and more on pathway programs, in order to secure their student enrollments and enhance student 16 retention until the completion of their degree programs (Altbach & Knight, 2007). Pathway programs not only attract higher education institutions’ attention but also private funding bodies’ as well. Third-party, for-profit pathways providers may be funded by private equity or venture capital (Redden, 2018). When a for-profit company like Kaplan offers a pathway program in partnership with a university, Kaplan assumes the financial risk as well as sharing the program revenue with the university.
English Pathway Programs
Universities have become increasingly reliant upon English Pathway Programs (EPPs) to expand enrollments of international students who otherwise fail to satisfy standard entry requirements, as determined by standardized tests of language proficiency such as IELTS and
TOEFL. These English Pathway Programs focus specifically on English language instruction rather than the widely adopted comprehensive pathway programs. Miller et al. (2015) defined these pathway programs as “conditional acceptance programs” and state that they are “designed for English Language Learning students (ELLs) to learn the language and cultural skills necessary for success in United States colleges and universities” (p. 334).
EPPs also include cultural skills instruction necessary for success. International students were born under different historical and cultural environments. They have different religious beliefs and speak different languages. They have different value concepts and attitudes toward common issues, such as academic integrity, equal opportunity, discrimination, and plagiarism.
The cultural skill programs are more about a student’s conduct code in an international community and cultivate students’ tolerance of differences.
Pathway Programs Versus Degree Programs 17
There is a body of research focusing on students’ experience at their pathway programs.
However, findings show some conflicting results. Some studies have found negative feedback from students and faculty at their pathway programs. Kaktiņš (2018) suggested that pathway programs have already become a mainstay of university degree programs, especially for international students. At the same time, pathway programs are facing challenges; they are highly commercialized which may have negative impacts on teaching and learning, particularly on academic identity (student vs consumer) and key student-teacher relationships. Winkle (2012) argued that higher education institutions are being targeted by for-profit education providers and his study suggests that pathway students have many negative experiences, such as feeling of marginalization, “too much” academic autonomy, lack of development support, inadequate preparation for university degree programs, etc. Benzie (2015) concluded that “pathway programs exist to prepare students for progression into university degrees but the transition experience for many students may not be as smooth as is suggested by the notion of the pathway” (p.17).
Yet, researchers have found that students in a good pathway program tend to do much better than those in first-year degree programs in English-speaking countries, such as the UK,
US, and Australia (Cross & O’Loughlin, 2013; Miller et al., 2015; Lisciandro & Gibbs, 2016).
One empirical study was conducted in English-speaking Canada. Percival & et al. (2015) pointed out that there is increasing interest in pathway programs among higher education institutions in Ontario and that research findings show that “pathway students were more academically successful than their traditional university student counterparts but did experience a number of challenges in transitioning from college into university” (p.400). The challenges include: Pathway students do not have adequate communication with the program administrators, 18 academic advisors, and their peer students; the pathway college does not have adequate orientation programs; pathway students do not have adequate communication and critical thinking skills; and pathway students have difficulty integrating into local social life. If these issues were properly addressed by pathway program providers in their syllabus, pathway students would have a smooth and pleasant experience during their transition period. If we were better able to understand the success stories of Chinese students in pathway programs, and identify the supports that were most useful and needed, then we might be able to help more students succeed.
Kaplan and China
Kaplan International established their first pathway program with Nottingham Trent
University in the UK in March 2005. The first cohort of 35 students enrolled in Nottingham
Trent International College in September 2005. Because of its tailor-made curriculum and first- class student service, including such amenities as airport pickup, personalized assistance with visa and application documents, and “welcome week” activities, its reputation quickly grew and
Kaplan International became the largest pathway program provider for Chinese students in 2010.
It has increased its lead since then. Kaplan International works with 15 partner universities in the
UK and recruits about 3000 Chinese students each year to study at pathway colleges in the UK.
The partner universities include such well-regarded institutions as Bristol University, Glasgow
University, Liverpool University, Nottingham University, Birmingham University, and York
University. Kaplan International is not only famous for its leading position in terms of the number of Chinese students recruited from China to the UK, but also for its high-level international student service and its widely accepted pathway programs. Some outstanding 19 students at their pathway programs have progressed into world-leading universities such as
University College London, the London School of Economics, and Cambridge University.
The combination of high level of student service and student quality make Kaplan
International UK pathway programs the most popular programs in China. The pathway programs are so popular among Chinese students that Kaplan International has had to reject about 500 qualified Chinese students who want to study at the pathway programs due to inadequate spaces available. Besides pathway programs in the UK, Kaplan International has successful pathway programs in the US and Australia. It is the largest pathway program recruiter in China.
Kaplan International Colleges and Other Pathway Providers
The current study was conducted in one of Kaplan International Colleges (KIC) in the
UK. Kaplan International has 15 famous partner universities, 10 colleges, and eight language centers in the UK. Most colleges are based on the host universities’ campuses. Some colleges are off-university campuses due to inadequate space at the university campuses. The Colleges provide only pathway programs because degree program providers in the UK are highly restricted.
KIC welcomes about 6000 newly enrolled students every year from more than 100 countries. Among all the first-year pathway students, about half are Chinese students. Each year, each college conducts certain surveys regarding student satisfaction and student experiences. All the pathway programs are tailor-made for certain individual partner universities (host universities). Student satisfaction and student progression (student retention at the host university) are two of the most important indexes in Kaplan’s internal quality control. Among all the 10 colleges, student satisfaction is always as high as almost 100%. Student retention rates are different from college to college, from 70% to 100%. 20
Other Chinese pathways providers have also been successful in the UK, including Study
Group and INTO. In addition to the three pathway programs giants in China (all for-profit),
Navitas, Cambridge Education Group, and Shorelight are also flourishing pathway providers.
Many individual university-owned pathway programs also account for certain market share in
China. Cambridge University officially launched its pre-master pathway programs and began its first pathway program intake in Sept 2019. Pathway programs are no longer a new concept to most Chinese students and parents.
The current study explores what factors are relevant (or appear to be most relevant) to pathway student retention, particularly overseas Chinese students participating in a pathway program in the U.K. Pathway programs in UK are highly regarded and supported by the UK government, UK universities, and academic faculty at universities. The government policy relevant to pathway programs is steady and “friendly” to international students. Pathway programs in the UK have developed into mature curricula and become Chinese students’ first choice. By identifying the key factors in Chinese student retention, this study provides a snapshot of their study experience as a starting point for higher education shareholders and researchers, in order to dive deeper into student retention complexity and provide solutions to current student retention issues, especially for Chinese overseas pathway student retention.
Significance of the Research Problem
Many researchers have focused on Chinese students’ study experiences in the UK. Most of the studies involve students in their first year of college or first year of graduate school.
Researchers have also viewed their subjects through a demographic lens, dividing students into different minority groups. However, there are few studies on the experiences of Chinese students 21 at their pathway programs. Effective student retention strategies have been recommended, but again, few studies have focused on Chinese students’ retention at their pathway programs.
Chinese students account for 50% of the total pathway students. Therefore, identifying the key factors to Chinese student retention in order to provide valuable information to Kaplan’s college administrators, principals, and board of trustees was my goal. It was my hope to help them to understand the unique issues affecting Chinese students’ retention and therefore provide effective intervention and student support at the policy level. For example, Kaplan learned that some Chinese students failed to progress because of their inadequate English language capacity.
The board of academics at KIC decided to increase the English element in the first term pathway programs and move certain subject elements from Term One to Term Two and Three.
Identifying the key factors affecting Chinese student retention will also help those Chinese students to be aware of their own issues and be well prepared during their study and social lives, and make their transition period more pleasant and smooth.
For-Profit Providers and Non-Profit Universities. Louise Kaktiņš (2018) is an
Australian educator whose main research area is international students in pathway programs. She has suggested that both for-profit partner involvement and market demands have made pathway programs highly commercialized (Kaktiņš, 2018).
This has a negative influence on students. Winkle (2011) argued that universities do not really need outside partners to conduct pathway programs; universities may run pathway programs very well by themselves. However, most public universities in the UK face great financial pressure due to massive government funding cuts in recent years. They do not have the financial strength to open new programs. More importantly, universities are always recognized for their teaching quality and research strength, but pathway programs are too often categorized 22 as “low level.” For these reasons, private for-profit education providers are afforded good opportunities to play an important role and complement the higher education area.
In order to take advantage of these opportunities, Kaplan and other for-profit pathway providers must achieve a high retention rate. The pathway student retention issue is becoming a widely discussed topic among education researchers because it directly reflects the quality of the pathway programs.
Research Central Questions/Hypothesis and Sub-Questions/Hypothesis
The central research question considered in this study is: What are the experiences of
Chinese pathway program students in a for-profit private college in the UK? Three associated sub-questions are:
1. Why do current Chinese students choose to enroll in pathway programs in the UK?
2. What difficulties may cause Chinese students to drop out of pathway programs?
3. How can pathway providers overcome difficulties which may cause Chinese students
to drop out from the perspective of pathway students?
Positionality Statement
Briscoe (2015) has pointed out that “demographic positionings (ethnicity, wealth, age, gender, etc.) are the dimensions to which positionality most often alludes when referencing the other” (p. 32). Ideological positionings are “largely constructed according to one’s experiences, which are influenced by one’s demographic positionality” (p.33). As researchers, we need to be aware of our own identity and lived experience so that we may minimize bias in our research design, research practice and research reasoning.
I was born into a very traditional Chinese family. Both my mother and my father are senior doctors, and graduated in 1960 from the most famous medical school in China. They 23 worked in the best hospital in my hometown city. I grew up and was influenced by what I constantly saw and heard. I believe in education improving people’s career path and social life. I worked very hard throughout my primary and high school and entered a good engineering university in Beijing. After my graduation, I worked in a large state-owned engineering company in Beijing for 6 years after graduation, including 2 years in Kuala Lumpur. Overseas work experience widened my horizons and I found a more interesting profession and I decided to change my profession as an overseas school representative.
I became deeply engaged in the counseling service for Chinese students’ overseas study, assisting students with issues related to choosing and being admitted into a program. I quickly realized that I lacked (a) adequate knowledge about the British education system; (b) personal learning experience; and (c) adequate knowledge about international students’ experiences outside their classroom. I was often asked: Have you ever studied overseas? Therefore I decided to upgrade my knowledge and experience with a Master of Arts degree in Educational Studies at the University of York. During my study at the university, I not only overcame all my own challenges both academic and non-academic, I also joined many activities and observed the difficulties encountered by other international students. I talked with students in different majors and levels and learned about their study motivations, concerns, happiness. I also talked with my lecturers and got to know their understanding of Chinese students’ weakness.
At the end of my first year, the British Council ran its first-time Shine Awards composition competition among all international students in the UK, to recognize those who made the best of their time during their study in the UK. I was in the top 50 winners among
1700+ shortlisted participants. 24
After I graduated from the university and returned to China, I entered a large international education company as the marketing manager. I currently work as the vice president of Kaplan in China, managing operations and recruitment of Chinese students to study overseas. I have seen so many outstanding Chinese students’ real stories of career success and personal happiness, including the success stories of my friends and relatives.
As a lucky kid from an intellectual family, I benefit greatly from my overseas work experience, qualifications, and overseas study experience. As an education practitioner, I witness many successful stories about overseas education. Therefore, I always believe that overseas study benefits every student. All of my personal life and work experiences may make me feel more positive than negative about overseas study. I may ignore some of the students’ difficulties and universities’ issues. When I engage in qualitative research on my interested topic, I need to bear in mind that my life journey and career path (not only to my success but also to my favorite profession) put me in a position which is naturally informed by an understanding of the privilege of cross-culture experience and overseas studies. While designing, conducting, and analyzing my research, I was aware that I needed to avoid bias due to my positionality. No matter how actively
I try to be “objective,” my thinking and actions are always influenced and shaped by my established subjective experiences and understandings. Therefore, I need to make my own positionality clear to myself and also to my readers in order to “quarantine” my bias. This may help make sure my research is properly designed, conducted and concluded objectively.
Positionality From the Ecology and Epistemology Perspective
From the ecology perspective of human development, Bronfenbrenner (1979) concluded that “every ecological transition is both a consequence and an instigator of developmental processes” (p.27). The statement means that both human beings and their immediate settings are 25 changing and keep interacting each other. Human development is relevant to my positionality:
“[It] has some continuity over both time and space. Second, developmental change takes place concurrently in two domains, those of perception and action” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p. 28). It implies that as a scholar-practitioner, my research interpretations are inevitably influenced, informed and shaped by my experiences and more importantly, this is an endless ongoing process.
From an epistemological perspective, “Knowledge does not arrive unmediated from the world; rather, knowledge is constructed by interaction between the questioner and the world”
(Takacs, 2002, p.173). Therefore, my interpretations of knowledge are constructed by interaction between my own established perceptions and the world. My subjective understanding and interpretation forms part of what I present to readers. When I was a student, I had the power of belonging to the top student group and enjoying student life, but I did not understand students who were not fully happy with their study and their status. When I work for my company, I have the power of the whole team’s strong support. This may lead me to my bias without realizing many negative things happening in the office. I have the power of putting the students’ interests at top priority in China; but I lack adequate feedback from our students overseas.
A statement of positionality is to help researchers identify their own identities and own understandings, in order to be aware of their own bias. By doing that, researchers may avoid being biased by their own identities and their own understandings
Theoretical Framework
In the current study, Tinto’s student retention theory is adopted as the theoretical framework. The theory focuses on the principles of student retention and it is also still dominant in the field today. It identifies the key elements of students’ experiences. 26
Student Retention Theory
Vincent Tinto is one of the mostly widely known and most influential researchers on student retention. He laid the foundation for student retention research. Tinto first published his theory of the key factors impacting student retention in 1975, and has published several updates.
Tinto (1975) listed seven key factors relevant to student retention, even though different students at different colleges may face different challenges. The most important factor is academic difficulty : Students leave their colleges because they are forced to leave and because they do not have adequate academic skills. On some campuses, these students make up the largest portion of dropouts. Adjustment is another important factor affecting student retention.
Adjustment affects student retention because the students are unable to make the appropriate adjustment to their new academic and social lives. Goals affect student retention because the students do not have clear goals either for their current education or their choices after their degree completion. Uncertainty affects student retention because the students enter their university with vague goals about their future. Commitments affect student retention because not every student is fully committed to the requirement of college life, including people around them
—their peers, faculty, staff, etc. Incongruence affects student retention because the students do not have quality interactions with the people around them; isolation affects student retention because the students do not have adequate interactions with the people around them.
Tinto developed his theory further in his publications in 1987 and 1993. He conducted a wide range of research on student attrition and recommended actions that institutions could take to reduce it, suggesting that they were not doing enough to prevent attrition. In his revised theory, he emphasized a strong commitment to quality education. He called for building a strong, inclusive, educational and social community on campus. He also applied his theory of student 27 departure to minorities, adults, and graduate students. He believes that the classroom experience and multiple collegial communities are vitally important to student retention.
Tinto’s theory suggested that student retention mainly depends on student engagement and the whole student community’s involvement. Furthermore, Tinto (1987) pointed out that institutions should not only look into the student engagement issue to increase retention, but should aim to improve students’ welfare to improve the quality of education. Tinto emphasized students’ interaction with their whole educational environment and the whole educational community’s involvement with enhancing student retention. Tinto (1999) also suggested that institutions should provide clear and persistent information about institutional requirements; and that improving student retention needs the whole community’s active engagement, faculty and staff, in both academic and non-academic support.
In 2012, Vincent Tinto, in his own words, “close[d] his research circle” on student retention by publishing his book Completing College, Rethinking of Institutional Action . This book focused on the impact of institutions’ interventions on student success. It emphasized the institutions’ own behavior. Tinto provided a framework for institutions’ action: expectations, support, assessment and feedback, and involvement.
According to Tinto (2012), institutions should start their effort by establishing the conditions for student success. Institutions and faculty should have high expectations for students; should provide adequate support, especially academic support for first-year students; should assist students’ adjustment through assessment and feedback; and most importantly, should enhance student involvement and thus facilitate their social affiliation. In this final book
(Tinto is now retired), he placed more emphasis on student involvement, and the commitment of 28 the whole university community. Tinto (2012) is a valuable resource for administrators, faculty and university staff.
Summary
The purpose of my research was to identify the key factors relevant to the student retention of overseas Chinese students at their pathway programs. Tinto’s student retention theory relates to high school students’ transitional period during their first college year. This made me believe that Tinto’s student retention theory was a perfect fit as the theoretical framework for my study.
Conclusion
Tinto published his student retention theory article in 1975. He refined it in 1987 and made it a mature theory regarding the key factors to student retention. Tinto (1987) identified seven key factors relevant to student retention, and I believe these factors have a certain impact on Chinese students: academic difficulty, adjustment, and students’ commitment to their studies.
Therefore, through the lens of Tinto’ findings, it was easier for me to focus on those most important common factors. I understand Chinese students may have their unique issues.
However, Tinto’s theory provided a systematic framework for my study. Tinto (2012) suggested that student retention mainly depends on student engagement and the whole student community’s involvement. That was also in line with my own experience and the feedback from my friends working with students at the front lines at different universities.
29
Chapter Two: Literature Review
Introduction
The dramatic increase in the number of Chinese students studying abroad in many
English-speaking countries in the last two decades has become a much-discussed topic in higher education circles in general and in China in particular. Statistical data on Chinese students studying abroad have been gathered by the government of China since the late 1970s, which Liu
(2014) has called the period of “reform and opening up.” These data have informed the studies of researchers who have traced the growing number of Chinese students studying abroad. But beyond this straightforward collection of numerical data, research in the past two decades has expanded to encompass a variety of themes, which have been identified by Hanze and Zhu
(2012) in the “first overview” (p. 90) of contemporary studies of Chinese students abroad. These themes center around the broader issue of internationalization of higher education, and include the roles of Chinese students abroad as customers; initiators of change, which can be seen as disruptive by universities; and as sources of data for theory-building.
According to Hanze and Zhu, most of the previous research on Chinese students abroad has been limited in scope, focusing on “action research” designed to find solutions to practical problems encountered in university teaching: “ So far a coherent frame of theory-building has been relatively lacking in international education research, particularly concerning study abroad, and when
‘cases’ have been reported, the findings often have been based on comparatively small samples ”(Hanze
& Zhu, 2012, p. 92).
Liu (2014) has supported this view, noting that although there have been “reviews, analyses, and discussions about the trends of [Chinese students studying abroad] in the literature, credible data are lacking to form complete historical trends” (p. 35). 30
According to Hanze & Zhu, 2012,“The most influential research has not been published in the key comparative education journals, but rather in a highly scattered variety of journals in different academic disciplines” (p. 93). This indicates the far-reaching significance of the topic of Chinese students abroad, but paradoxically makes it more difficult to trace major figures and trends in the literature.
Yet Ryan (2011) has suggested that research on Chinese students abroad is still evolving, ultimately yielding a coherent blueprint describing how the global mobilization of students can strengthen higher education by encouraging internationalization of universities. However, “A necessary precursor to this work is the examination of underlying attitudes, values and systems that may give rise to difficulties for both staff and students” (Ryan, 2011, p. 1). The current study addresses this need.
The Seminal Work of Tinto and Altbach on Student Retention
As previously discussed, the scope of the current study is limited, and the most immediately relevant literature tends to be focused on small-sample, pragmatic, “action research.” The study’s goal of identifying factors that improve retention in pathway programs for
Chinese students in the UK is micro, rather than macro; tactical, rather than strategic. However, the overall topic of college retention has been the focus of many researchers, particularly since the expansion of higher education after World War II (Burke, 2019).
Vincent Tinto
Burke (2019) included Tinto’s Institutional Departure model (1975, 1993) as one of three seminal works: It is “ perhaps the most cited and influential theory of student retention…. In part because this model is the most cited and perhaps the most well accepted, it has been repeated, tested, and reviewed repeatedly since its publication” (Burke, 2019). Tinto’s model focused on 31 the relationship between students and their institution from the perspective of academic and social integration, rather than the characteristics of individual student dropouts, as previous studies had done. Tinto’s retention model served as the theoretical rationale for this study
(Chapter 1), and his seven institutional factors served as a framework to discuss the findings in
Chapters 4 and 5.
Hundreds of studies have since evaluated Tinto’s model in a variety of specific settings, in both private and public institutions. The main focus of much of the research was the social aspects of retention—evaluating the impact of such efforts as intramural sports, honors programs, and special interest dormitories. All appear to have a positive impact on retention, but it is important to consider student background as well (Burke, 2019).
Tinto’s model has therefore been modified to encompass student characteristics relevant to persistence. One example which is applicable to the current study is self-efficacy, a concept originally described by Alfred Bandura. According to Bandura (1997), self-efficacy is “ a personal judgment of how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations” (p. 122). Self-efficacy inspires confidence in one’s own ability to achieve goals. In 2015, Weng et al. used structural equation modeling to empirically test a version of Tinto’s model, modified to incorporate self-efficacy. Findings revealed that “self- efficacy was found to have the most important effect on intent to persist and hence it is regarded as the most significant construct determining…students’ intention to persist” (p. 12). As will be seen in Chapters 4 and 5, interviewees repeatedly mentioned time management as a challenge, and identified the ability to independently develop and follow a study schedule as critical to student success. My recommendation for training in time management would enhance student’s self-efficacy, and thus their persistence. 32
Philip Altbach
Another pioneer seminal researcher in this field is Philip G. Altbach. He is an American author, researcher, and former professor at Boston College, and the founding director of the
Boston College Center for International Higher Education. He engages in a wide range of topics in international higher education, from the practical knowledge distribution issues of higher education institutions brought about by new technology to motivations of higher education internationalization. He is the author of Global Perspectives on Higher Education, Turmoil and
Transition, Student Politics in America (Boston College website, 2020).
According to Google Scholar, Altbach has been cited over 45,000 times. Among his higher education studies, his work on knowledge distribution and motivation of internationalization is most frequently cited by scholars.
In 1986, Altbach called for awareness of the effects of new technology on higher education. He believes that “knowledge knows no borders.” Therefore, a truly international knowledge network driven by technological advances has emerged and covers most of the globe.
Altbach concluded that “higher education institutions are not only teaching and research centers, they are also at the heart of the knowledge dissemination system in modern society” (p.28).
However, most institutions lack specific policies regarding this change. Therefore, intuitions need to be aware of the complexity of this change, and “ensure a creative relationship between the production of knowledge and its effective dissemination.” (p.29)
Altbach is also a strong supporter of international students and scholars. He believes that international students will benefit local students in many ways. Altbach (1989) argued that
“foreign students and scholars constitute an important academic resource in that they provide valuable expertise and a cross-cultural perspective. They are also a considerable challenge for 33 policy-makers, professionals who have the responsibility for serving the international community, and the academic community which interacts with them” (p.135). He suggested that international students and scholars would form a key part of academic life due to the increasing internationalism worldwide.
Altbach & Knight (2007) pointed out that “globalization is the context of economic and academic trends that are part of the reality of the 21 st century” (p.290). He suggested the globalization of higher education is inevitable. He also believes there are motivations behind the current phenomenon: Commercial advantage, knowledge and language acquisition, and enhancing the curriculum with international content are three key drivers. He pointed out that it is important to maintain the quality of education. Education providers must ensure that education benefits the public rather than becomes a mere source of profit. It will be seen in the following review of pathway programs that university partners must find a balance between extracting profit from foreign students and ensuring that their educational experiences are equitable with those of native students.
Focus of the Chapter: The Pathway Program
With more and more Chinese students studying overseas and returning to China, the topic has prompted many practical questions: What is the real benefit of Chinese students’ study abroad? Does a foreign university degree increase a Chinese student’s employability in the
Chinese job market? What are the challenges Chinese students are facing abroad? Do Chinese students enjoy their time studying abroad? All of these questions and more ultimately converge into one research question: What are the academic and social experiences of Chinese students who study overseas? In regard to this research question, the scope of the current study is limited to one type of study abroad experience—the pathway program. 34
It is widely perceived that pathway programs found in many English-speaking countries are extending their territory quickly in the higher education industry. Pathway programs are tailor-made bridging programs aiming to improve international students’ study and social experiences. Dooey (2010) commented that there has been a “phenomenal growth in number” of international students in English-speaking countries and many universities have begun to offer pathway programs to accommodate those students. Miller et al. (2015) suggested that “the fastest growing trend in international student education is the growth of non-degree programs, which includes pathway programs” (p. 335). Many researchers claim that the dramatic international student increase in the US is greatly influenced by an increase in pathway programs (Kaktiņš,
2018; Gillett, 2011; Winkle, 2012; Cross & O’Loughlin, 2013; Perry et al., 2018; Benzie, 2015).
Kaktiņš (2018) quoted Choudaha’s (2017, p. 27) recent NAFSA report “Landscape of Third-
Party Pathway Partnerships in the United States,” which claimed that 45 American universities are involved in joint partnerships with third-party pathway providers. According to internal industry statistics in 2018, Kaplan, Study Group, and INTO, the largest providers of third-party
UK pathway programs, recruited more than 7000 Chinese students. This may account for roughly half of the overall Chinese students newly enrolled at UK pathway programs. In the following year, there was an overall increase of more than 30% of Chinese pathway students in the UK according to internal industry statistics in China (Note: Participants in the current study identified recommendations from friends as a significant reason for choosing to enter a pathway program. The increase may be partially due to good word-of-mouth.)
A Comparison of Pathway and Traditional Degree Programs
Many researchers are targeting the experiences of Chinese students, covering a wide range of topics. However, most of the researchers focus on Chinese students’ study experiences 35 at their degree programs rather than the more recently established pathway programs (Shu &
Scott, 2014; Xu, 2017; Wang et al., 2011; Gao, 2017; Su & Harrison, 2016; Li, 2013, Heng,
2017, Liu, 2015). Dooey (2010) argued that “to date, much of the research relating to international students focuses on their progress in tertiary, rather than pathway programs”
(p.184). This research has yielded mixed results.
For example, Cai (2014) claimed that foreign university degrees tend to be non-value- added mainly because their curricula do not meet the requirements of Chinese employers;
Blackmore, Gribble, & Rahimi (2017) cited Chinese students’ lack of culture capital and language capital. Chinese students are not adequately prepared for foreign university degree programs and therefore often do not benefit from the programs as they should.
In contrast, Hu & Cairns (2017) confirmed that higher education in Norway enhanced
Chinese students’ employability and human capital mobility. Their study showed that overseas
Chinese students in degree programs obtain valuable skills and capacities in Norway which enable them to be more successful in their career path than their traditional peers.
The results of the limited number of studies evaluating the benefits of pathway non- degree programs have also been mixed. Some researchers found that pathway programs are better and others worse than degree programs: Percival & et al. (2015) found that pathway program help international students perform better in their academic study than their traditional university student counterparts, whereas Kaktiņš (2018) argued that pathway programs tend to be highly commercialized and have negative impacts on teaching and learning.
Summary . Most of the studies above only focus on Chinese students who enroll in either bachelor or master’s degrees overseas. Few Chinese students doing pathways programs can be 36 found in current research. In addition, not all research findings are in accordance with each other
Both of these points reflect the limitations of much of the body of research.
There is an increasing number of Chinese students doing pathway programs overseas, and they compose a large proportion of overseas Chinese students. Meanwhile, little research targets the causes and antecedents of the difficult issues encountered by overseas Chinese students. The following literature review begins with the history of Chinese students’ study abroad: its beginning, development, skyrocketing increase, and steady continuation. Then, the review will address Chinese students’ experiences including both opportunities and challenges.
Finally, I would like to present a summary of the findings from the literature review,
The History of Chinese Students’ Study Abroad
The following is a brief account of Chinese students’ study abroad, including the motivations for and outcomes of the practice. I will also examine the changes in Chinese study abroad that have occurred.
The Beginning of Study Abroad in Groups
According to Stig Thogersen (2016), a professor of China Studies at Aarhaus University, the earliest cohort of Chinese students to study abroad was in the 1870s, around the time of the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). The emperor of the Qing Dynasty allowed a small cohort of carefully selected Chinese students to study abroad in some technically advanced countries, such as the US. The emperor expected the students to learn advanced skills and knowledge and return to their motherland. From 1870, the Qing Dynasty government sent hundreds of Chinese students to the US and countries in Europe to study at high schools and universities. Accounts of these Chinese students from the Qing Dynasty provide the beginning of the written records of
Chinese students who study overseas. 37
According to the Farlex (n.d.) online encyclopedia, the earliest overseas Chinese student with written records is Yung Wing. He was supposed to be the first Chinese student to graduate from a US university (Yale College in 1854). He was also a pioneer advocate of Chinese study overseas in order to learn Western science and engineering. He was involved in business transactions between China and the United States. He was also the first person who brought students in groups from the Chinese Educational Mission to study in the US.
The Encyclopedia states: “He persuaded the Qing Dynasty government to send young
Chinese to the United States to study Western science and engineering. With the government's eventual approval, he organized what came to be known as the Chinese Educational Mission, which included 120 young Chinese students, to study in the New England region of the United
States beginning in 1872. The Educational Mission was disbanded in 1881, but many of the students later returned to China and made significant contributions to China's civil services, engineering, and the sciences” (Farlex online encyclopedia, n.d.).
Today, there is rich information about Yung Wing on the homepage of Yale University.
In order to honor Yale’s first Chinese student, a Yung Wing portrait was unveiled by the Chinese
Consul General at a Yale Ceremony in May 2000; a bronze statue of Yung Wing was established at Yale University’s Betts House in 2004, donated by the municipal government of Zhuhai
(Yung Wing’s hometown).
The government’s main motivation for sponsoring Yung Wing and other study abroad students was that it expected the students to learn modern skills from those advanced countries.
The Chinese culture also espoused that advanced skills and knowledge may facilitate peoples’ upward social mobility and enhance their social class and job market value. This reflects beliefs quite similar to those held today about overseas study. Now, in China, it is still widely believed 38 that overseas study qualifications and experiences may greatly enhance people’s social mobility and employability competitiveness.
The Republican Period
There is a Chinese idiom, “Kai Juan You Yi.” It means it is always good for you when you open a book and read. This is a vivid expression and demonstration of traditional Chinese culture towards study and self-improvement. During what is known as the Republican period
(1912–1949), according to Thogersen (2016), “Studying abroad remained an important road for upward social mobility and a crucial source of intellectual and social change, but it was now primarily driven by individual initiative rather than by state programmes” (p.298). This was because during the unstable social structure and government regime in China at that time, the government was unable to focus on long-term investment, such as citizen education. However, there were some rich families who wanted to maintain their family fortune and power, or wanted their children to be prominent in the government; therefore, the parents sent their children to study overseas in order to gain “extra-wide perspectives” and advanced knowledge from Western countries.
Some significant researchers during that time concluded that Chinese parents and students have an “education-always-first culture” (Fung, 1948; Lin, 1935; Fei, 1992; Tu, 2000).
Liu (2016) pointed out that “the pre-Communist literature on Chinese culture and society shows striking similarities between what was observed then and what can be observed in China today.
Something deep and fundamental about Chinese culture has not changed, despite the influx of
Western influences in the modern era, socialism being one of them” (p.45). Liu (2016) quoted
Strauss & Quinn and argued that beside the “unchanged” social culture towards education, “the ways of thinking ascribed to by the majority of the population, are, on the whole stable” (p.45). 39
In sum, as early as the 1870s when Chinese students began their first overseas study in sizable groups, Chinese culture highly valued study abroad and saw it as a good way of self- improvement. People at that time believed that students would benefit from overseas study, and parents financed their children’s study even when the job market yielded little return on their investment (Liu, 2016). The overseas qualifications and experiences would, it was hoped, facilitate their social mobility and employability competitiveness. This traditional Chinese cultural view towards education and overseas study did not change much even when China went through communism and developed dramatically; neither has the way of people’s thinking changed even today.
The People’s Republic of China
The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. From 1950, the Chinese government sent thousands of students to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe until the Cultural
Revolution (1966-1976) movement, during which Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese
Communist party, launched an effort to suppress all forms of capitalism, intellectualism, and traditional culture. The main purpose of the overseas study plan was for students to learn advanced technology and scientific knowledge.
Most students sent overseas studied in the Soviet Union because both countries were ruled by communist parties and both shared many social value concepts in common. During this period, the number of destination countries was small; the number of students sent overseas was large. It was the first sharp increase of Chinese students’ study overseas.
Many of the returned Chinese students in this overseas study rush finally secured senior positions in the Chinese government. Their overseas study experiences in the Soviet Union had had certain influences on their work and social lives. Those returned students were widely seen 40 as well-educated students. Most of them found favorable upwards social mobility very quickly after they returned to China. They released effective “tutorials” and “testimonials” further convincing Chinese parents and students: Education is always first, especially overseas education. But Chinese students’ overseas study totally stopped from 1966 to 1976 due to the political movement of the Cultural Revolution in China.
China’s Opening Up Policy
In 1978, the Chinese government launched its opening-up policy, aiming to boost China’s economy. The policy has proved to be very successful and has produced many middle-class
Chinese families as well. Meanwhile, the Chinese government also encouraged Chinese students to study abroad, in order to learn high-tech and advanced management practice from the developed countries. Both the economic and political policies led to a Chinese students’ overseas study rush. According to Liu (2015), “In 2001, the Ministry of Personnel promulgated the policy of Encouraging Measures about Chinese High-level Overseas Talents to come back to China to work, arguing that as the State offered funding, the citizen should have a responsibility to return and make a social contribution.” The number of Chinese students studying abroad increased to
“around 134,000 in 2006 and 399,600 in 2012” (p.46). From then on, the number has maintained a steady increase.
One of the earliest researchers on the Chinese student overseas study rush, in particular
Chinese students’ experience in the UK, is Lixian Jin, Professor of Applied Linguistics at the
University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. As one example of research conducted during this period, an early Jin study focused on the cultural gap in academic expectations between Chinese students and their British tutors. The research utilized interviews and questionnaires from 211
Chinese students to investigate the influence of cultural background on their academic studies. 41
Jin (1992) concluded that the bigger the gap between their expectations of British and Chinese academic culture, the more difficulties Chinese students will have in the use of academic
English.
Summary . From the beginning of Chinese students’ overseas study in the Qing Dynasty,
Chinese culture has valued self-improvement and overseas study. It is believed that overseas study may facilitate people’s upward social mobility and enhance their employability. This
Chinese culture continued to influence Chinese students’ overseas study behavior during the
Republican Period, the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. The Opening Up policy was launched in China as Chinese student numbers were (and still are) going up dramatically.
This 1978 policy fostered a favorable economic and social environment to speed up momentum which persists to this day. The number of Chinese students has steadily increased for three decades.
The Opportunities of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study
“Opportunities” refers to privileges obtained directly or indirectly by Chinese students through their overseas study experiences. From the introductory history review, we can see that most Chinese students value the opportunity of learning advanced skills and knowledge in order to enhance their upward social mobility. Recent research has found that the following advantages are enjoyed by the majority of Chinese students:
Improving English Language Fluency
There is an English saying: Practice makes perfect . Overseas study in English-speaking countries provides Chinese students with the most effective and practical way to improve their
English langue proficiency. English language fluency is of critical important to students’ academic study. Without adequate English capacity, Chinese students will be unable to bring 42 their various academic talents into full play. Not surprisingly, most of the international students expect extra support from their foreign institutions with using academic English (Heng, 2017).
Most Chinese students study English language as a classroom-only foreign language rather than an immersive second language in China. This makes achieving English language proficiency in academic study more challenging. In addition, the English language is equally important to students’ interpersonal relationships and social connection building. Liu (2015) pointed out that there are increasing demands for the English language as a common worldwide language for business, leisure, diplomatic, cultural and educational, and other purposes. Liu cited
Johns and Swales and argued that by learning a language such as English, “One is also acquiring a route into different cultural norms and values” (p.53).
The Job Market
English capacity is extremely important for Chinese students’ employability in the job market. Blackmore et al. (2017) suggested that Chinese students’ English language capital is even more important than foreign university degrees in the local job markets. Therefore, a good command of English has benefits far beyond academic study. It brings Chinese students all kinds of advantages and privileges in every corner of their on-campus and off-campus lives. English capacity is extremely important for certain industries, for example, legal, nursing, mass communication, and especially for business. Moufahim & Lim (2015) stated that “the importance of English as a passport to success and good employment prospects was also stressed by most students” (p.442). Students with good command of English are more likely to secure their jobs during their interviews and probationary periods when they are hired.
People have begun to realize that interpersonal communication is critically important to career success. Effective communication greatly depends on language capacity and skills. Liu 43
(2015) found that there are issues Chinese students have to face increasingly during their overseas study, such as the English language barrier and the academic stress that results from it.
However, overcoming the issues will grant Chinese students many privileges and unique experiences. The privileges and memorable experiences still justify earning a degree from a university located abroad.
Enhancing “Hard” and “Soft” Employability
Some research shows that value added to students’ employability is one of the main reasons for Chinese student’s study overseas. However, in recent years employability based on overseas study is not guaranteed, especially when more and more students with overseas qualifications have returned to China in the past decade. People began to realize that overseas qualifications and experiences do not guarantee jobs for returning students. Li (2013) pointed out that there is wide belief that overseas study may add value to Chinese students’ employability; meanwhile, some researchers’ findings suggest that there is also a clearly perceived decline in that belief with more and more overseas Chinese students returning to China.
However, people still believe that having overseas qualifications is superior to having only Chinese qualifications. Moka et al. (2016) reported students’ comments: “A higher education degree (from a Chinese university) is no longer a guarantee of employability” (p.270).
A degree used to guarantee students decent jobs when Chinese universities had limited places for
Chinese students every year. This is not the case anymore. Huang (2013) suggested that “it is interesting to note that all of interviewees seem to agree that their international experience will give them advantages in job-hunting and subsequent career development” (p.90). Huang et al.
(2014) suggested that “Chinese students are Careerists (having a personal career goal) or
Ritualists (viewing a job as simply a way to make a living)” (p.189). Wu (2014) pointed out that 44
“future career aspirations” (p.438) is one of the top three reasons why Chinese students go abroad to study. One main reason for the change is that, as previously noted, Chinese qualifications alone no longer guarantee decent jobs to Chinese students.
Overseas Qualifications Versus Chinese University Degrees. Some employers still put overseas study qualification as a “must” in their job descriptions. In many government departments, accredited overseas degrees are equivalent to Chinese 211/985 universities’ degrees. A 211/985 designation refers to an initiative launched by the Chinese government in the mid-1990s to address the lack of top-tier universities in the country. Approximately 100 key universities in China have been designated as 211/985 institutions. “Inclusion in the project means that universities have to meet scientific, technical and HR standards and to offer set advanced degree programs” (Study in China, n. d.). These graduates are highly regarded by employers in China. According to the website of China’s University and College Admission
System (CUCAS, 2020), “Four-fifths of doctoral students and one-third of undergraduates are trained by project 211 universities in China. What’s more, they offer 85% of the state's key subjects, hold 96 percent of the state's key laboratories, and utilize 70% of scientific research funding in China.” Project 985 was launched in 1998 with funding from national and local governments to support the building of new facilities, sponsorship of academic conferences, and scholar exchange programs, among other initiatives.
However, it appears as though overseas qualification is becoming less valued in certain job markets. This is mainly because more overseas Chinese students return to China than the job market needs. It also because some overseas Chinese students are less competitive than 211/985 graduates in the job market in China. This does not, though, reduce Chinese students’ enthusiasm for study overseas. They believe overseas qualification will nonetheless add value to their 45 employability. This value may be in some “soft” aspects of employability, such as overseas experience, “small talk” skills, cross-culture awareness, and teamwork skills. Li (2013) suggested that the overall overseas study experiences are gaining more and more recognition in job markets even if foreign university degrees are no longer valued as much.
The Rise of Chinese Universities
Chinese universities’ ranking and reputation have been recently increasing dramatically, especially among world universities. Some Chinese universities, in particular 211/985 institutions, are already in the top 50 world rankings in different league tables, which is higher than many foreign universities. League tables “are a method of presenting world university rankings, placing higher education institutions in order of success and impact. They triangulate categories such as research, teaching and international impact, and can therefore be a reliable indicator of which university might offer the greatest prospects and prestige” (University
Compare, 2020).
Secondly, some Chinese students study in non-standardized institutions, and do not learn the knowledge and skills which they should have learned. These Chinese students return to
China after study abroad and create a negative influence on job markets there. This leads to some employers’ disappointment with overseas qualifications. There is even a teasing phrase, “sea weed.” The pronunciation of “sea weed” is “Haidai” in Chinese. It means Chinese students study overseas and are unable to find jobs when they return to China.
However, that some foreign university degrees are less valued in the job market in China does not necessarily mean the majority of the foreign degrees are less valued in China. Besides, the overseas study experience itself is more valued by employers in many industries in China.
The devalued foreign degrees are more or less a result of the human capital supply and demand 46 situation changes in China. Hu (2017) argued that there is a combination of benefits, such as gaining an independent personality (many Chinese students heavily depend on their parents or their peers when they are in China), and gaining interpersonal and academic skills. The combinations of benefits are more likely to secure the Chinese students’ social mobility and employability compared with Chinese students who do not have the overseas experiences and overseas qualifications.
Overseas study does not only yield advantages in academic studies. By living alone overseas and far away from parents and friends, Chinese students are more likely to become mature. They have to learn to look after many things by themselves; they have to learn to manage their time well; they have to learn to deal with living issues; they have to learn to live alone successfully although they miss their parents and friends. All these issues will help the students learn to be more responsible. In this way, the overseas students must grow comprehensive capacities and mentalities in order to deal with the issues. Many of their living skills may facilitate their academic study, living, and career path development. With similar
“concrete” qualifications in other aspects , an overseas study experience will no doubt enhance the students’ overall capacity in the job market, but this alone may not weigh enough for a job offer.
Staying in the Host Country After Graduation
Xu (2015) found that many Chinese students prefer to stay in the host countries after they complete their studies. Chinese students’ choice of staying in the host country or returning to
China mainly depends on a job opportunity comparison between the two countries. The determining factors tend to be economics and career rather than social and political reasons.
Obtaining an opportunity to work and stay in the host country after study used to be an 47 expectation of overseas Chinese students. Recent research has shown a decline in this, but it is still a reasonably strong motivation for students. Moufahim & Lim (2015) stated in their study on
Chinese students’ perspective, “A British education in China is also considered a passport for going abroad” (p. 442). Li (2013) pointed out that a small percentage of interviewees expressed that they want to stay in the host country after graduation. There are many reasons for Chinese students’ intention to stay overseas after graduation, such as potential rich resources for study, research, and career path development. Some Chinese students want to stay overseas to avoid the severe competition in China, even though that is no longer the main reason. This is because there are more and more opportunities in China than before.
Some Chinese students prefer Western culture to Chinese culture. It is interesting and worth noting that some Chinese students prefer to live overseas rather than study overseas.
However, many of them do not really want to stay overseas after their graduation. Koprowski
(2016) studied a cohort of Chinese students at the University of Warwick. His research disclosed that about 60% of the interviewees wanted to return China after their study in the UK and only
11% of Chinese students expressed their intention to stay in the UK after they finished their studies. This is a good indication that Chinese students overseas are becoming more and more mature and realistic. When some Chinese students find opportunities in China similar to those overseas, they may be more likely to choose to return to China. This is because of the Chinese government’s family program—most Chinese families have only one child and they want their child to stay close to them. Also, living in China could be more comfortable compared with living overseas because of preferred food and social networks. This also suggests that Chinese students’ overseas study choices are becoming more and more mature and realistic.
Overseas Study Experience and Social Class Upgrade 48
Most recent research has disclosed that some Chinese students’ expectations lie beyond employability and instead aim for higher level of benefits. First, overseas study experiences help
Chinese students to develop good characters and habits which make the students more favorable in many ways: They are more independent; they are good at time management; they have a good understanding of cross-culture communication; they are good at teamwork. Many students no longer keep to the career perspective or the value of certification overseas—they see the overseas study experiences as an overall improvement process. Li (2013) argued:
The students see the international experience rather than the overseas credentials as
offering them particular advantages. Such advantages were not commonly packaged in
the form of “hard currencies”—an overseas education qualification—but more as “soft
currencies”—independence, problem-solving skills, enhanced English language
proficiency, interpersonal skills and intercultural competence. (p.488)
Second, overseas study experiences gradually evolve into a special character of a certain social class. In China, there is a new word called “Hai Gui.” It refers to people who have overseas study experience. There are increasing numbers of people who divide the young generation in China as “Hai Gui” and “non-Hai Gui,” especially in the job markets. It is a good indication that Chinese people’s awareness and appreciation towards students’ overseas study experiences are growing wider and wider. It is seen as a favorable social status, both academically and economically.
Third, there are many Chinese students who go abroad to study just because they want to see a bigger world, meet different people, and experience a different culture and social life. Wu
(2014) agreed that Chinese students have “the desire to experience different cultures” (p.438).
An increasing number of young Chinese are becoming more and more curious and likely to 49 engage in critical thinking. More and more Chinese parents also prefer and encourage overseas study to enrich their children’s personal life experiences and make sense of their own understanding of the outside world in order to establish their own personal mission, values, and career path development.
English-Speaking Environment, Developed Countries, and Future Prospects
Researchers also found many different reasons regarding the attractiveness of English- speaking countries to Chinese students as well as the benefits of the experiences even after
Chinese students return to China. To live in an English-speaking environment gives Chinese students a real feeling of living overseas. Wu (2014) concluded that Chinese students have “the desire to experience…the native English environment” (p.438). Manns & Swift (2016) suggested that the students’ choices are also because of the reputation of English-speaking countries. China is still a developing country. The US and UK are well-developed countries. Most famous universities in the US and UK have a more beautiful campus and richer study resources than those in China. Other English-speaking countries (Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are not perceived in China as being as advanced as the US and UK, but they also have a native English- speaking environment. Some Chinese students prefer the English environment overall. Some students even prefer the different lifestyle of foreign developed countries. To some extent, some
Chinese students are attracted due to their curiosity. This “dim” attractiveness forms a certain portion of Chinese motivation to study overseas.
Gu & Schweisfurthb (2015) pointed out that:
Irrespective of differences in their demographics and backgrounds, studying and living
abroad was perceived by most returnees in our research as a profound identity
transformating experience. These new connections, competences and identities enabled 50
them to view and live life with a new sense of self at “home” and, as a result, function in
ways that continued to distinguish themselves from those around them over time. (p.947)
This is not too difficult to understand—some people who were born and grew up in
Beijing may feel superior to people who were born and grew up in small cities. However, by studying overseas, people who were born and grew up in small cities create their own new identity and social class which may erase the difference between those who were born and grew up in Beijing. To see things in a cross-cultural perspective, and to share certain values in common, leads to social class changes.
High Quality Education (Human-Capital Theory)
Belief in the high quality of education overseas is also a fundamental reason for Chinese students to choose to study overseas. Western educational pedagogy is widely believed to be more practical and professional, incorporating such concepts as critical thinking, group work, and independent learning. Especially after the Chinese government’s policy on expanding the accessibility of Chinese universities, many students and parents believe that Chinese universities’ qualification and certification are less valuable. Huang (2013) suggested that “‘good quality education’ was the most common motivation for Chinese students (five out of nine students) choosing to study in the UK” (p.90). However, we need to understand this phenomenon objectively—some students say that they prefer the high quality of education overseas because they understand and appreciate the striking difference between Chinese and Western pedagogy; some Chinese students do not fully understand what defines a “high quality education.” Many
Chinese students and parents define “high quality education” as simply a high ranking in certain league tables, regardless of where the rankings come from and whether the university or major they choose is suitable for them. 51
Invisible Cultural and Economic Push and Pull
Based on Altbach’s (1998) push and pull factors theory regarding international student mobility, Liu (2016) concluded that Chinese student mobility is greatly influenced by traditional
Chinese educational culture:
The education-first culture encourages parents to try to send their children to the best
institutions possible, as far as they can afford. At the current stage of history, an English-
medium Western education is perceived by most Chinese parents as superior to a
domestic one. The saving culture makes Western tuition fees affordable to many middle-
class Chinese families. And the extended-family culture makes one student’s higher
education a priority for the whole extended family. It is often a big family decision, with
the commitment of resources from the whole family. (p.56)
The traditional Chinese educational culture is the main driving force for Chinese students’ international mobility. It well explains why many Chinese students want to study in an
English-speaking country. Considering the current positive economic environment of China, more and more Chinese families will be able to afford their children’s overseas study. This will keep Chinese students’ overseas study mobility sustainable into the future.
Widening Horizon and Perspectives
One of the main beliefs of Chinese students is that study abroad will enhance their upward social mobility. Chinese students and parents believe that owning advanced skills and knowledge as well as a global perspective will enhance job security and social mobility. Liu
(2015) cited a Chinese saying regarding the value of study: “The worth of other pursuits is small; the study of books excels them all” (p.48). Liu (2015) also noted that “post-graduates studying in other countries learn as they participate in local communities within their host institution and 52 country. In other words, they are not just learning their subject knowledge, but also participating in social practices which take place within localised communities and thereby become absorbed as active members” (p.53).
Human beings are social animals and also curious animals. First, the Western culture of academic freedom, institutional shared governance, and civil rights is quite different from those concepts as taught in China. From their daily academic study and classroom activities, Chinese students will inevitably look at the Western values and perspectives with a critical mentality.
There is no need to compare which culture is “better” here; by experiencing and being aware of more cultures, students will be likely find reliable knowledge and “better” cultural concepts.
Second, daily academic activities and non-academic activities are always interactive practice for
Chinese students. All the daily theoretical teaching and practical exercises provide Chinese students with valuable experience and they accompany Chinese students through a perfect learning curve. Chinese students will gradually become aware of a wider range of concepts, philosophies, religions, etc. In this way, Chinese students’ horizons and perspectives are broadened; they will automatically apply their own experiences and understanding gained from overseas study into their real -world practice.
Summary
The values of overseas study in Chinese students’ perception is evolving, although to a limited extent. These values include learning advanced skills and knowledge; improving English as a facilitator and a key to academic and social success; widening students’ horizons and perspectives; enhancing students’ “hard” and “soft” employability in the job markets; and gaining opportunities to stay in the host countries after graduation. Meanwhile, in addition to the
“instant” advantages following graduation, Chinese students and parents also appreciate potential 53 long-term benefits, such as to enrich students’ personal experiences, to enjoy the English- speaking environment, to gain a new identity and social class after graduation and returning to
China, and to take advantage of Western style pedagogy and practices. The attitudes toward the value of overseas study may continue to change over time. However, widening students’ horizons and enriching students’ personal experiences could be long-lasting as they characterize the unique strengths of overseas study. Basically, traditional Chinese educational culture and the promising economic environment of China are the driving force for Chinese students’ international mobility. The trend will continue in the future.
The Challenges of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study
There are many actual and perceived benefits of overseas study for Chinese students.
However, there may also be difficulties which must be faced:
The English Language Barrier
Researchers have discovered that inadequate English language capacity is the biggest issue for the majority of Chinese students. All students need to pass minimum English requirements before they enroll in any programs. However, research shows that most English language-qualified Chinese students still struggle very much in their academic study.
Cao et al. (2017) pointed out that among all the issues encountered by Chinese students,
English proficiency is the biggest. Tian & Lowe (2009) and Liu (2013) also suggested that
English language capacity is the most pressing problem which Chinese students face abroad.
Reading and writing have often been identified as the two most important issues for many
Chinese students. Tian & Lowe (2009) said that “experience of language-related difficulties is a major source of shock to the students” (p.665). 54
The English language issue is not only critical for students’ academic study but is also an obstacle in many other aspects of life, for example, in social activities and interpersonal relationships. Many Chinese students are not confident when they speak in English with students from other countries. Chinese students are more likely to stay together and speak in Chinese.
Chinese students staying together makes their English improvement slow. This in return has a negative influence on Chinese students’ social engagement and social adaptation. This may also cause Chinese students’ social isolation and failure to make friends with students from other countries. In general, inadequate English capacity without a coping strategy will have a negative influence on Chinese students’ academic study and social lives. It is more than simply a language problem.
There are three main reasons for this dilemma. Firstly, many Chinese students take for granted that studying English in an English-speaking country is easy and they do not prepare their English adequately before enrolling in their programs. Second, most Chinese students learn
English as a foreign language in their classrooms. However, study in an English-speaking environment and using English as a study tool requires English as a second language. Liu (2013) stated that Chinese students’ English language barrier stems from the students’ transferring from being English language learners to English language users. Chinese students are not fully aware of the difference between a foreign language and a second language. Finally, inappropriate methods of English test preparation programs lead Chinese students to high scores but low real ability. Yang & Badger (2015) suggested that “a significant issue for reading and writing was quantity.…It would be fair to say that support provided by the IELTS [International English
Language Testing System] course did not match the demands” (p.459). Many Chinese students take IELTS preparation programs before taking the test. IELTS preparation programs in China 55 focus too much on test preparation rather than the usage of the English language. Therefore, many Chinese students are good at testing but are not well prepared for using English in an
English-speaking environment.
Academic Difficulty and Stress
Research has shown that academic stress and difficulty widely occur among Chinese students. Redfern (2016) suggested that Chinese students’ stress and anxiety are significantly higher than that of local students. This is primarily academic stress. Han et al. (2013) indicated that up to 41.8% of Chinese students at Yale University encountered “academic stress” and that it is the most dominant issue among Chinese students. It is widely acknowledged that in general overseas Chinese students encounter great academic stress. This is mainly because Chinese parents always have very high expectations for their children. Sometimes, the parents’ expectations are more than realistic.
There are many reasons for this dilemma. Seemingly, this is inevitable: It is never easy to succeed in an academic a program in a language other than the mother language. Wang et al.
(2011) argued that there are great differences between Chinese students’ understanding of teaching and learning and Western pedagogy. Chinese students always want to be the best in the class rather than their best selves. However, only one can be best in the class. Xu (2017) pointed out that Chinese students’ study habits mismatch the local study culture in Western-oriented
Hong Kong. For example, Chinese students believe in authorities and lack critical thinking ability in academic studies. This places them at a disadvantage when they are expected to think independently and evaluate information objectively.
Redfern (2016) believed that Chinese families’ high expectations for students’ academic success is the main reason for student stress. However, if we look into the problem carefully, we 56 may find some in-depth reasons ignored: overseas study planning and preparation. First, Chinese students’ choice of majors and schools is always determined by their parents. Bodycott & Lai
(2012) pointed out that most Chinese students’ overseas study plans are made by their parents and that carries a risk that students will not fully commit to a program of study. Lee (2013) used the word “parentocracy” to describe the Chinese students’ decision-making. Chinese students should make their own choices based on their own interest and hobbies. That may help the students cope with the stresses they will inevitably encounter. Second, Chinese parents often make decisions about the students’ study plans, including their course schedules. Students may not believe they have responsibility for these study plans, and therefore may fail to perform to the best of their ability. Su & Scott (2014) suggested that social media in China has great influence on Chinese students’ overseas study choices; many “news reports” are actually commercial editorials. Unscrupulous recruitment agencies may disseminate misleading information that fails to take student interests and capabilities into account merely to enroll them in overseas programs. Sometimes, Chinese students and their parents develop study plans without adequate research, instead relying on these commercial editorials. This leads to many unsuitable study plans made by Chinese students and parents.
Social Isolation
Social isolation does not mean that Chinese students fail to communicate at all with students from other countries. It refers to a situation in which Chinese students do not fully integrate with the local students. The most valuable part of overseas study is to learn more about
“another world” in order to widen one’s horizon and perspectives. Without adequate involvement and communication with local students, including international students of other nationalities, Chinese students will lose the valuable opportunity to experience a bigger world. In 57 one example of empirical research, Han et al. (2009) found that 29.1% of Chinese students at
Yale University experienced social isolation, which is the second largest issue causing stress and depression among Chinese students there. Since it is assumed that Chinese students who enroll at
Yale come from a high caliber cohort of Chinese students with high intelligence (including emotional intelligence) compared with the majority of Chinese students who study abroad, this phenomenon could be even more serious in other universities. In fact, Tian & Lowe (2009) noted that Chinese students are likely to stay together and are isolated from other students. This is a solid obstacle for Chinese students who are trying to adapt to local culture and pedagogy quickly.
There are two main reasons for this situation. Chinese students grow up in and come from a totally different culture and traditional background. It is not surprising that they prefer to stay with their peers of similar backgrounds. Wang et al. (2011) and Gao (2017) suggested Chinese students have a different understanding of methodology and values of teaching and learning.
Chinese students lack critical thinking in academic studies and expect more supports than the university may provide, such as more one-to-one tutorials. Students will not feel comfortable if they need to learn in a different way under different requirements. Second, Chinese students are not fully prepared psychologically. Blackmore et al. (2017) suggested that Chinese students must purposely invest adequate time and effort in order to increase their culture knowledge so that they may quickly adapt to the local environment and even increase their employability. Hu &
Cairns (2017) indicated that the successful story of Chinese students in Norway tells us how important it is for Chinese students to be mentally well-prepared and to study abroad with clear purposes. Before moving to Norway, the Chinese students had adequate preparation for studying and living abroad, and they were aware in advance of their potential weaknesses as students.
They focused on their weaknesses during their study in Norway and extra support was provided 58 to help them deal with those areas of concern. All those strategies ultimately made Chinese students well-prepared before and during their study in Norway.
Cultural Shock
The reasons for cultural shock are profound and may be rooted deeply in the Chinese students’ embedded habits, culture, beliefs, ideology, etc. Chinese students were born and grew up in China and it likely that they will have cultural shock once they transfer into a different study system and living environment for the first time. Liu (2013) argued that “the academic culture shock is embodied in the students’ conceptualization of university life, different learning culture, and different evaluation system” (p.136). There are many reports describing Chinese students’ classroom misconduct, such as unintended plagiarism—often a result of the cultural shock they experience.
Plagiarism . Many plagiarism cases are unintended incidents due to the students’ misunderstanding of cultural differences. Chinese culture, in articles and daily life, relies very much on appropriate quotes from famous scholars. However, there are no standard and clear requirements regarding the format of using quotes. At home, Chinese students are encouraged to recite beautiful sentences, poems, and famous passages. From their primary school days until they go to university, there are many kinds of competitions to test students’ capacity to recite from well-known texts. This is strikingly different in comparison with Western academic writing requirements. Many Chinese students may unintentionally fail to comply with strict academic writing requirements and commit academic plagiarism. However, most Chinese students do not realize the seriousness of the misbehavior because they fail to understand Western ways of treating the scholarship and intellectual property of others. Besides, Chinese students grow up under a collective culture environment. Chinese culture values very much students’ helping each 59 other with their academic studies. However, many schools in China do not have standard guidelines on how to help other students. Therefore, some students may help their peers with assignments by sharing too much of their own understanding and knowledge. Similarly, some students may expect too much assistance with assignments from their friends. This may also easily break academic discipline under Western academic requirements and cause unintended plagiarism.
There are many kinds of interesting cultural shocks among Chinese students overseas:
One good example is from the research of Walsha et al. (2015). They found that Chinese students at the PhD level have a different understanding of the concept of “entrepreneurship:”
Chinese students were more likely to agree that research should contribute to economic
success and to view entrepreneurship as a natural means of doing, as part of their
“responsibility to improve the future”. In contrast, the British students’ views were less
positive, with one participant associating entrepreneurship with commerce and a “dirty
word.” (p.775)
Marr (2005) reported that Chinese students “expected to hear only ‘good’ English within a university, and were surprised to hear lecturers with regional accents…they expected London speech to provide a model of ‘good’ English, in line with their perceptions of Beijing Chinese”
(p.239). Han et al.’s (2013) statistics show that up to 27.3% Chinese students experienced cultural shock which ranked as the third largest problem in the research. In addition to plagiarism, Chinese students lack awareness of certain discriminatory words or behaviors towards different cultures, such as sexual orientation and different living habits and hobbies.
Parents Making Decisions About Student’s Study Plans 60
Parents making decisions about their children’s studies may be difficult for Western- culture individuals to understand. However, it is widely accepted in China. This is mainly because of Chinese students’ Confucian tradition. Chinese Confucian culture believes that to obey and respect your parents and authorities are highly respected virtues. Many Chinese parents also take for granted that their children must defer to their parents’ decisions. This tradition is very often challenged by the young generation. However, there are many students and parents who are still greatly influenced by the Confucian culture and beliefs. Many parents make choices and decisions on behalf of their children because of China’s 30-year-long one-child family program. Most parents want their child to have a bright future, but fail to pay attention to the child’s interest and will. The subjects and study plans chosen by parents may not be of interest to their children. Therefore, the students may become bored with their studies. Many findings show that students have no interest in their studies because their parents make the decisions about the students’ overseas study plan. Bodycott and Lai (2012) pointed out that this involves “risks” and “sacrifices” to both students and families (p. 255). Lee (2013) explored
“parentocracy as a delegated choice” for study plans (p. 333). Many other researchers mentioned similar situations in China. There is a newly coined term, “love kidnap,” in China. It refers to people forcing someone they care about to do things which they prefer not to do. Most parents do not actually approve of this, but believe that their children are too young to make the right choice, and that their children would be grateful to them in the future. However, inappropriate solicitude and love deprives children of their inborn strength and potential; it destroys their instinctive curiosity. Zhang (2015) reported that some Chinese students would sacrifice their academic interest in order to be admitted into a famous world-class university. She describes
Chinese students worshiping the John Harvard statue at Harvard University as they would a 61 statue of Buddha. This is a good demonstration of many Chinese students’ mentality: they have a strong desire to go to a famous university but do not think and design their study plan carefully.
They sometimes even sacrifice their academic interests in order to enter a “dream” university.
This may cause issues, including feeling bored with their curriculum.
IELTS/TOEFL Preparation Programs
The English language in China, in most cases, is learned as a “foreign language” rather than a “second language.” Chinese students’ English learning in China is mainly for test purposes rather than for use in academic or daily life. However, English is used for communication and study during Chinese students’ study overseas. Liu (2013) concluded that when Chinese students move from China to study overseas, the nature and value of English language is changed and the Chinese students are also changed “from language learners to language users” (p.123). Meanwhile, the IELTS/TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) preparation programs are so popular in China that almost every Chinese student will enroll in one. Unfortunately, the IETLS/TOEFL preparation programs are mainly test-focused as they compete with each other to achieve a maximum score increase within a minimum time. Yang &
Badger (2015) pointed out that for these preparation programs:
Other demands (other than scores) …were not really addressed. It was thus hard to see
the IELTS course as enabling the students to understand colloquial language or be able to
engage in independent study or research. A significant issue for reading and writing was
quantity…It would be fair to say that support provided by the IELTS course did not
match the demands. (p. 459)
Most IELTS/TOEFL preparation programs have a certain approach in teaching students how to “guess” the answers. Many programs request their students to recite typical sentences 62 from the oral English test and written English test. The “shortcut” does help certain Chinese students increase their scores dramatically in a short period of time. However, we should understand that language is not only about vocabulary and grammar; it is also about culture, history, tradition, and life experiences, etc. This test preparation sprint may increase a student’s test score dramatically but it is unable to actually increase the student’s English language capacity in a short time. The key to English language learning is time and practice; without adequate practice and usage of the language, high scores of IELTS/TOEFL from sprint test preparation programs may cheat the students and hide their English language deficiency.
Less Common Challenges
Besides the challenges discussed above, many other issues were also named by researchers on Chinese overseas students, such as “future uncertainty/insecurity,” “financial burden,” “homesickness,” “lack of coping strategy/leisure activities,” “unfamiliarity with mental health counseling,” “lack of spiritual/religious life,” “long-distance marriage/relationship,” “lack of attention from advisor,” etc. (Han et al., 2013, p.5) However, these issues seem to be individualized and not very representative of “main challenges.” All the miscellaneous issues arise primarily because Chinese students are not adequately prepared before they leave China and go overseas. When all the issues are identified by Chinese students, the institutions’ counseling, support, and help may greatly make a great difference in Chinese students’ problem- solving and emotional health. Foreign universities’ awareness and appropriate support is critical to Chinese students’ feelings, study outcomes, and future development.
Potential Issues With Host Universities and Possible Solutions
Chinese students encounter some difficulties because they are not well-prepared in general. Wang et al. (2011) suggested that great differences exist between Australian students 63 and Chinese students regarding culture and technical teaching. Chinese students often do not fully understand the lecturers’ expectations and the programs’ purposes, including the necessary technical knowledge for learning. Wang et al.’s study indicated that adequate preparation in
China is crucially important to Chinese students’ quick adaptation when they go abroad to study.
Heng (2017) found that Chinese students’ expectations for support are higher than what foreign universities may provide. Chinese students expect more personal support whereas the curriculum requires more critical thinking and independent learning. Conversely, some difficulties result from host universities’ lack of preparedness for international students, including Chinese students. Su and Harrison (2016) argued that foreign universities are primarily responsible for Chinese students’ problems. Some institutions target students as revenue generators without supporting the students appropriately after enrollment. Some institutions delegate recruitment to overseas education agents who may not be adequately trained.
Unprofessional education agents may bring about mismatches between the institutions and
Chinese students.
Chinese students also need support for non-academic issues. Zheng (2017) suggested that social intervention, student service, and student support may greatly help to shape Chinese students’ emotion management strategy. This will not only benefit their social lives and improve their life experiences but also facilitate their academic studies. Gao (2017) argued that supportive social networks may play a positive role in facilitating Chinese students’ adaptation to the host community. Such social networks will improve Chinese students’ social engagement and also their academic studies. Host universities need to be aware that study and social life are bonded together. Institutions must ensure that international students are comfortable with both their academic studies and their social lives. Institutions need to be well-prepared before they admit 64 international students. They need to prepare tailor-made programs and environments, including social activities beyond campus. Positive study experiences are not only a result of students’ efforts; they are also the result of the host universities’ commitment.
Summary of the Challenges of Chinese Students’ Overseas Study
The great advantages of overseas study attract many Chinese students. However, some striking challenges are also posed for the majority of overseas Chinese students. The English language barrier, academic difficulty, and stress and social isolation are three critical issues.
These issues are mainly for the reason that Chinese students, before leaving China, are not fully prepared academically, culturally, and psychologically. Many other issues are also widely perceived, such as culture shock, Chinese parents’ making decisions on behalf of their children, test-focused IELTS/TOEFL training programs, homesickness, financial burdens, etc. Social media and parents’ intervention also exacerbate the issue to some extent. The easiest and most direct solution to the current dilemma may be this: Chinese students should follow their own inclinations when making decisions and always make adequate preparations after the decision to study overseas is made. They must never underestimate the challenges of overseas study, especially English language study. English language study is also about culture, history, and social life experience. A high test score is never enough. Meanwhile, universities have a responsibility to understand the culture difference of international students and be well-prepared for international students, including instituting responsible student recruitment, tailor-made programs for international students, and necessary academic and social supports.
Conclusion
There are both opportunities and challenges for Chinese students who go overseas to study. Chinese students with different backgrounds and study purposes may have totally 65 different experiences in the same university. For the majority of Chinese students, opportunities and privileges include improving their English language proficiency to obtain the key to success in many areas; widening their perspective and enhancing their social mobility; enhancing their
“hard” and “soft” employability and securing quick return of their overseas study investment; staying in the host country after graduation; overseas experiences and a connection to a developed country and environment; the privilege of transforming into a new identity and social class, etc. Yet, many difficulties and challenges are also widely perceived, such as an English language barrier which hinders Chinese students’ potential in many ways. This is mainly due to
Chinese students’ English usage habits and inappropriate way of English test preparation, academic difficulties, and stress. It also stems from culture differences and families’ high expectation of academic excellence. In addition, Chinese students do not make their own choices according to their own interests and social isolation is widespread. The isolation occurs because
Chinese students are not fully prepared psychologically for an overseas environment. At the same time, Chinese students do not have effective strategies, or the investment of time and resources to solve the issue.
Many of the studies cited in this literature review are also in accordance with my 20 years’ work experience in the international higher education industry. These experiences as well as newly released research are dynamic and keep changing; thus, it will be important for pathway providers to review the literature periodically as they implement changes to their programs.
66
Chapter Three: Research Design
Introduction
Many students in China seek post-secondary educational opportunities in the UK; however, these students face a number of challenges, such as an English language barrier, culture shock, academic difficulties, interest mismatch, and social isolation. If not adequately addressed, these challenges can lead to poor academic performance and ultimately dropout. Pathway programs are bridging programs between a student’s secondary school and university degree program, or between bachelor’s and master’s degrees. They are tailor-made for international students by colleges or universities that aim to provide the students with adequate supports, such as pre-sessional English programs, training in research skills and methods, prerequisite courses for certain subjects, culture awareness programs, and social networking activities
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis study is to understand overseas Chinese students’ study experience at one for-profit pathway-provider college in the
UK (a Kaplan International College), and the key factors relevant to overseas Chinese student retention in their pathway programs . I aimed to capture the lived experience of overseas Chinese students at their pathway program. My research focuses on the students’ individual, unique, and complex experience and understanding.
Research Paradigm
Creswell (2013) pointed out that “qualitative researchers have underscored the importance of not only understanding the beliefs and theories that inform our research but also actively writing about them in our reports and studies” (p.15). Therefore, it is important to include philosophical assumptions in research and provide readers with the researcher’s 67 understanding of the nature of reality, the nature of knowledge and how it is constructed, the value of the research, etc.
Through the lens of constructivism, my approach to data collection, participants’ voice, objectivity, and my own positionality, I developed a clearer understanding of my research.
Students’ experience is multiple and socially constructed, not the result of a single objective experience. In the current study, the students’ experience was influenced by their own surrounding context and the dynamic communication between the students and me, including my subjective interpretation. It was impossible for me to eliminate my subjective influence and values from my own understanding. However, I needed to be aware of my own subjectivity and value added and “quarantine” them. Meanwhile, I also needed to be aware that students’ unique behaviors and understanding are unique to certain individual and sociocultural contexts that are not generalizable. I therefore used an IPA tradition to conduct my research through semi- structured interviews. This is based on constructivism. I believe that my research findings were socially constructed and my personal bias might have had a greatly influence on my findings, so
I was aware of my bias and “bracketed” my bias during my whole research process.
Research Design
When I designed my research, I chose qualitative research as my research methodology.
This is mainly because my research focused on overseas Chinese students’ study and life experiences. Those experiences are difficult to quantify, so a qualitative research approach is a good fit for the research.
Denzin and Lincoln (2011) concluded that qualitative research is best suited for those studies that take place in a natural setting, as opposed to a laboratory. They focus on making 68 sense of certain phenomena and the meaning that individuals bring to them, based on their own unique character and settings.
Therefore, qualitative research is best suited for those studies exploring certain individuals’ own unique experience, stories and understanding through talking with them, and in particular, empowering individuals to share their stories and hear their voices.
My study aimed to explore the unique experience of overseas Chinese students on their pathway program. It is about the students’ stories, understanding, and voices. The key factors to their retention at their pathway programs are the reasons that finally led the students to decide to stay and progress into the chosen host universities. The stories and reasons are complex and unique from student to student. They are from the students’ own understanding and comments based on their own conditions, character, and settings around them.
Research Tradition
My study focused on the essence of overseas Chinese students’ study experience and the in-depth reasons for their behavior: What are the difficulties encountered by Chinese students?
How do they overcome those difficulties? What are the solutions the pathway college may provide in order to help the students’ smooth progression? The research tradition of phenomenology was the best choice to address these questions.
Creswell (2013) concluded that:
A phenomenological study describes the common meaning for several individuals of
their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon. Phenomenologists focus on
describing what all participants have in common as they experience a phenomenon. The
basic purpose of phenomenology is to reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon
to a description of the universal essence. (p.76) 69
However, there are different types of phenomenology research approaches. Interpretive
Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen for this study.
Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Smith et al. (2009) pointed out that Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) focuses on capturing the lived experience of participants through a nuanced analysis process. In other words, IPA studies certain phenomenological events and aims to explore an individual’s personal perception of certain things and the researchers’ understanding of it. It helps the researcher to understand lived experience of certain participants and understand how the participants make sense of their own experience.
IPA emphasizes capturing the lived experience of participants. It also emphasizes the participants’ own perceptions and understandings of their experiences. According to Dowling
(2007), IPA stemmed from traditional European phenomenology, which emphasizes a critical and objective analysis of phenomenology. Dowling quoted Owen’s comments that phenomenology “is a reminder that all knowledge is human made, and not timeless and unchanging’’ (p. 273). What IPA asserts beyond earlier practices of phenomenology is that researchers’ perceptions are part of the research findings.
Smith et al. (2009) summarized three major theoretical underpinnings of IPA: (a) phenomenology, the study of experience; (b). hermeneutics, the study of interpretation, by both the researcher and the participants; and (c) idiography, a particular person’s understanding about a particular person. My research aimed to capture the lived experience of overseas Chinese students at pathway programs. My knowledge and experiences formed part of the report findings because I have been working with pathway colleges for 14 years. This approach moves beyond the original theories of phenomenology (participants’ accounts) and attempts to report on the 70 participant's experiences by considering the researcher’s own view of the world (researcher’s interpretation). My research included myself in the analytic process: I tried to make sense of overseas Chinese students’ attribution of events, experiences, and states. The interpretations are based on my own conceptions, beliefs, expectations, and experiences. Therefore, Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was a good fit for my study.
Participants
Participants were selected from a for-profit pathway program (referred to as a “college”) in the UK. This is mainly because private for-profit pathway colleges are predominant and have continued to expand quickly in the UK. They serve as a bridge for students who are not yet fully academically prepared to enter a degree program. The target college is one of the largest colleges in Kaplan International Colleges.
Kaplan International Colleges (KIC) has been the leading pathway college student recruiter in China for the past 10 years, offering programs in the US and Australia as well as the
UK. KIC enjoys a high reputation in China for their high student progression rate and their student service. Their partner universities in the UK include such well-regarded institutions as
Warwick University, Glasgow University, Liverpool University, Nottingham University,
Birmingham University, and York University. Some outstanding students at their pathway programs have progressed into world-leading universities such as University College London, the London School of Economics, and Cambridge University.
KIC offers pathway programs which prepare students with English classes, academic foundation, study skills, and culture difference awareness. The pathway programs range from 8 to 12 months and are tailor-made for different universities. Students “automatically” progress 71 into the relevant university they have chosen once their overall performance passes the minimum entry requirements.
The combination of high level of student service and student quality makes Kaplan
International UK pathway programs the most popular programs in China. Choosing a sample of pathway students from this high standard, for-profit college ensured that effective practices were implemented and could be identified.
Nottingham Trent International College
Kaplan Pathways established their first pathway program with Nottingham Trent
University in the UK in March 2005. This program is called Nottingham Trent International
College, and it targets international students who are looking for a high-quality pathway program in the UK.
Nottingham Trent University is ranked among the top 50 UK universities and has about
30,000 students from 128 countries. Nottingham is a multicultural city of approximate 300,000,
128 miles north of London. It is considered safe and welcoming for international students. The first cohort of 35 students enrolled in Nottingham Trent International college in September 2005.
Because of its tailor-made curriculum and highly supportive services for international students, its reputation quickly grew and Kaplan International, one of the earliest providers, became the largest pathway program provider for Chinese students in 2010.
There are about 500 students from about 100 countries in Nottingham Trent International
College. Among the 500 students, about 60% are pre-master students (3-year diploma holders or low-grade bachelor degree holders, aged from 21-25 years) and about 40% are foundation and international year one students (high school students, aged from 18 to 22 years); about 50% are
Chinese; about 55% are female and about 45% are male students. The most recent student 72 retention rate was more than 90%. Their IELTS test scores range between 4.0 (limited fluency) to 6.5 (competent/good fluency).
Smith et al. (2009) pointed out that IPA sampling is to “represent a perspective, rather than a population. Because IPA is an idiographic approach, concerned with understanding particular phenomena in particular contexts, IPA studies are conducted on small sample sizes”
(p. 49). Creswell (2013) quoted Polkinghorne that phenomenology sample size should be between five and 25 people (p.149). Smith et al. (2009) also pointed out that there is no right answer to the question of sample size. However, quality is more important than quantity. “As a rough guide, we would suggest that between three and six participants can be a reasonable sample size for a student project using IPA” (p.51) .
I adopted maximum variation sampling strategy in order to make my research findings theoretically transferable. Considering possible potential internal factors, I tried to vary my sample according to gender, age, program levels and majors, English language capacity, GPA, hometown, etc. In this way, overseas Chinese students’ study experiences at their pathway programs and the reasons behind the students’ retention would be adequately represented. This may provide valuable references for quantitative statistical research and analysis in the future.
Note: I had considered that the maximum variation sampling strategy might place clear limitations on external validity (ability to generalize findings in practice). Smith et al. (2009) recommended that inexperienced IPA researchers adopt a homogeneous sampling strategy in order to make comparisons easier within their study. A maximum variation sampling strategy might have led to research findings which do not reflect the nature and understanding of the majority. 73
Recruitment and Access
In the pathway college, the college director’s role is like a college principal who looks after the whole operations and management. Both the academic director and the student service manager report to the college director. I asked the college director to help me to send a recruitment email to all the Chinese students in the college with my contact email included.
Students who replied to my email and agreed to participate in my research were informed with more details about my research. Students who returned a signed consent form by email were recorded as confirmed potential participants.
I chose 11 of the confirmed potential participants and invited them to accept linking to my Wechat account to finalize the details of interviews. Wechat is online chatting software popular among Chinese students. People may easily hold visual meetings any time with a smartphone. The interviews were conducted through Wechat.
I made appointments with all confirmed potential participants and asked them to talk with me in a quiet and safe place. All participants did so on a volunteer basis. I did not provide any material or monetary incentive to any participants. The only incentive was that participants had a chance to review and think about their own study experience, which may help them. and their stories shared in the research may help potential Chinese students and pathway program providers in the UK.
Protection of Human Subjects
Smith et al. (2009) suggested:
An important starting-point for any project is avoidance of harm: there is rarely any case
to be made for deliberately violating this principle in qualitative research. However, one 74
must always evaluate the extent to which simply talking about sensitive issues might
constitute “harm” for any particular participant group. (p. 53)
Therefore, I had to be aware of the ethical issues throughout the whole research process. I made sure to collect all participants’ informed consent before any interviews. I successfully completed a professional training program regarding protecting human subjects in research and obtained an IRB training certificate. I received the written approval from the managing director of the pathway college where I recruited students. I received written approval from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. I made sure the participants’ personal confidentiality is protected professionally, strictly following the IRB guidelines. I used a pseudonym for each participant.
It was important to make clear that the participants could choose to quit my research at any time at their own discretion, even after the interviews were completed and the transcripts were confirmed by the participants. They still had the right to withdraw all their information and interview contents. It was also important to make clear to the participants that their confidentiality will be strictly protected.
I clarified the following issues in order to make sure all participants took part in the research on a volunteer basis: ethical considerations, protection of human subjects, confidentiality, and informed consent, including my IRB approval. The managing director who looks after the operations and management of Kaplan International Colleges sent the
Northeastern University IRB written approval of my study by email. All relevant documents are included in the appendix of this paper. 75
Data Collection
Smith et al. (2009) concluded that “IPA is concerned with the detailed examination of human lived experience. And it aims to conduct this examination in a way which as far as possible enables that experience to be expressed in its own terms, rather than according to predefined category systems” (p.32). IPA needs “rich” and in-depth data in order to describe the essence of a lived phenomenon. Therefore, I collected my research data through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Smith et al. (2009) have provided a four-step “checklist” for semi- structured, in-depth interviews: preparing for the interview, the principles of interviewing, conducting the interview, and some issues to think about (p.62). I followed this four-step
“checklist” for my data collection. The Smith et al. (2009) checklist was a valuable resource during the interview process. It enabled me to collect rich data from participants in an ethical manner. I conducted all of the interviews myself.
Step 1—Preparing for the interview : In order to make sense of the shared experiences of overseas Chinese students at their pathway programs, I prepared an interview protocol. The interview included three parts: The first was to explore the participant’s personal background and some unique features, such as life, home, school, hobbies, character, strength and weaknesses, etc. The second part focused on my key research questions and sub-questions, such as experience, pathway, difficulties, success, etc. The third part was a member-checking interview, in order for participants to confirm the content of interview transcripts, and for me to compare a response with other interviewees’ answers to determine whether it was a typical one. Any necessary follow-up questions were asked during the third section or by phone or email.
Besides the planned interview schedule, it was important to let the participants know the length, content, and procedure of the interview. I also needed to prepare some opening remarks 76 for the beginning of each interview. I asked the participants to choose their online interview setting in order to make sure they were in a quiet and comfortable place. I conducted pilot interviews with my friends to practice and obtain feedback.
Step 2—The principles of interviewing : I used the following guidelines from Smith et al.
(2009) to develop a protocol for the interviews. I prepared interview guidelines and was prepared to respond to certain questions at different stages. I appeared clear and confident during the interviews. That gave the participants the feeling that I was really interested in the topics they talked about rather than simply following a pre-set schedule. Third, I kept the interview a “one- sided” conversation because the purpose of the interview was to explore the participants’ experiences and understanding rather than my own. More than brief appropriate comments would have disturbed the participants’ thoughts and affected their story-telling and comments.
Finally, I kept focusing on the participants’ own words as close as possible and “bracketed” any pre-existing thoughts and theories. (IPA does use a double hermeneutic analysis approach in data analysis to make use of the researchers’ own experience to understand interviewee’s experience.
However, this does not occur at the data collection stage.)
Step 3—Conducting the interview : Smith et al (2009) stated that it is important to form a pleasant and comfortable environment for the participants at the very beginning and not rush to jump into the key interview questions too abruptly. They also urged researchers to use the interview schedule in a flexible way; strictly following the interview schedule may sometimes result in losing track of important information. I attempted to follow these recommendations.
I asked follow-up questions in order to have in-depth understanding of the participants’ experiences and comments. Smith et al. (2009) suggested two simple and useful questions: “How 77 did that make you feel?” and “Can you tell more about that?” (p.65). I found these questions helpful.
I gave the participants adequate time to explain and answer my questions, especially when they spoke slowly or during their thinking process. During the interview, I tried to closely monitor the participants’ feelings. I rephrased, stepped backward, or even quit the topic according to the situation. Finally, after the first interview was transcribed, I reviewed the transcript to ensure that the question order was appropriate and whether any questions should be added or deleted.
I endeavored to follow Smith at al.’s recommendations. The interviews were conducted via Wechat, an online chatting application popular among Chinese students. The interviews were conducted in Chinese to make sure the participants not only felt comfortable but were also able to clearly express their stories and make their comments. The interviews were recorded by a digital sound recording application installed on my laptop with the participants’ permission. I transcribed and translated the interviews and sent them to the participants for confirmation, to make sure I had clearly understood and paraphrased what they said. The member-checked. transcripts were then ready for data analysis.
Step 4—Some issues to think about: First, there are always silent times during the interview. I endeavored to use them properly: Sometimes they provided a good way to prompt for more detail and sometimes they indicated that it was time to move to a new question. Second,
I closed the interviews with professional ending remarks because the participants disclosed so much personal information to me. Finally, I needed to be aware that it is impossible to conduct a
“perfect” interview. It is common for interviewers to miss something important, and they should not let their chagrin influence later interviews. 78
Data Storage
Data were collected by the recording function of Wechat. A laptop digital sound recording function was also used as backup. Digital data collected is stored on my password- protected research computer and a password protected USB disk for backup. I always carry my research laptop with me and the USB disk is kept in my safe at home. After the interview transcripts are verified, they were printed and stored in my safe. Those recordings and original emails were deleted.
The paper documents will be kept for 3 years as required in the safe at my home. Each participant was given a pseudonym. The name matching list was also printed and stored in my safe. Data were analyzed manually. Only authorized personnel may access the data. Data collected will be used for this study only. In case of a data breach, participants will be notified.
Data Analysis
I used a six-step data analysis process developed by Smith et al. (2009): “Step 1: Reading and re-reading; Step 2: Initial noting; Step 3: Developing emergent themes; Step 4: Searching for connections across emergent themes; Step 5: Moving to the next case; Step 6: Looking for patterns across cases” (p. 82-101). After the 6-step is successfully completed, Smith et al suggest, researchers should go deeper and apply double hermeneutic analysis.
Step 1 : Reading and re-reading. I double-checked the transcript with the audio records and repeated reading of the data, to make sure I fully understood the participants’ statements and have recorded what the participants have said.
Step 2: Initial noting. This starts from free and open textual analysis to descriptive comments, linguistic comments, conceptual comments, and deconstruction of the comments. 79
Step3: Developing emergent themes: This is to reduce the level of detail and identify the emergent themes. It needs to involve the researcher’s analysis and sense-making. The themes need to reflect not only the participants’ original words but also the researcher’s interpretation.
Step 4 : Searching for connections across emergent themes. This is to match-make emergent themes through certain tactics, such as: abstraction, subsumption, polarization, numeration, function, etc. Those tactics are not mutually exclusive.
Step 5 : Moving to the next case. Move to a second case and repeat the process. I needed to bear in mind that I was very likely to be influenced by my previous findings. Therefore, I needed to strictly follow the process to avoid any potential bias or subjective influence.
Step 6 : Looking for patterns across cases. There are guidelines to focus on in this stage, for example, in a study of addiction: Focus on addiction, focus on self, focus on relationship, and focus on recovery. Finally, I avoided being too cautious and thus “produce analyses that are too descriptive” (p.103).
Trustworthiness
In order to investigate overseas Chinese students’ experiences at their pathway programs, trustworthiness and validity control was taken into account throughout the whole research process. The in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted in three rounds. The third round is for member checking and verification. I also kept in mind that I may have had personal bias in the research, including when I interpreted participants’ descriptions and comments. I needed to bracket my personal bias during the research.
At the same time, I also bore in mind any potential threats to trustworthiness and validity, such as participants’ attitude before the interview and during the interviews; issues related to participants’ backgrounds, the participants’ unique personal experiences, and my potential bias. 80
Limitations
The college chosen in this study is owned by a leading brand in the pathway market.
They are famous for their investment in hardware and software for their pathway students.
Therefore, the results may not fully reflect the situations in other pathway colleges and therefore might not be appropriate for generalization.
All the interviewees chosen in this study are pathway students who had already completed their pathway study and progressed into their pre-selected universities. The reason is because the study aimed to find not only the issues students encountered but also some possible solutions to the issues. They were not students currently studying at their pathway program or failed students. It is possible that participants could have been superior to typical students, and some issues that may challenge weaker students may not have been mentioned during the interviews.
81
Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis
Because Chinese students are faced with the challenges of a language gap and an unfamiliar academic culture, third parties now offer pathway programs for them as a bridge before they formally begin university study. My research focused on overseas Chinese students’ study experience at their UK pathway programs.
International students are sought by universities in the UK to strengthen their revenue stream, and retention of these students is an important concern for the universities. Pathway programs aim to help less prepared international students and equip them with a higher level of
English language capacity, relevant foundation knowledge, and cultural skills necessary to achieving successful university lives. In order to obtain rich data that can be used to identify relevant retention issues and to make recommendations for best practices, I conducted interviews with 11 Chinese students who have completed Kaplan International Colleges’ London pathway programs in the UK.
The interviews began with questions about Chinese students’ motivations for their choices: Why did they choose to study in the UK? Why did they choose to do a pathway program? After these questions about their motivation, I naturally guided the interviewees to recall their experiences during their studies and lives in the UK. Study and life were further broken down into different areas, such as hobbies, food preference, study goals, and academic difficulties. As I asked questions about each topic, I encouraged the interviewees to compare their studies and lives in the UK and in China. By analyzing their study motivation and their journeys toward their goals, not only the students’ day-to-day “surface” experience but also their emotional experience, the students’ deep feelings were expressed and collected. I asked the interviewees to recommend coping methods based on their own experiences, in order to identify 82 effective problem-solving strategies for potential Chinese students. These suggestions revealed some issues with the pathway program and the program providers.
Identifying the Themes in the Data
I think UK is a well-developed country in the world and it is a lot better developed than
China. It is still very powerful in the world and the (educational) system could be more
mature; I like its English-speaking environment because I think English is a world-wide
common language; I want to improve my English in the UK; more importantly, some of
my good friends chose to study in the UK, therefore, I firmly wanted to study in the UK.
— “Tom,” who just completed a 1-year pathway program in E-commerce
Tom’s comments on why he chose to study in the UK are quite typical and are a good example of the responses I collected. There are certain circumstances that can help clarify his statement: As an overseas study destination country, the UK is becoming more and more attractive among Chinese students. When Chinese universities lowered their entry criteria and increased their recruitment quota every year from 1999, it indicated that higher education in
China was gradually shifting from “elite higher education” to “mass higher education.” This strategy fits China’s current economic situation and education status quite well: The national economy is growing faster than the national education level of citizens. To some extent, the
“mass higher education” strategy has had an overall positive influence on China’s economic growth and higher education development. However, the overall living standard increase in
China has led to greater demands for “elite higher education.” More and more Chinese students believe that Chinese degrees are becoming “less valuable” because China is still a developing country. The UK is a well-developed country. Tom thought the UK was more powerful than
China and its (educational) system was better than China’s. The common language used in 83
Chinese universities is Chinese. Compared with English, Chinese is limited in terms of the prevalence of its usage in the world. Tom wanted to enroll in a program in the UK in order to improve his English language capacity. Also, like many Chinese students, Tom wanted to study in the UK because his friends were there.
Tom’s comments were very typical among many Chinese students. Some of the 11 participants interviewed in this research expressed similar attitudes. But others shared different opinions about their study motivation and therefore their coping strategies were different as well.
After careful analysis of the data collected, six themes were identified. Each theme had from two to seven subthemes. Interviewees talked about:
1. the reasons why they chose to study in the UK
2. the reasons why they entered a pathway program
3. what they have enjoyed and gained at their pathway program
4. the striking differences between China and the UK
5. the biggest challenges on the way towards their original goal
6. advice they would give to potential Chinese students
Interviewees shared many themes in common. They also tried to explain their comments by citing facts about their own experience. In the end, advice and coping strategies for difficulties were suggested by all the interviewees.
Theme 1: Choosing the UK as an Overseas Study Destination
Although the popularity of study in the UK keeps increasing, the majority of Chinese students still choose to earn their degrees in China. This is mainly because study in the UK is more expensive than study in China. The national education policy in China is 9 years’ free compulsory education until high school. Higher education is not free in China. However, with 84 great national and governmental funding support to Chinese universities, the overall annual tuition and living costs incurred to a university student is about £1,000 in total. The average overall annual costs for both study and living in the UK is about £28,000; higher education in the
UK is much more expensive.
Besides the much higher cost, studying in the UK means that parents will be unable to see their children very frequently. In China, there is a strong family culture. The family culture implies that parents look after their children closely even after they turn 18 years old. Study in the UK is a complicated decision for most Chinese families.
The main reasons Chinese students choose to study in the UK were the key clue to help the participants recall and examine their overseas study experience. The interview questions began with some basic information regarding the interviewees’ hometown, hobbies, and food preference. This was to make the dialogue as natural as possible. It was also for collecting each interviewee’s background information in order to link these data to their behaviors and beliefs.
When the dialogue became natural and smooth, each interviewee was asked why they chose to study in the UK. Seven subthemes were identified from the study motivation question.
Subtheme 1: Recommended by Their Friends or Relatives
Seven out of 11 interviewees said that their decision to study in the UK was mainly from their friends’ or relatives’ recommendation. This was the most frequently mentioned reason.
Among the seven participants, four chose study in the UK because their good friends decided to study in the UK; one was because her English teacher from the UK inspired her good feelings about the UK; one was because of his mother’s pleasant study experience in the UK; and one was because her boyfriend decided to study in the UK. 85
The four interviewees who cited their friends’ recommendations added some other reasons. However, all of them thought the recommendation of a friend was a strong, adequate reason and simply common sense. In other words, they took it for granted that people should listen to their friends’ advice. This finding resonates with the widely heard complaints from teachers and parents that students prefer listening to their friends’ advice to listening to their parents’ and teachers’ advice.
Still, parents and teachers have a certain influence on students’ decision-making. One of the interviewees said:
I was influenced by my mom who graduated from the same school as mine. I also
attended her graduation ceremony and learned a little bit about the school. I think it's a
good choice to study there in the UK.
“Mike,” who just completed a 1-year pathway program in International Business
This is another typical example. More and more Chinese students have returned to China with overseas study experience. When they had a pleasant experience, they naturally passed their good feelings to their children and influenced them to study overseas. Similarly, one interviewee expressed that she was influenced by one of her English teacher’s coming from the UK. The teacher only taught her English for one term. However, the way of his teaching and his personality gave her a good impression of people from the UK. She said they became good friends.
Subtheme 2: The UK is an English-Speaking Country
The English language is believed to be the most widely used foreign language in the world among Chinese students and parents. In China, most students learn English from their kindergarten through their college-level study. English is also widely chosen in the national 86 college entry exam, the Gao Kao (Chinese National University Entry Exam). Students must pass the Gao Kao in order to be admitted to a Chinese college or university for a bachelor’s degree or the Chinese equivalent of an associate’s degree (a 2- or 3-year “diploma”). In order to be admitted into pre-master’s pathway programs in Kaplan International Colleges, Chinese students need to hold the lowest 3-year diploma with a certain GPA.
Therefore, in order to study overseas without learning a new foreign language, most
Chinese students will choose to study in an English-speaking country. Six out of 11 interviewees expressed their desire to study in an English-speaking country. Some of them stated that they value English as the most useful language, and some chose to study in the UK because they want to avoid learning a new language “from scratch.” As “Kate” put it:
I was attracted to the countries with historical and cultural backgrounds like the UK,
Germany, and France, etc. However, there was the problem of language when
considering countries like France and Germany.
Kate, who just completed a 1- year pathway program in Finance
There are English-speaking countries other than the UK in the world; however, a combination of other preferred factors prompted the participants to finally choose the UK as their study destination country, such as the possibility of admission to a higher-ranking university, the quality of higher education, the flexibility of changing major, safety, timesaving, and cost savings. The “other preferred factors” were not separately listed and discussed because they were each from only one interview. All factors mentioned in the interviews more than once will be listed and discussed separately in this study.
Subtheme 3: High Quality Education 87
Higher education in the UK has established its reputation in the world due to its long history and many of the famous philosophers and scientists associated with it. Meanwhile, some universities in the UK have been successfully promoting their brands in China from as early as the 1990s; for example, Hertfordshire University and Coventry University.
Therefore, higher education in the UK has a uniquely high position among Chinese students and parents. In this study, four out of 11 interviewees suggested that they study in the
UK because they believe in the high quality higher education in the UK. One of the four interviewees, Kate, argued that with her qualifications and GPA, she will be admitted into a
“better” university in the UK than in the US. Tom implied that the UK system of higher education is mature and the UK is the most powerful developed industrial country in the world.
Mike said "I believe that the education quality in the UK is in the leading position in the world.”
“Susie” thought that British university credentials were more valuable than others.
“High quality” is a broad description of higher education. It is vague, more or less. When the interviewees talked about “high quality,” there was no precise description or definition of
“high quality,” except that Mike associated “high quality” with university ranking in the league table worldwide ranking system (based on impact and student success). However, this finding shows that some Chinese students believe that higher education in the UK is of high quality and its credentials weigh more in general.
Subtheme 4: Time Savings
In China, in general, it takes a student 4 years to obtain an undergraduate degree and 2 years to obtain a master’s degree. The UK and the US are the two most popular English-speaking overseas study destination countries among Chinese students. The educational systems in the UK and the US are different. At the undergraduate level, a student usually can earn a bachelor’s 88 degree in 3 years in the UK while it takes 4 years in the US in general. At the postgraduate education level, a student in the US typically needs to spend 2 years’ time in order to obtain adequate credits for a master’s degree. In the UK, there are two types of master’s degree programs depending on the teaching model: through taking courses or through conducting research. The master’s program by way of coursework normally takes 1 year. The research-based master’s program usually takes 2 years’ time. In China, when a student with British education qualifications works in a state-owned enterprise or in the government, the two types of master’s degrees are treated as the same level.
In this study, four out of 11 interviewees chose to study in the UK due to timesaving. All the four interviewees clearly pointed out that studying in the UK allowed them to complete their master’s degree in less time than in other countries. Two of them also mentioned that it was not only about the timesaving but also about money saving as well. All four interviewees were at their pre-master’s level.
Subtheme 5: Enhancing Employability
Overseas study credentials and experience are supposed to value-add to students’ employability. Some Chinese students believed that study in the UK may help them to increase their overall employability in both Chinese and overseas job markets.
Subtheme 6: Safety and Local Culture
After the Chinese government adopted an opening up-policy and encouraged Chinese students to study overseas in 1978, the number of Chinese students studying overseas increased and it has increased dramatically in recent decades. With more and more Chinese students studying overseas and returning to China, all kinds of news and stories, both good and bad, were brought back. Therefore, overseas study is no longer associated with good things alone. 89
Gradually, safety issues began to attract the attention of Chinese students and parents. There are typically four kinds of safety issues: health, property security, school violence, and public security. In this study, three out of 11 interviewees said that they also considered studying in the
US. They finally chose to study in the UK due to security reasons.
Actually, the US was also under my consideration at that time, but during that summer
when I was graduated in 2018, several gun-shot incidents happened in the US. So, US
was withdrawn by my father because of safety considerations.
“Sam,” just completed 1-year pathway program in Global Economy
The safety concern from Sam’s father was mainly due to gun incidents in the US. It is a quite typical illustration of Chinese students’ and parents’ attitudes. In China, people are not allowed to carry guns. A time-honored no-gun culture and tradition may have great influence on
Chinese students’ and parents’ mentality. Therefore, gun control laws in the UK made many
Chinese students and parents believe that the UK is safer than the US.
The other two interviewees gave no detailed evidence for their judgement regarding safety. But both of them believed that the UK is safer than the US. Jessie, who just completed her pathway program in International Business, said that “the environment in general is safer in the UK than in the USA.” “Eva,” who just completed her pathway program in Education, explained, “My mom thinks that the UK is safer than the US. Besides, Britain is a country with a long history and the locals are very polite.” The three interviewees’ comments show that the US is also a popular destination country for many Chinese students. However, some of them chose to study in the UK because they think the public security in the UK is safer than it is in the US.
Some of their perspectives are because the US constitution protects every American citizen’s legal right to carry guns. 90
Subtheme 6: Rich History of the UK
China has a long history and it is one of the most advanced ancient civilizations in the world. Chinese government compulsory education textbooks contain a great deal of history and geography components in primary school and high school. Besides, the traditional Chinese culture regards people who have a rich knowledge of history and geography as “very knowledgeable scholars” and they are highly respected. This knowledge includes both Chinese and foreign history and geography.
Many Chinese students grow up with and cultivate a deep love of history. Therefore, some interviewees’ feedback showed that the history of the overseas study destination country is also an important factor affecting Chinese students’ decision-making. Two of 11 interviewees indicated that they chose to study in the UK because of its rich history. One of the interviewees argued that “Britain is a country with a long history and the locals are very polite” (Eva, who just completed a 1-year pathway program to MA in Education). The other interviewee (Kate) explained that she was attracted by countries with historical and cultural backgrounds, such as the UK and France, when she thought of overseas study. She finally chose to study in the UK because it is an English-speaking country and she did not want to start learning a new language.
This was a very typical case. In general, European countries are very popular among Chinese students and parents when they think about overseas study. However, a non-English speaking environment impedes many Chinese students’ overseas study plans in these countries, especially
Chinese students majoring in arts and design.
Summary
This study disclosed that Chinese students’ overseas study motivation subtly changes over time. It shapes their decision-making when they choose their overseas study destination 91 countries. Currently, Chinese students’ overseas study plans are greatly influenced by the following factors when they decide in which country to study: friends’ and relatives’ choices and recommendations, English speaking environment, the quality of higher education, cost of time, enhancing employability, safety, and rich history of the destination country are seven influential factors in their decision-making. All the above seven factors were raised by at least two out of 11 interviewees.
First, Chinese students tended to study overseas with their friends and relatives, and their recommendations have great influence on their country choice. Their friends’ and relatives’ suggestions are sometimes more influential than their parents’ and teachers’. Second, a majority of Chinese students preferred to study in an English-speaking country. This is mainly because the majority of Chinese students and parents believe that English is the most useful and most popular language in the world. At the same time, the majority of Chinese students study English as the only foreign language during their compulsory education period from primary school to high school, as well as in most Chinese universities and colleges. It is difficult for them to begin learning another foreign language and quickly improve it to proficiency level when they decide to study overseas. Third, Chinese students preferred to study at a “high quality” university.
Chinese students mainly use university’s league table ranking (a method of presenting world university rankings, placing higher education institutions in order of success and impact) as their main reference. At the same time, some Chinese students argued that universities established with a long history are “more likely” to be high quality universities. Fourth, Chinese students preferred to complete their studies and obtain their credentials in the shortest time. Fifth, overseas study credentials and experience are supposed to add value to students’ employability.
Some Chinese students believed that study in the UK may help them to increase their overall 92 employability in both Chinese and overseas job markets. Sixth, the awareness of public security in the host country has increased among Chinese students and parents. I have observed that more and more Chinese students and parents ask about security in the destination country, around the university campus, and around student accommodations. Finally, Chinese students also considered the culture and history of the destination country. Most Chinese students prefer to study in a country with rich culture and history. All of these seven influential factors disclosed by the interviewees reflect a subtle change in Chinese students’ overseas study motivations over time, compared with some of the early studies regarding Chinese students’ overseas study motivation from 5 to 10 years ago. Some of the top influential factors previously identified, such as the motivation of employability enhancement and staying in the host country after study, are no longer very significant.
Theme 2: Choosing a Pathway Program
According to the UK Border Agency’s regulation, Chinese students must apply for a Tier
Four visa in order to study in the UK:
You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over
and you:
• have been offered a place on a course
• can speak, read, write and understand English
• have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course—the amount will
vary depending on your circumstances (UK Border Agency, n. d.)
Under the Tier Four visa regulations, a Chinese student may choose to study in English programs, pathway programs, and degree programs. The next interview question asked why the interviewees chose pathway program rather than entering degree programs directly. From the 93 interviewees’ answers, five main reasons appeared. The five reasons were mentioned by two to six interviewees:
1. Pathway programs help students enhance their foundation knowledge for academic study.
2. Pathway programs help students improve their English language capacity.
3. Pathway programs help students “top up” their academic qualifications towards
university admission.
4. Pathway programs have more flexible entry dates.
5. Students follow their friends’ choice of doing pathway programs.
Subtheme 1: Pathway Programs Help Students Enhance Their Foundation Knowledge
Six out of 11 interviewees believed that their pathway program helped them enhance their foundation knowledge for their academic study, and that pathway programs built up their confidence towards their subsequent degree program study.
In order to be competitive at the national college entry exam, many Chinese students have the habit of pre-study. In China, most high school students take extra-curricular classes inside or outside their schools. In 2018 the Chinese Education Ministry implemented new regulations targeting these after-school classes, which add to students’ already considerable workload and may result in “moonlighting” school teachers’ poor performance during their regular classes. The Ministry has prohibited teachers from working in these programs.
This shows that the extra-curricular programs are widely accepted by Chinese students and parents. The standard extra-curricular program for the Chinese National College Entry Exam normally contains two parts: test-based review of learned knowledge and pre-study of new knowledge. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that Chinese students want to complete pathway programs before their degree programs. Except for one interviewee who chose a 94 pathway program because she decided to change her major for her master’s program, most do not have specific reasons, only that they were not confident about their degree program study.
Kate was not confident because she was planning to study for a MA in Finance and she believed that she knew “nothing” about finance. Tom was not confident about his “academic knowledge level.” Eva said that her educational background was not good enough; the pathway program could help her become more familiar with her master’s degree course in the future. Susie heard from her brother that a pathway program was “a transitional course” for her to facilitate her continued study of her planned master’s program. Mike said that:
I had never learned anything about business before I went abroad. Even though my
English was not poor, I thought that it required a higher level of language use to do the
bachelor's degree program in a completely English environment. I was afraid that I would
be overwhelmed by a lot of information. So I decided to lay the groundwork first by
doing the pathway program.
Mike, just completed 1-year pathway program in International Business
The interviewees’ feedback showed that pathway programs were regarded as a pre-study program. They may fill students’ academic gaps towards their degree program and therefore will facilitate their degree program study in the future.
Subtheme 2: Improving Students’ Language Capacity
Six out of 11 interviewees chose pathway programs because they wanted to improve their
English language capacity. This result was in line with the Chinese students’ motivation for choosing the UK as their destination country.
Most Chinese students study English language beginning in their primary school or even kindergarten. However, the Chinese national curriculum positions English language learning as 95
“foreign language” learning rather than “second language” learning. It means that the Chinese national curriculum does not really require students to converse in English. Even at the college and university level, very few programs are delivered in English. This could be one main reason that can explain why many Chinese students are not confident they can pursue a degree taught in the English language even though they have been learning English for a “long time.”
Tom said he was aware that his English language was not good enough. Mike thought his
English was not poor but still not good enough. “Lily” suggested that her IELTS results were not high enough for direct entry into a degree program after two attempts. Susie thought her English was “weak.” “Judy” wanted to “polish” her English language at her pathway program. Besides a lack of confidence in her academic knowledge, Kate pointed out that she was afraid of “the terminology (in finance) and not to mention it was taught in a foreign language.” In sum, the interviewees’ replies disclosed that many Chinese students were not confident with their English language capacity for their academic study.
Subtheme 3: Topping Up” Students’ Academic Qualifications
In general, high-ranking public universities in the UK require students to complete A- levels or an International Baccalaureate IB (a challenging program for students aged 3-19 that is offered in over 150 countries) to be admitted into their bachelor’s programs. A Chinese high school diploma is not enough for admission into a bachelor’s program directly. In order to be admitted into a bachelor’s program, Chinese students need to complete an accredited pathway program with acceptable grades. Similarly, in order to be admitted into a high-ranking public university master’s program in the UK, Chinese students need to complete a 4-year university bachelor’s degree in China. Students who graduate with a 3-year diploma are not accepted for direct entry into a master’s program in the UK. In order to be admitted by universities in the UK, 96 those students need to complete an accredited pathway program with acceptable grades.
Therefore, pathway programs accredited by high-ranking universities in the UK serve as bridging programs for Chinese students academically. This helps certain Chinese students to fill their academic gaps for university admission in the UK. Basically, all pathway programs contain three kinds of elements: academic English programs, study skills, and introductory classes for certain majors. The introductory knowledge modules are pre-requisites for certain majors.
In the current study, five out of 11 interviewees were not academically qualified to be admitted directly into their preferred degree programs. Therefore, they had to take an accredited pathway program in order to “top-up” their academic qualifications, i.e., to complete the pre- requisites for their preferred universities. Among the five academically non-qualified interviewees, four were 3-year diploma holders rather than bachelor degree holders. Therefore, they were not qualified to be admitted directly into their preferred master’s programs. One of them, Mike, was a Chinese high school graduation certificate holder. He never took any A-level or IB program. Therefore, he had to take a pathway program to “top-up” his foundation knowledge in order to be admitted into Year One of a bachelor’s degree at his university. From the feedback of the interviewees including a few who were academically non-qualified, there is a great demand for pathway programs from Chinese students. This is mainly because the educational systems are different between the two countries. Pathway programs serve as flexible
“pre-requisite” programs for Chinese students who want to obtain British degrees. They fill a market demand in China.
Subtheme 4: Pathway Programs Have More Flexible Entry Dates
In the UK, most universities only have one enrollment period, held in the fall, around
September–October. No UK universities have rolling admissions, meaning that students can 97 submit their applications whenever they like. Very few universities in the UK even have two enrollment periods. If they do, the second is around January for the spring semester. However, there are always very few majors available in spring intake. Therefore, if applicants miss the fall intake, they have to defer their study plan for one year until next the fall. This “gap year” concept is not new to many American students; however, most Chinese parents do not believe in the gap year idea:
Chinese parents tend to feel more secure seeing their children enrolled in university
immediately after graduation. With such keen competition in the local system, the idea of
a gap year is not popular. "Every year, more than 60,000 graduates compete for
university admission. You may be qualified this year, but if you miss the chance this
time, you may not be next year," says Joe Tsui Yan-cho, chairman of the Hong Kong
Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters. (Shreyer, 2014)
In contrast with the standard enrollment dates of universities in the UK, pathway programs from private education providers usually have three enrollment times each year: spring intake around January, summer intake around May, and fall intake around September and
October. Therefore, if an applicant misses one pathway program intake, they may have two more chances during the following 12 months. One thing needs to be noted: Some universities in the
UK also provide pathway programs to their own degree programs. However, pathway programs provided by the universities in the UK are always less flexible and have fewer enrollments than the pathway programs offered by private education providers.
In the current study, two interviewees expressed that they chose to do pathway programs because they missed the enrollment dates of their master’s programs. Neither of them wanted to defer their study for 1 year at home. Kate said that she missed the application deadline of her 98 preferred graduate school because she was unable to quit her job as quickly as she had expected.
Sam’s story was different. He missed the application deadline of his preferred graduate school because he failed one module and he needed to re-sit the exam. The exam was in March and
April and he was unable to graduate from his university before the application deadline. Sam said his education agent also advised him to take the pathway program in order to enhance his academic knowledge. Sam recalled that:
There are only two choices, one is applying the direct application in the next year, and,
the other is applying the 1-year time pathway program this year. My families thought that
I have already graduated, if I gap for a year time may decrease my passion and ability in
study.
Sam, just completed 1-year pathway program in Global Economy
The comments from Sam’s family explained the reason why Chinese parents do not appreciate the gap year concept. In China, it is very rare for Chinese students to take a gap year between high school and university, or between degrees.
Subtheme 5: Students Follow Their Friends’ Choice of Entering Pathway Programs
In responses similar to the those regarding motivations for Chinese students’ choice to study in the UK, two out of 11 interviewees expressed that they chose to do a pathway program because their friends did.
“Jane” decided to move to the UK to do a pathway program after she completed 3 years’ study towards her 4-year bachelor’s degree program. At that time, she could continue to do 1 more year in her university in China to obtain a Chinese 4-year bachelor’s degree credential. The
Chinese 4-year bachelor’s degree credential was widely accepted by universities in the UK. She could apply for direct entry of a master’s degree program in the UK because the Chinese 99 credential was equivalent to a British bachelor’s degree. However, she decided to quit her 4-year study plan after 3 years and moved to do a pathway program in the UK because three of her best friends studied in the UK at that time. This shows that Chinese students prefer to study with their friends overseas. Friends’ choice is an influential factor in Chinese students’ decision-making when they think of study overseas. At the same time, this also shows that a master’s pathway program in the UK is equivalent to the fourth year of a Chinese bachelor’s program according to many British universities’ criteria.
Jessie’s story was different. She was qualified for direct entry to a master’s program.
However, she wanted to accompany her boyfriend overseas, so she decided to do 1
“unnecessary” year of a pathway program in the UK. She clearly expressed that the “only reason” for her to do the pathway program was to accompany her boyfriend, “nothing else.” She was fully aware that the pathway program was not compulsory or even necessary for her.
However, because of her boyfriend, she chose to do the pathway program. People may think her decision was emotional because she was in love with her boyfriend. However, many Chinese students study overseas in pairs. Furthermore, many Chinese parents encourage their children to study overseas with their boyfriends or girlfriends. This is mainly for two reasons: Chinese parents are more and more concerned that their children are getting married later and later; and a couple may help each other during their study. At the same time, Jane quit her 4-year study plan after 3 years study only because she wanted to study with her best friends. It is fair to say that study with friends is becoming a popular trend. It carries influential weight in Chinese students’ decision-making process when they decide to study overseas.
Summary 100
Chinese students choose to do pathway programs in the UK for different reasons. In this study, interviewees’ responses show that there are five main reasons to choose a pathway program. First, most Chinese students and parents believe that a pathway program is a good approach for enhancing Chinese students’ foundation knowledge for their preferred degree program studies. This is a very typical of Chinese mentality and tradition. Many Chinese students and parents are concerned that Chinese students do not have adequate foundation and background knowledge when they study overseas at a degree program directly. Chinese students are used to extra-curricular review and pre-learning while they prepare for their national college exam at their high schools. Therefore, Chinese students choose pathway programs in order to be comfortable and grow more confident. Some students choose to do a pathway program before their degree programs even if they do not need to do a pathway program. This is one of the reasons why newly launched pathway programs are getting more and more popular among
Chinese students. From the interviewees’ comments, it seems the pathway programs have potential to grow even more popular in the future.
Second, Chinese students want to improve their English capacity during their pathway program study. Actually, most pathway programs are tailor-made for international students whose English language is inadequate for their academic programs. Pathway programs usually have an English language component as one of the key modules at the beginning. The English language programs are designed for their subsequent academic study and university life adaptation and are more intensive than a normal English program. Therefore, many Chinese students use pathway programs as their English improvement programs for future academic study. 101
Third, accredited pathway programs may help Chinese students to “top-up” their Chinese academic qualifications. This is mainly because there are great differences between educational systems in the UK and China. Therefore, Chinese high school graduates are not eligible for direct entry into the first year of any high-ranking universities in UK (except in Scotland).
Similarly, Chinese 3-year-diploma holders are not eligible for direct entry into any master’s program at any high-ranking universities in the UK except in Scotland. Under such circumstances, Chinese high school graduates and 3-year-diploma holders have to complete a pathway program in order to finally be admitted into a high-ranking university in the UK.
Fourth, Chinese students choose to do pathway programs because they have more flexible entry dates than most regular university programs—there is only one enrollment each year. In contrast, most pathway programs have at least three enrollments each year. Some
Chinese students choose pathway programs because they have missed the university enrollment deadline and they do not want to wait a year before they can apply again.
Finally, Chinese students tend to study overseas together. This may allow them to help each other and learn from each other. Especially when they are thousands of miles away from their homes and they may only return home once every year, it is good to study with their good friends. It is may even help them to alleviate their homesickness. It is also a widely perceived phenomenon that young people born after 1990 in China are more likely to listen to their friends’ advice than their families’ and relatives’ when they make decisions.
Theme Three: Enjoyment and Gains in the Program
In order to explore Chinese students’ overseas study experience, all the participants were asked about their experiences and feelings regarding their life changes and impressions of their studies after they moved to the UK. The interviewees talked a great deal about their enjoyment 102 and gains during their study, particularly in the following five aspects: progression into their preferred universities, enjoying their lives, enjoying their dining, making friends, and their particular academic achievements. This shows that most pathway students have simple and clear expectations from their pathway studies. Pathway programs are used as a bridge to their preferred degree programs. Participants’ responses also show that the young generation of
Chinese students value their lifestyle during their study in the UK.
Subtheme 1: Progression Into Their Preferred Universities
Ten out of 11 interviewees clearly expressed that their main goal during their pathway study was to progress into the degree program in their preferred universities. It is worth noting that even though interviewees talked a great deal about their preferences in many areas, they strongly argued that the greatest enjoyment and pride came when they finally progressed into their preferred universities. This shows that most Chinese students have strong expectations and a clear focus on their academic study. Compared with many Western students, Chinese students tend to have fewer expectations or dreams about non-study issues, such as their future careers or lifestyles.
One candidate did not mention a clear goal because she was a little confused before she studied in the UK:
I was a little confused about my future at that time before I decided to do my pathway
program. I was 22, one year after my graduation from college. I was not sure whether to
continue working or to study abroad.
Kate, just completed a 1-year pathway program in Finance.
Her case was somewhat special. She said the main reason for her to study in the UK was because the UK was a powerful country with a rich history. It was also recommended by her 103 friends. She had a 6.5 IELTS result and was qualified for direct entry to a master’s program in
Finance. She chose a pathway because she was not confident about her own knowledge in
Finance.
Subtheme2: Maintaining and Expanding Their Hobbies
In order to explore their feelings towards their lives in the UK, all the interviewees were asked what their hobbies were both in China and in the UK. Nine out 11 interviewees pointed out that their hobbies in China continued in the UK. Some candidates even thought their lives in the
UK were better than in China and their experiences were better than they had expected. Jessie pointed out that study in the UK “forced” her to have healthier hobbies. Her only hobby was reading novels when she was in China. After she moved to the UK, she had to learn to cook and cooking became her new hobby. Besides, she also developed a hobby of walking and hiking.
Tom said that he liked travel and playing basketball with his friends when he was in China.
When he was asked about his hobbies when he was in the UK, he made the following comments:
Travel and hiking. I traveled to different countries in Europe, such as France and
Germany. Study in the UK facilitates my travel hobby a lot. It is so easy to travel to
another European country from the UK. I begin to enjoy hiking after I moved to the UK.
Tom, just completed a 1-year pathway program in E-Commerce
Another interviewee, “Dave,” just completed a 1-year pathway program in Finance and
Investment Banking. He was a member of a Chinese national model airplane club in China. He said he had more time to develop his hobby in the UK and also expressed appreciation for the popularity of his hobby in the UK: 104
The only interesting game was the tournament. There are so many choices in the UK,
such as, there was a Model Aircraft World Championship in August 2019 in Germany. It
was cool and I learnt a lot from it.
In the current study, a majority of interviewees suggested that they enjoyed and even developed their hobbies in the UK. It showed that most of them had happy leisure time with their hobbies.
Subtheme 3: Enjoying Their Dining in the UK
It is widely believed in China that British cuisine does not rank among the famous ones.
Some English teachers from the UK even joke about British food in their English classes in
China. This may lead people to misunderstand British food to some extent. The current study indicates that a high percentage of interviewees were happy with the dining during their study in the UK.
Nine out of 11 interviewees were happy with their food during their study in the UK.
Comments showed that there were plenty of food choices for Chinese students in the UK: Most
Chinese students chose among cooking for themselves, buying prepared food, and eating in a restaurant. In addition, there are many authentic Chinese restaurants available in the UK.
Lily likes Hong Kong cuisine. She often went to restaurants. Her comment on food was,
“There are many kinds of food provided in UK, so I can enjoy Hong Kong cuisine here.” Susie was a fitness enthusiast and she always preferred diet food. She suggested that there were so much diet food available in London, and it was so simple to find salmon, chicken, and vegetables. Dave was from Sichuan and he likes Sichuan hotpot very much. Actually, “hotpot” diners just toss the food into boiling water at the table, cooking the meat and vegetables themselves and creating a seasoned broth as well. Therefore, it is not very difficult to prepare. 105
Dave said that he had hotpot at least once every week. Sometimes he also had hotpot in a restaurant. He also explained his logic on where to have hotpot: “Sometimes in kitchen, sometimes in restaurant. It’s depending on what friends eat with, with old friends we do it ourselves in dormitory, and with new friends we eat out.”
Mike was from Guangzhou but he also likes Sichuan spicy food. He learned to cook but also went to a Sichuan restaurant very often. Finally, he became friends with the restaurant owner. Sam likes hotpot and Ma La Tang (a Sichuan snack). When he was asked if he can have them in the UK, he said:
Yes, there is varied food here in UK, not only some Western restaurants, but also many
Chinese restaurants. And, the taste and quality here is nothing different from China. The
only difference is the price, it’s a little bit more expensive.
From the interviewees’ remarks, the majority of Chinese students in the UK enjoy the food during their study because there were plenty of choices, and they also learned to cook for themselves.
Subtheme 4: Making New Friends
Making new friends was considered to be one of the greatest sources for happiness of
Chinese students during their study in the UK. Nine out of 11 interviewees talked about their good times with their new friends and how their new friends helped them in different ways.
Some new friends were international students and some were local.
Jane believed she had a “really good time” during her study because she was always surrounded by her friends and roommates. Jessie said that “the best time was hanging out with my friends.” Sam evaluated himself as “outwards.” He was very proud of his social ability of making friends. When he was asked about whether he felt isolated or lonely, he said: “Lonely? 106
For me never, I met many new classmates and made new friends at the first day, and never feel lonely.”
Eva said she felt a bit lonely sometimes. However, when she was asked for clarification, her “loneliness” was actually all about her academic stress. Finally, she explained that it was not really loneliness but academic stress. She had many friends during her study and actively engaged in many activities. She extremely enjoyed meeting her tutor on a weekly basis. She enjoyed talked with her tutor on a wide range of topics every time.
Subtheme 5: Academic Achievement
Six out of 11 interviewees thought their academic improvement was their greatest happiness during their pathway program study. This was in accordance with their almost identical comments about progressing into their preferred universities. The six interviewees emphasized that academic achievement was their greatest happiness, because when they read the offer letters from their preferred universities at last, they clearly felt that they had gained a solid foundation of knowledge in their pathway modules. Jane and Jessie thought the pathway program greatly improved their English language capacity. Jessie, Sam, and Lily believed that they learned many study skills through their pathway program. Tom and Eva indicated that they had a flavor of the British education classroom style, especially independent learning and teamwork. Jane was also proud that she had a good understanding of critical thinking now. The interviewees believed that a solid and real feeling of pride in their academic study made them happier than being admitted by their preferred universities.
Summary
Chinese students had very happy lives in general during their overseas study at their pathway programs. The current study identified the following features and happiness of Chinese 107 students’ academic lives: First, they were proud of progressing into their preferred universities because it was their top goal. Second, even if they felt academic pressure, they still enjoyed their lives, maintained their hobbies or even developed their hobbies in the UK. Third, they enjoyed their dining in the UK because there was a wide range of food available and students were able to choose between self-cooking, takeout, and eating out. Some students could even afford to eat out very often. Fourth, they were happy because they made new friends of their international student schoolmates and local people. Their friends could alleviate their loneliness. Their friends made them feel that they belonged. Fifth, they were very happy because they could feel some solid and real improvement in their academic study. This happiness was even greater than that which they got from their offer letters from their preferred universities because the students believed the academic ability and knowledge gained were real and practical for their future degree program study.
Theme 4: The Striking Differences Between Study in China and in the UK
In order to identify Chinese students’ feelings about and adaptation to local study and life, all interviewees were asked to name the striking differences they found in the UK. The interviewees’ comments tended to have a similar tone. However, the common themes are limited: more freedom overall, academic methodology differences, and communication limitations in both study and lives.
Subtheme 1: More Freedom in Both Academic Study and Social Life
Eight out of 11 interviewees expressed their strong feeling of more freedom in both academic study and social lives in the UK. This question received the most common response in the study in terms of the exact wording they used: freedom . This reflects a clear and strong unanimity concerning their feelings about their experiences. Basically, the interviewees indicated 108 that they felt more freedom in both their academic study and social lives, including the management of their time.
Jessie clarified freedom as “autonomy in both study and life.” Jane described freedom in both study and life as “you were not going to be judged even if you behaved weird”:
I feel more freedom abroad. People do not give you a strange look that often. Everyone
can express themselves freely. For example, when you dye your hair in China, people
may stare at you. But when you are in the UK, you can choose your hair color, your
clothes and many things that may seem strange to others…. Even you have any absurd
and imaginary thoughts, the teacher always communicates with you about it.
Jane, just completed a 1-year pathway program in Marketing
Six interviewees pointed out that the freedom in academic study referred to the fact that there was less scheduled classroom time in the UK than in China. This allows the students to have more freedom to choose what to study. At the same time, this also requires the students to manage their own time well.
In the Chinese university, students always have lessons in the fixed time and place, and
teachers always supervise and urge you. In the UK it’s like giving you a direction and
lead you create your own way. If you don’t have a good ability to do self-study, you will
feel you have lots of time but will fail in test.
Sam, just completed 1- year pathway program in Global Economy
This is a fair comparison in terms of face-to-face teaching hours between the British and
Chinese educational systems. Both at high school and universities, Chinese syllabi have more fixed face-to-face teaching elements and Chinese teachers tend to regulate and urge students to complete certain assignments more often than their counterparts in the UK. For this reason 109
Chinese students must have time management ability. It is often heard that returned overseas students sometimes complain that there should be more structured classroom time. The interviewees’ comments resonate with this widely observed phenomenon.
Regarding their unexpected freedom and time management, the interviewees had different opinions on whether this was good or bad. Jane thought it was good to have the freedom to do the things you wanted to do. Mike, Dave, and Judy believed that the freedom was good for them because it allowed them to learn more about the topics that they were more interested in. Mike did suggest, though, that the freedom required students to have self-discipline in order to manage their time properly. Otherwise, the less-structured academic schedule could be a bad thing for some less self-disciplined Chinese students—they could in effect waste their freedom by spending too little time on their academic study.
This is a fair comparison of the two educational systems regarding fixed study time.
Many Chinese students are comfortable with the traditional passive Chinese “duck-filling” education model: “The education system in China is normally described as ‘stuffing the duck,’ which means that students learn by passively accepting what they’ve been taught” (Asia Media
International, 2015). They may think it is not necessary to devote their free time to academic study and therefore spend too much time on entertaining activities. Dave pointed out that the UK culture of politeness may prevent students from recognizing their own weaknesses, because nobody will mention their faults directly. Compared with Chinese culture, Chinese parents always point out their children’s shortcomings directly. Chinese students in the UK must become aware of their inappropriate behaviors themselves. This requires “critical thinking,” which most of them mentioned several times in their interview as a good methodology, newly learned. 110
Basically, this feedback is in line with the widely heard comments from returned Chinese students that the length of fixed study time in the classroom in the UK is shorter than in China.
Subtheme 2: Differences in Teaching Methodology
Seven out of 11 interviewees pointed out that the most striking difference they encountered when they arrived in the UK was the difference in teaching style. The interviewees listed a number of unexpected things they experienced. The most common differences mentioned by the interviewees referred to the exam method and essay writing. Both points were raised by four interviewees; they complained that they were not quite familiar with the grading system of their exams and the expectations of their tutors. Jessie argued that “the way of thinking and way of examination there were quite different from those in China.” The second most common difference was different requirements for essay writing. Eva thought she did not earn the high grades she deserved in her first term exam, and the exam made her stressed because she was not familiar with the exam format.
The interviewees also believed there was a striking difference between the logical thinking patterns in the classroom in the UK and in China. Jane and Sam both thought that the essence of the British classroom culture, critical thinking, was more interesting and made more sense. It was important to form the habit of questioning things and avoid taking anything for granted. The interviewees thought that critical thinking methodology should be applied throughout students’ learning and thinking process. In contrast, the traditional Chinese
Confucian thought which respects authority is almost inherent in most Chinese students.
Especially in the environment of the increasingly intensified competition of the National College
Entry Exam, Chinese students need to memorize “standard correct answers” in order to receive high scores. This has raised objections from many Chinese academics. There are different 111 opinions among Chinese scholars about the current standardized National College Entry Exam in
China. Currently, most Chinese scholars believe that the exam is not a very good assessment method. However, it may be the most fair method for Chinese universities’ admissions decision- making at this time.
Subtheme 3: Communication Limitations in Both Study and Daily Lives
Four interviewees described their language discomfort in both their academic studies and daily communication in their lives. All the four interviewees had certified academic English language test results from IELTS ranging from 6.0 to 6.5. The scores were “adequate” for their pathway program study. (Most pathway programs require a minimum IELTS score of 5.0 to 5.5.)
However, the students felt their English was less fluent than they had expected. Jane described that as an obstacle on her way towards achieving high marks in essay writing. She also pointed out it was even more difficult for her to understand some jokes during her daily conversations with her classmates. Eva said she was not always confident with her academic study because of her English language ability. Tom suggested that his limitation in communication stemmed from both language ability and culture shock. Judy argued that the different accent was a “big headache” for her because she tried to understand English taught with a different accent, which was extremely difficult.
The comments above are all in line with many widely perceived phenomena at schools in both China and the UK. It is not very surprising if we examine Chinese students’ English study environment and English study method. Academically, many Chinese students join an IELTS preparation class before they take the exam. The competition among IELTS training schools leads to a widely adopted “test-focused” training syllabus. As its name implies, many IELTS schools only emphasize students’ ability to answer test questions rather than enhance their 112 practical English usage. Some IELTS training schools teach students “test-skills,” including how to guess an answer. If the goal is merely to achieve a high score, it is difficult to judge whether this approach is right or wrong. However, it will inevitably lead to “high score and low ability” students. That is why there is a gap in the students’ minds between their scores and the reality.
This situation also a good indication of the importance of managing students’ expectations and guiding them properly before they begin their study overseas. The quality of communication depends on many factors, not only on both parties’ language ability. Besides language, the willingness to communicate, the content of the communication, the mutual understanding of cultural background—all are significant. Any international education practitioner may have the experience of talking with a foreigner in a non-native language. It is difficult to make it as comfortable as talking in the native language in a short time. However, the quality of the talk will not suffer much if both are interested in the topic. Therefore, strong intentions and interesting topics can make a pleasant high-quality conversation possible. This suggests that education providers need to emphasize practical English learning, including appropriate awareness of the situation.
Summary
In order to identify the gaps Chinese students need to fill, all the interviewees were asked about the striking differences they experienced between the UK and China. The interviewees’ comments tended to agree. Three common themes appeared: First, the interviewees felt “more freedom overall” in both academic study and their social lives in the UK. Academically, the interviewees thought they had more freedom to focus on what they were really interested in and spent more time on these topics because the compulsory study schedule was less rigorous than that in China. At the same time, interviewees felt that they were more comfortable when 113 expressing their ideas even when they were “really wild;” tutors “would still discuss it with you very seriously.” On social life, interviewees believed that they had more freedom to arrange their own time and to choose their own lifestyle because people around them would not judge them for dressing differently. Second, there was unanimous feeling that the academic methodology was quite different. Interviewees expressed their unfamiliarity with academic tasks in terms of their tutors’ approach and expectations in such areas as exams, essay writing, and logical thinking. Finally, some interviewees expressed feeling uncomfortable during communication with others in both study and daily life due to their inadequate practical English language ability.
All the comments are in line with widely heard comments from many returned Chinese students.
It is worthwhile to note that some of the previous points are echoed in the following topics regarding the biggest challenges the students encountered. This is not the result of improper categorization. This was deliberately planned in order to gain an in-depth understanding of one specific phenomenon from different inquiry angles. I wanted to approach the research sample based on a different positioning. Later results show that the feedback from the interviewees resonate with and support each other.
Theme 5: The Biggest Challenges at the Pathway Program
One of the three research sub-questions concerns the challenges encountered by Chinese students at their pathway programs. Therefore, Chinese students’ challenges were given comparatively higher attention during the interviews in terms of the number of questions and time spent on the them. However, it was a bit surprising that there were only two things the interview responses had in common. (There were some other challenges, but those challenges all had only one response each among the interviewees.) The two biggest challenges were inadequate English language ability and unfamiliar educational methodology, or inadequate 114 study skills under the British educational system. However, it is also interesting to note that all the interviewees who confessed to experiencing the challenges had had a limited adaptation time from 2 weeks to (one student) 6 months. This means that the adaptation period was not very long, and it seems that the so-called “biggest challenges” were not very challenging even they were defined as the “biggest.”
Subtheme 1: Inadequate English Language Ability
Nine out of 11 interviewees reflected that their biggest challenge was lack of adequate
English language ability. Their inadequate English language ability affected the interviewees in both their studies and daily lives. The interviewees described their challenges in different situations, but there were some aspects in common. Jane had an IELTS score of 6.0 before she enrolled in the pathway program, higher than the requirement (the minimum English entry requirement was 5.0). However, she was unable to make herself understood and she described the dilemma in her interview: “When I first went to the reception, I could not ask questions clearly.” She also pointed out that others had the same issue. Jane said that English was the second largest challenge in her life and in others’ lives. She said that “some people can get really frustrated and kind of negative.” Kate had an IELTS 6.5 before she enrolled in her pathway program which was more than adequate. IELTS 6.5 is eligible for direct entry to many master’s programs in the UK, including many high-ranking universities. However, Kate thought her biggest challenge was English:
The biggest problem was language. Normally we are familiar to the language of daily
conversation. But we did not grow up in the environment where English is the native
language. So when they make a joke in a native way, it was hard to catch up with the
conversation. I remember that at the very beginning, I had to preview the textbook before 115
every class in case I missed any points. Another problem is writing papers. It was very
hard to achieve "professional" and "beautiful" at the same time when working on a
dissertation. You need to spend a lot of time on language rather than on academics.
Kate, just completed a 1-year pathway program in Finance.
Jessie said that when she used English, the vocabulary in her academic classes and accents were challenges for her. To be precise, what she referred to as “vocabulary” was academic jargon or terminology. Similar to Jessie, Mike thought his English capacity and background was good. But he also believed that he was unable to understand some terminology.
Tom described his challenge with English as lack of confidence in his own English language ability. As he said, “I was not very confident when making friends in English communication. I always felt that I couldn’t express myself clearly and precisely. Sometimes, I also couldn’t understand my classmates very well.” Like Tom, Eva also “suffered” from her inadequate
English language capacity. She said she was not confident in her own language capacity with foreign friends even after she graduated from her pathway program and was admitted by her dream university: “I have good friends of foreign students. When I talk with them, I don’t feel very confident. I always feel comfortable while I am talking in Chinese with my Chinese friends.
For now, I always concern about not understanding foreign students’ speaking.” Sam had an
IELTS 5.5 and he thought it was difficult to increase his level to 6.5 during his 1- year pathway program if he only studied English in the classroom. More time was needed for extra-curricular practice, including completing some IELTS preparation training materials. According to the
British Council’s recommendation as general guidance, for every half band IELTS results improvement, a student needs to study academic English for 8-10 weeks (IELTS scores range along a 9-band scale). Therefore, in theory, one year is adequate to improve a student’s IELTS 116 result by one band. Judy was a mature student. She had completed 3 years of a master’s degree in law and had worked for 5 years. She studied overseas mainly because she wanted to learn
American and English law, and at the same time improve her English. Similar to Jessie, Judy also experienced difficulty in English usage, and her difficulty was being unable to understand people speaking in English with an accent. She thought the accent issue was not fully improved even after she completed her pathway program.
In addition to all the experience and facts shared by the interviewees, it is worth noting that four interviewees had adequate or even more than adequate IELTS results. However, they felt that their English level was able to cope with neither academic English nor their daily communication usage. The comments imply two facts reflecting the current IELTS evaluation of international students’ English capacity: First, for whatever reasons, some students’ qualified
IELTS results were still not adequate for their academic study and social lives; second, international students need to be aware that smooth communication between people (for both academic study and social communication) depends not only on their English level but also on their will and attitude about communicating. Sometimes, international students encountered uncomfortable communication experiences because they either lacked a positive attitude or did not have appropriate expectations for the quality of their communications. The will and attitude issues are psychological issues rather than knowledge issues.
Subtheme 2: Unfamiliar Educational Methodology
Six out of 11 interviewees reflected that their second biggest challenge was that they were unfamiliar with British educational methodology in their academic studies.
First, Jane, Jessie, and Sam concluded that the challenge was because the way of thinking was different. Jane recalled her own experience and said: “The first challenge was the critical 117 thinking because we don't have it in China. When you first get into the British education system, you need some time to get used to it.”
Second, Jessie and Sam pointed out that the challenge was because exam modes were different. Jessie described it as, “The way of examinations there were quite different from those in China.” Sam suggested, “When I was in China, the tests were all based on paper and in a closed room. However, here in UK, the test was to let us write an essay in no less than 2000 words, and I was shocked since I have never had this kind of test in China. How do you write it?
What points need to be included? What does the thinking look like? You will feel confused the first time.” Actually, from his clarification, the challenge was not to take a test, but to write academic essays in an acceptable way.
Third, Eva and Sam mentioned the challenge and confusion when they were asked to write an essay in an academic style. The majority of Chinese students prefer to study business, social science, and arts-related subjects. Therefore, essay writing forms a large portion of their academic study and is critically important. Eva commented, “I didn’t know how to write an essay academically at the first term, which caused my low grades of essays.” Sam concluded that the challenge stemmed from the different writing habits: “Chinese always like to write much useless and empty talks at the beginning of the passage, also some background introduction. The essay is completely different from the Chinese presentation, that the changing of the way you thinking and writing is the most difficult part.”
Finally, there were some single vote challenges from the interviewees. Lily thought there were challenges in many aspects, such as teaching, assignments, and grading system. Tom pointed out that time management was a challenge to many Chinese students: “As a student just arrived in the UK, you suddenly realized that the teachers here didn’t watch you as closely as 118 your teachers in China. Therefore, you need to learn to be independent in your study, your social activities, living, and other personal issues. It was very time and stamina consuming. It is a challenge to many Chinese students I think.” Jane raised homesickness as a challenge.
It is worth noting that two candidates, Susie and Dave, thought there was no challenges during their study. Or, there were challenges but they were not too difficult to be overcome.
Susie thought as long as a student had a positive attitude, any difficulties could be well settled.
Sam suggested that as long as a student follows the tutors’ instructions, any difficulties would be easily sorted out. It is interesting that Lily suggested that there were many challenges throughout her study. However, in the end, she claimed that nothing was very difficult: “Keep good attendance for class, making friends with foreign students, attend more activity. Nothing can’t be overcome, nothing is very difficult.”
Summary
Two of the biggest challenges were identified by the interviewees: inadequate English language ability and unfamiliar educational methodology. Each challenge had at least two votes in common. Some single vote challenges were: other challenges in academic study, time management, homesickness, and inconvenient cooking at the dormitory. Two interviewees argued that there were no challenges or difficulties for them. Any difficulties they encountered could be easily overcome as long as the student had a positive attitude and followed the tutors’ instructions. Meanwhile, it is also interesting to note that the interviewees who confessed to challenges had to adapt to a different environment in a short time, ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months (only one student). Most of the interviewees found their comfort zone within 2 weeks to
3 months. This indicated that the adaptation period was not very long and it seems that the so- called “biggest challenges” were not very challenging, even when interviewees defined them as 119 their biggest challenges at their pathway programs. This question also yielded an outline of the overall Chinese students’ study experience at their pathway programs: There were not many challenges besides the English language and unfamiliarity with foreign educational methodology. The pathway program formed an overall effective environment that helped the
Chinese students to adapt to the local educational environment and social life smoothly. The pathway program, tailor-made as a transitional program, served its expected functions reasonably well.
Theme 6: Advice for Future Chinese Pathway Students
Previous interview questions disclosed that the biggest challenges from the interviewees were their inadequate command of English and weak study skills. However, it is interesting to see that the most frequently mentioned suggestions for potential students are not relevant to
English study. There were three suggestions beyond English study advice from the interviewees’ comments. They were all about how to do well in academic studies. This advice resonates with a single voice: self-discipline. The emerging themes were: self-discipline, follow your teacher and tutor’s advice, and follow the basic rules. After that, improve your English beforehand, make friends with local people, and understand critical thinking. Those pieces of advice were raised by two or more interviewees. There were also some different suggestions only raised by one interviewee. However, I do believe they are worth mentioning because they were all widely heard in my daily routine work with our own students. Meanwhile, it is also worth mentioning that the question on interviewees’ advice for potential students was the question which received the most enthusiastic responses. This question also received the most replies among all the interview questions. The advice was mainly about study. In general, fewer recommendations about student life and pathway program providers were reported even when the interviewees 120 were asked for advice about these issues. This could reflect, more or less, that the interviewees were reasonable happy with their social lives and resources provided by the pathway program.
Subtheme 1: Self-discipline
Six out of 11 interviewees suggested that overseas students need self-control and self- discipline. Kate said that overseas Chinese students require “initiative” and “a high level of self- discipline.” She explained that it was because there were textbooks and clear guidelines for exams in China but there were none abroad. Jessie pointed out that “self-discipline is essential.
You need to know what you want to pursue.” Tom argued that some Chinese students struggled with their academic study: “It was not an ability thing. It was an attitude thing.” Eva also implied that attitude mattered. She suggested, “Keep an active attitude. Don’t give up yourself easily, because everything is hopeful as long as you work hard.” Judy suggested being brave and that it was all about confidence. Dave described it as “using your free time properly.” He explained that
“there is a lot of free time. Whatever you want, some people like social, it’s absolutely fine, some people have other thoughts, but you have to concentrate on what you choose.”
From the interviewees’ feedback, what they referred to as self-control or self-discipline was actually self-time-management. It was not surprising according to my own empirical work experiences. I have worked with many students who were faced with difficulties because they were unable to construct and adhere to an efficient schedule that incorporated class, study, and leisure time. It also resonates with previous research on the striking differences between study in the UK and China. Some interviewees claimed that there was much more free time in the UK than China. It was mainly because most Chinese students have established the habit of studying under a tight schedule in face-to-face classes, while the English curriculum is more diversified and has less scheduled face-to-face time with faculty. 121
Subtheme 2: Follow Your Teacher and Tutor’s Advice
Five out of 11 interviewees suggested it was most important to follow your teacher and tutor’s advice. Susie believed that your relationships with your tutor and teacher were most important. She explained, “I think KIC tutors are very friendly and responsible, every who teacher taught us was very good. If teachers are kind you don’t need to worry about anything with study.” Jane said that each international student was assigned a tutor and students meet their tutors once every week. She clarified that her tutor answered her questions from difficulties in academic study to homesickness, even psychological problems. Jessie suggested that students should think “in the teacher’s way” and focus on the activities on the classes. Eva concluded that
“the content is difficult for students to understand and study by themselves. I personally can’t understand it well. Only if you follow your teacher’s instruction, then you may understand it.”
Advised by his student mentor, Tom shared his own experience on the benefit of following his teachers’ instruction:
Some student mentors suggested me to always go to my teachers and ask for help for any
difficulty I encountered. I tried a couple of times of seeking help from my teachers. Then, I
found that it was always the easiest way to go to my teacher and ask for help. After I felt
comfortable to go to my teachers for any questions, I felt very comfortable with my pathway
study. To be honest, I did see Chinese students struggling with their pathway study.
However, I would say that 99% of them were because they didn’t listen to their teachers’
advice and they didn’t commit enough time and emphasis on their study.
Tom, just finished 1-year pathway program in E-commerce
Following tutor and teacher’s advice suggested that these students believed in their tutors and teachers. It also implies that students benefited from following their tutor and teacher’s 122 advice. This indicated that the pathway program provider’s faculty and staff were capable and established their authority and reputation among their students.
Subtheme 3: Follow the Rules
Four interviewees argued that in order to achieve required scores, students only need to do what was necessary, such as attending classes, completing assignments, spending adequate time on their study during off-class time, and avoiding cheating. Dave summed it up: “You must be following the rules.” When I asked him to clarify what the rules were, he explained that it was more about free time management:
Nothing special, all you need to do are attending class on time and don’t skip classes.
There are not many lessons, and you just need to work hard in a quite short period before
exam and the deadline for submission of essays. It’s easy for me, not much pressure.
Dave, completed 1-year pathway program in Finance and Investment Banking
Other interviewees’ requirements were also very basic. Jane advised that students should ask questions immediately in class if they did not understand the material. Lily suggested keeping good attendance for classes. Judy suggested students needed to do their assignments by themselves and not use translation software for their assignments. She finally concluded that “as long as you do it yourself honestly, your teacher will know your situation and very likely give you a pass.”
To some extent, this is ironic. Those things suggested should be a full-time student’s basic commitment. However, they were raised by the interviewees seriously and candidly, which implied a general phenomenon among overseas Chinese students: Some students did not spend adequate time and attention to their academic study. This leads to some Chinese students’ academic study failure. 123
Subtheme 4: Improve Your English Beforehand
Four interviewees suggested learning adequate English before study overseas. Jane, Tom, and Sam believed that it was important to have adequate English language capacity before study overseas. This corresponded with Kate’s comment that the college should differentiate between students’ academic content and English content. Susie implied that students always need to try their best to learn and improve their English. It is worth noting that some of the interviewees had the required English capacity scores and some even had higher levels. However, they still thought their English level was inadequate. As Tom concluded:
No matter what is your IELTS result, remember, you will never have adequate English
language capacity to ensure you feel 100% comfortable when you study and live in an
English environment.
Tom, just completed 1-year pathway program in E-commerce
The apparent conflict between students’ advice and their own performance on the IELTS disclosed some issues with current Chinese students’ English study. First, many Chinese students prefer to do fast-track and guaranteed IELTS score preparation programs. They focus too much on their test scores rather than their practical English ability. Comparing IELTS preparation programs in China and in the UK, Chinese programs are more test-focused. This leads to some
Chinese students obtaining high scores with low English capacity. Second, it is important to make Chinese students aware that they may never learn to be as fluent as a native English speaker. However, this should not be a serious hindrance to their communication and confidence.
They should have appropriate expectations and progress one step at a time.
Subtheme 5: Make Friends With Local People 124
Four interviewees pointed out that making friends with local people and schoolmates, plus participating in different activities, were good ways to improve students’ English language ability. Jane thought it was very useful to make friends with local people and to try to appreciate the host country’s culture and history. She pointed out that when you liked it and felt yourself a part of it, it would greatly facilitate your English language learning. Jane suggested talking with foreigners and choosing a foreign roommate. Mike thought international students should actively make friends. Lily believed it was very helpful to make friends with foreign students and try to attend activities.
All the comments were not strange to me. I also keep hearing similar advice from returned overseas Chinese students when they share their study experiences. Obviously, making friends with local and foreign students not only facilitates Chinese students’ English language study, but also enriches their social lives. It may also have great potential benefits for international students in many other areas, such culture shock and homesickness. Meanwhile, appreciating the local culture and history is also a good strategy to merge oneself into the whole local community.
Subtheme 6: Critical Thinking
Two interviewees argued that it was important for Chinese students to improve their use of logic and capacity for critical thinking. Jane thought that critical thinking was important because it is a necessity throughout people’s study and daily life. She thought Chinese students should make good use of the precious opportunity not only to understand critical thinking but also use it in their daily lives when they were in the UK. Susie pointed out that besides daily life usage, critical thinking was extremely important to students’ academic study, such as essay writing skills. These skills are very useful for future master’s study. Therefore, during the 125 pathway program, it was a good opportunity for Chinese students to become familiar with critical thinking, which would pave the way to their master’s degree program study.
The comments reflected Chinese students’ awareness of the difference between two educational methodologies, the UK’s and China’s. It makes sense for Chinese students to be aware of the difference and adjust to it.
Subtheme 7: Other Advice
In the interview process, some advice was mentioned by a single interviewee. Jane suggested Chinese students should adapt to the English-style “polite” culture. Kate advised that students should set up small specific goals during their study. Jessie argued it was important and useful to pre-review all study materials beforehand and to always pay adequate attention to your own safety. Tom shared his useful trick of always learning from his classmates who did well in certain areas. Mike strongly suggested cooking one’s own meals was a good way to save money.
Sam suggested that for non-academic-related issues, ask your tutor; for academic questions, you should go to your academic teachers. Susie advised that students should always take good care of themselves. July thought a pathway program was good for international students who needed to improve their English. In general, the interviewees listed the challenges and suggested strategies.
At the same time, most of them also suggested that the challenges were not difficult to overcome if some attention and simple commitments were given. There was a consensus that as long as international students paid adequate attention, the so-called challenges were not very challenging.
Summary
The “advice to potential students” topic received the most interaction and feedback. Most of the advice focused on how to secure good academic study results. The top three suggestions 126 were: self-discipline with time management, following the teacher’s and tutor’s instructions, and simply following some basic rules for a full-time student. The interviewees also mentioned that it was mainly about the student’s attitude and time management. In sum, interviewees advised potential students to do some very basic routine work, such as attending classes and doing their assignments; to be confident and honest; and to stay away from cheating. The comments indicated that there were no really challenging difficulties; most of the academic issues arose from the students’ attitude rather than their abilities. It was also noted by interviewees that the academic study resources and environment were adequate for committed international students’ success.
A question on how international students can improve their English language capacity yielded two pieces of advice: Learn sufficient English before overseas study and make local or foreign friends. This reflected two different approaches to English language study: Interviewees who suggested rigorous study of English in China were more likely focusing on IELTS test results. The group who suggested making friends with foreign students and local people tended to emphasize practical English language capacity. This suggests that as pathway program providers, we need not only to take different approaches for different students, but also to make students aware of the difference between the two tactics. Chinese students’ English learning is a critical topic worth further research.
Some single-vote recommendations were also mentioned, such as advice on cultural issues, food issues, and academic issues. These recommendations only received a single vote; however, in my 20 years of work experiences, they were often made by returned overseas students. Therefore, they were also worth mentioning here.
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Chapter 5: Discussion
Pathway programs in the UK are a popular choice for Chinese students. Their lived experiences provided insights into how these for-profit programs can be improved. Guided by semi-structured interview questions, all the interviewees recalled and narrated their experiences during their pathway program study, covering study, day-to-day living, and social lives.
Interviewees were also asked for their feelings and comments about their experiences.
The interviews explored four areas of Chinese students’ study and lived experience at their pathway programs in the UK: (a) the students’ daily dining, hobbies, and social lives; (b) the motivations for selecting a pathway program; (c) the difficulties or the challenges of the pathway programs; and (d) the key factors relevant to student retention at their pathway programs.
I also compared the issues faced by pathway students versus degree students, and applied
Tinto’s (1987) seven student retention factors to my analysis.
Analysis of the Research Findings
The following section presents a comprehensive analysis of the interviews I conducted for this study.
Finding 1: Chinese Students Enjoy Their Studies and Life at Their Pathway Program
From the interviewees’ study and life stories, and their relevant follow-up comments, I was able to sketch a vivid variety of pleasant lives of Chinese students at their pathway programs. All of them lived in the student dormitories provided by the for-profit pathway
“college.” First, all of the student dormitories provided by the college share these characteristics: high quality accommodations, campus within walking distance, and a mix of different nationalities. There were always cost-effective student services available. Second, the 128 interviewees were from different provinces of China. They had different preferred dining habits.
Most of them (except one) enjoyed the local dining as they have described. They sometimes cooked their own food, sometimes bought prepared or take-out food, and sometimes ate out with their friends. Although Chinese students have different dining preferences, most of them still enjoyed their local dining. Third, the interviewees not only maintained their hobbies but also expanded their hobbies in the UK during their pathway program studies. They described their diversified hobbies, such as reading, hiking, singing, model airplane competition, sports, and games. Most suggested they continued their hobbies and they even developed an interest into other hobbies, or remarked that there were more choices and better environments for their hobbies in the UK. Fourth, some of the interviewees mentioned they had friends with them; most said that they made new local friends or foreign friends in the UK. Many expressed their happiness on making new friends and spending time with them.
In general, when the interviewees were asked about what they enjoyed and gained during their pathway study, dining, hobbies, and making friends were the most common responses. The interviewees led happy lives during their pathway study. The findings showed a much higher quality of life for Chinese students at current pathway programs than for their peers at degree programs one to two decades ago. Many studies have found that Chinese students in degree programs suffered social isolation (Han et al, 2009; Tian & Lowe, 2009; Wang et al., 2011; Gao,
2017; Blackmore et al., 2017) and cultural shock (Liu, 2013, Walsha et al.,2015; Marr, 2005;
Han et al., 2013). Those issues, including loneliness and homesickness, were scarcely mentioned among the pathway program students. All the above suggests that the pathway students adopted to the local environment, both study and life, quickly and easily.
Finding 2: Pathway Programs Provide Secured Progression to “Higher Ranking” Universities 129
All the interviewees were asked for the main reasons for choosing their pathway program. They gave varying responses, but when they were asked to name the greatest gain from their program, 10 out of 11 interviewees said that their greatest happiness was to finally progress into their selected universities because their most important goal was to progress into a university degree program. Therefore, I would argue that Chinese students study at their universities in the
UK for different reasons, but the main and most direct reason for Chinese students to enter pathway programs was because they will secure the students’ place at the university they selected. It is important to note that even when the interviewees offered varied reasons for choosing their pathway programs, they strongly argued that finally progressing into their dream universities was their greatest happiness and pride. This supports the assertion that Chinese students emphasize academic study more strongly than do their Western peers because of their
Chinese culture and tradition. They had fewer expectations about non-study issues. Also,
Chinese students tend to listen to their peers’ advice. The pathway program in this study has a high reputation for its progression rate. That is the reason and main drive for its current quick expansion.
From my daily work experience and my regular meetings with Chinese students and their parents, it can be concluded that Chinese students and parents are very much sensitive to university rankings. Most of them prioritize ranking above all the other factors when they make their decisions on university choices. It is a bit interesting that my experience shows that most students and parents prefer a university whose entry criteria are higher than their own qualifications. Some of the interviewees were eligible to enter “low-ranking” universities.
However, they would be admitted by a higher-ranking university if they successfully completed 130 their pathway programs. That meant that by spending 8-12 months of “extra” time and money, the students may go to a higher-ranking university which they are not eligible for previously.
It should be noted that this is completely different from the standardized national college entry exam (NCEE) in China. In China, the only way to be admitted to a university with a high reputation and ranking is to obtain a competitive score in the nation-wide standardized NCEE.
Other factors, such as high school exam results, are hardly considered, Therefore, the NCEE result is critical. However, through the pathway programs, Chinese students with reasonable grades may secure an admission ticket to a high-ranking university with worldwide reputation.
The pathway programs thus provide a “pathway” to many high-ranking universities in the UK.
This meets the needs of many Chinese students and parents. The Chinese traditional culture and current steady Chinese economy will both fuel the demand momentum. The situation can be explained by Altbach’s (1998) push and pull factors theory regarding international student mobility. Both the cultural and economic factors are strong internal “push” factors, pushing individual Chinese students to choose a pathway program in a country to which they are “pulled” by factors such as a high standard of living. This creates a natural flow of students.
Finding 3: Diversified Opportunities from the Students’ Perspectives
Besides acquiring a secured channel to preferred higher-ranking universities, the Chinese students believe that through the “detour” of pathway programs, they may gain diversified opportunities and benefits.
First, pathway programs help students enhance their foundation knowledge. There are striking differences between the Chinese and UK syllabus both at high school and university level. Therefore, there are certain solid academic components in the British syllabus but not in the Chinese one. It is not surprising that some Chinese students want to use the pathway program 131 to fill this gap. The pathway programs are also good for students who want to change their majors during their degree study. Additionally, Chinese students have established their own study habits during their previous study in China. The pathway programs also include certain study skills and research methods used in UK classrooms. There is a real demand for such pathway program contents. Chinese high school students also have a long tradition of extra- curricular NCEE prep classes, so the introductory material in the pathway programs is seen as a prerequisite for their degree programs. Finally, many Chinese parents want their children to study at a prestigious university while, at the same time, they do not want them to be too pressured. Pathway programs are seen as a tailor-made transition and cushion period for the students which may make their studies and lives easier.
Second, pathway programs help students improve their English language capacity. Many
Chinese students and parents believe that study in an English-speaking environment in the UK will facilitate their English language study and “automatically” improve their English language capacity. This resonates with some findings from previous studies that Chinese students in degree programs believed that the English-speaking environment helped them with their English
(Heng, 2017; Liu, 2015; Johns & Swales, 2002; Blackmore et al., 2017; Moufahim & Lim,
2015). This shows that pathway students and degree students have similar views of this issue.
Third, pathway programs help students “top up” their academic qualification towards university admission. This can be a unique benefit of pathway programs for Chinese students who hold Chinese 3-year diploma certificates. In China, 3-year diploma holders must pass the standardized national exam, and spend at least 2 years to advance their academic qualifications to a bachelor’s degree. Besides, most universities in China who offer “top-up” programs are less prestigious. However, in the UK, by taking a postgraduate pathway program, a student will be 132 guaranteed admission to a master’s program at a high-ranking university, such as Bristol
University (top 50 world-ranking by the Thames ), Glasgow University (top 100), Nottingham
University (top 100), Birmingham University (top 100). Therefore, by spending 2 years in the
UK, 3-year holders may top up their academic qualifications to a master’s degree from a top 100 university, rather than earning a bachelor’s degree from a less prestigious low-ranking Chinese university. In China, the Ministry of Education accredits all 1-year master’s degrees from a public university in the UK at the same level of academic qualification as a 2-year master’s from
Chinese 211/985 universities. Chinese 211/985 universities comprise about 100 most prestigious universities in China. It is very clearly that pathway programs in the UK not only save time but are also easier.
Fourth, pathway programs have more flexible entry dates. Usually, the pathway programs have three intakes each year: spring intake in January, summer intake in May, and fall intake in
September. Most degree programs offered by the universities in the UK have one single fall intake in September or October. (A few programs may have spring intake in January.) If a student misses the fall intake for a degree program, they must defer the study plan for a whole year. Some of these students may opt for a pathway program in January or May before starting their degree program in September or October. The students’ and parents’ concern is that the student’s knowledge and English may become rusty if they stay at home or go to work for an entire year.
In sum, the current study revealed that pathway programs have certain benefits. They provide Chinese students with some unique opportunities and achieve their bridging function:
First, they help Chinese students to fill the gaps in their knowledge and study skills; second, they facilitate Chinese students’ English language learning; third, they enable 3-year holders to top-up 133 their academic qualification; fourth, their flexible entry dates attract some students who miss the entry dates of their degree programs.
Finding 4: Some Difficulties and Challenges
This study revealed the common difficulties and challenges raised by the students at their pathway program. The findings showed that two items were commonly mentioned as difficulties: inadequate English language ability and unfamiliar educational methodology. There were also some single vote difficulties: other challenges in their academic study, time management ability, homesickness, and cooking issues.
Nine out of 11 interviewees suggested that they found it difficult to understand or make themselves understood in English when they started their pathway program study. Neither did they feel confident in their English during their daily lives and social activities, especially with local people or native English speakers. It is worth noting that most of them already had IELTS scores of 5.5 or 6.5 when they enrolled at their pathway programs. They should have had adequate English language capacity before they began the program; cf. both previous studies and my own empirical work experience. There are two reasons for this:
Reason One—Some IELTS preparation programs in China focus too much on quickly improving students’ test scores but not their English language application ability. Yang &
Badger (2015) argued that IELTS preparation programs failed to enable students’ understanding of colloquial language, and their use of English in independent study and research. This has a negative impact on the students’ reading and writing quality. Liu (2013) referred to it as the difference between an English learner and an English user. Because some IELTS preparation programs in China emphasize the students’ test ability rather than their application ability they often focus on “testing skills,” including how to “guess” the answer. 134
Reason Two—students need to have sensible and realistic expectations for “adequate
English language ability.” Students need to understand it normal to have problems with their communication in English. Teachers, staff, and schoolmates know they are foreigners and
English is not their native language; it is understandable that they would make mistakes. When I asked interviewees how long it took them to become “comfortable with” English, they suggested they felt comfortable after 2 weeks to 6 months. However, it would be impossible for their
English to be as fluent as their Chinese in 6 months. It is all about the comparison between their expectation and reality.
Unfamiliar educational methodology was raised as the second common challenge by six interviewees. They expressed their confusion and struggles with their assignments, essay writing, and exams. They spent “a lot of” effort but failed to earn good scores in the end. Based on my empirical work experience, I would say that there were two reasons for their difficulties:
Reason One—It is obvious that there is a great difference between the British and
Chinese syllabus, including the learning focus and expectations for students. Chinese students grow up with a different history, culture, and values. Western culture emphasizes critical thinking while Chinese tradition prefers “black and white” judgments. Bronfenbrenner (1979) suggested that the environment has a great influence on our cognitive development. There is a
Chinese saying: It is easier to change a mountain than a person’s personality. Therefore, to understand a different educational methodology is also to understand and accept a complex system of history, culture, and values. This cannot happen overnight. Pathway providers should be aware of it and make suitable accommodations.
Reason Two—It is widely perceived that Chinese students are known for their timid responses and unwillingness to ask for help. Whenever I talked about Chinese students’ 135
“signature behaviors” with my colleagues working in different colleges, they always echoed the same. Often providers find that some Chinese students do not ask questions even when they fail to understand a certain topic. The concern of “losing face” prevents some Chinese students from trying to clarify uncertainties. This can lead to misunderstandings about the requirements for assignments, essay writing, and exams in the classroom.
It is also worth mentioning that two interviewees claimed that there were no difficulties for them. Any difficulties they encountered could be solved easily as long as they had a positive attitude and followed the tutors’ instructions. At the same time, all the interviewees mentioned it took them from 2 weeks to 6 months (one student) to overcome their difficulties and become accustomed to the local lifestyle and study. More than half of the interviewees began to feel
“comfortable” in less than 3 months. It was obvious that the adaptation period was not long.
Therefore, the so-called “biggest challenges” were not very challenging. This also shows that overall, Chinese students’ study experience at their pathway programs was happy and pleasant.
Factors Relevant to the Retention of Chinese Students Enrolled in a Pathway Program
From the findings of this study, the “biggest wish” of the pathway students is to successfully progress into their selected host universities. As long as they can keep up with their academic study, they will be happy to stay at their pathway programs. From the previous discussion, some issues which have great influence on the pathway students’ retention clearly emerge.
Academic Difficulties
Pathway programs provide tailor-made, knowledge-gap-filling opportunities for Chinese students pursuing higher education degrees in the UK. They give students a secured admission into a high-ranking university in the UK. The programs include intensive knowledge and study 136 skill elements. Many Chinese students in pathway programs experience academic difficulties and stress. There have been similar findings about Chinese students’ experiences in degree programs
(Redfern, 2016; Han et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2011; Xu, 2017; Lee, 2013; Bodycott & Lai,
2012). A parallel can be drawn between these findings and Tinto’s student retention principles.
Tinto (2012) identified seven key factors relevant to student retention. The most important of these factors is academic difficulty. Tinto suggested that academic difficulties force students to leave because they do not have adequate knowledge and skills. He also pointed out that students experiencing academic difficulty compose the largest group of student dropouts. Tinto’s study was based on students in degree programs; however, in this study of pathway students, even students who were able to progress thought that academic difficulty was their biggest difficulty and challenge.
English Language Barrier
An English language barrier is not included among Tinto’s seven factors, because Tinto’s original (1987) study involved non-foreign students. Yet the English barrier is not a new topic in
Chinese students’ overseas study experience research. Many studies have found that English language weakness is a detriment for Chinese students’ study overseas (Tian & Lowe, 2009; Liu,
2013; Yang & Badger, 2015). Cao et al. (2017) claimed that English language proficiency is the biggest problem among all the issues experienced by Chinese students. An English language barrier causes issues not only for their academic study but also for their lives and social activities. Tian & Lowe (2009) further argued that language barrier may lead to students’ cultural shock.
The English barrier was also a critical issue for the pathway students in this study. The pathway students’ experience suggested that it had a negative impact on both their academic 137 study and social lives. It made Chinese students feel less confident and caused negative feelings.
English improvement may make Chinese students feel happiness, achievement, and pride.
English language ability greatly influenced the quality of students’ communication with their peers. Inadequate English language capacity may lead to social isolation which is key in Tinto’s seven factors.
Commitment to Academic Study
In this study, there appeared to be no difficulty that Chinese students were unable to overcome. Two interviewees clearly expressed that there was no un-resolvable problem as long as the students follow their teachers’ instructions. There were no other issues in common, except students’ concern about their English language capacity and academic study. All of the so-called difficulties were quickly solved in 2 weeks to 6 months. When I asked for advice about academic study and social lives, a common recommendation was to follow some basic rules necessary for students—to be on time for class, do your assignments yourself, be honest, etc. Pathway students’ commitment to obey such rules is a key factor relevant to their retention. This is a critical issue which is often ignored.
Because of the compulsory family program implemented by the Chinese government in
1982, most Chinese students studying overseas today have no siblings. As only children, the students can easily be spoiled. According to my own empirical working experience, the most common issue with many Chinese students in our programs is absenteeism. Legally, according to the UK Border Agency’s regulation, an international student must maintain at least 80% attendance in order to maintain and renew their international student visas. Some Chinese students are misled by the regulation and believe a student with an attendance rate of 80% or above is a good student. That is unacceptable from an educator’s perspective. There are random 138 assignments and exams which are included in final overall grades. Missing those assignments and exams may lead to overall low grades or even failing the module. Student commitment is also a key factor among Tinto’s (1987) seven factors relevant to student retention.
Time Management
One pathway student, Tom, raised time management as one of his difficulties. I believe it is worth discussing because it is a widespread concern among Chinese students studying overseas.
There is a great difference between the British syllabus and Chinese syllabus in terms of the volume of compulsory modules and the number of structured face-to-face teaching hours.
Basically, there are more compulsory modules and face-to-face teaching hours in China than in the UK. For Chinese high school students, face-to face teaching lasts from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The overwhelming freedom and too much “free time” in the UK may make Chinese students feel unable to manage a schedule.
It is also students’ first time far away from their home and their parents. Although most colleges and schools have counselling services, this may not be enough. The issue is rarely adequately addressed in most universities, especially for first year students. In this study, there was a sampling issue—all the interviewees were qualified students who might have been comparatively stronger than their peers. I would further argue that this time management issue is relevant to students’ commitment to their study. Pathway program providers need to be aware of it and provide adequate counselling services in order to raise the students’ awareness about time management, and guide students to practice time management during their daily lives and study.
Recommendations
Pathway Programs Are Good Bridging Programs. 139
The current study described a model of a good pathway program. The Chinese students enjoyed their study and social lives; they were happy and proud of their achievement. Even though they experienced some problems, such as an English language barrier and academic difficulty, they believed they were resolvable when they closely followed their teachers’ suggestions. It did not take them too long to become familiar with the local environment and study comfortably in the UK. The pathway college not only enhanced the students’ accessibility to high-ranking universities in the UK, but also effectively reduced the anxiety for Chinese students during their first time studying in a foreign environment
Pathway “colleges” in the UK have developed into the most popular and mature programs in terms of enrollment and student satisfaction in the world. I would suggest private education providers in other countries consider adapting the model in accordance with their own national policies. Public universities may also benefit from adding pathway programs. This is not only a good way to increase potential students’ accessibility but also brings in revenue, especially when public funding cuts is a trend in many countries.
Add Compulsory Commitment and Time Management Elements to the Curriculum.
Pathway program providers need to realize the importance of students’ commitment and time management ability. However, many pathway colleges put a great deal of emphasis on academic study and social activities but fail to adequately address the two issues which may have an even greater influence on students’ success. Pathway program providers should include commitment and time management in compulsory modules at the beginning of the semester, rather than merely in a leaflet issued to students at orientation. Student commitment is an attitude; time management is not only an attitude, but an ability—an ability to manage time and morale effectively. This ability needs to be cultivated with proper guidance and supervision. 140
More importantly, both issues need to be addressed regularly. We need to understand that there are very self-disciplined students, but there are always more less-disciplined students. They are unable to manage a regular schedule. That is why pathway programs need to include time management elements throughout their curriculum with actual tasks associated with study and social activities. If time management helps students solve their problems and facilitates their study, students will realize its importance.
Pathway students must be aware of the importance of their commitment to their studies and the importance of time management. Students also need to understand that time management is not only about commitment but also an ability which needs both theoretical learning and real- life practice.
Chinese Students Need to Learn English in a Different Way.
Chinese students need to understand that an IELTS result sometimes does not reflect a student’s English language ability, especially after IELTS testing skills training. It means that passing a minimum IELTS entry requirement does not imply adequate real-life English ability.
Learning a language is not only about vocabulary and grammar. It is also about a culture and history, and people’s attitude towards communication. Chinese students need to bear in mind that there is no shortcut in English learning. It is all about interest, time, and commitment. In order to make English a real tool in both academic study and social life, Chinese students need to learn
English as a second language rather than a foreign language. A second language is a language used for practical tasks. A foreign language is a language learned in a classroom. The best way for Chinese students to improve their English is to maintain a regular usage of English in their daily lives with realistic expectations for improvement. In order to cultivate interest, Chinese students might develop some hobbies associated with English. Finally, a simplified guideline 141 from British Council on “proper” expectations for IELTS results is that every half band improvement takes 8 to 10 weeks. Chinese students need to remember: Adequate time is a must for improvement.
A Student Tutor System Is a Good Complement.
There is a clear trend that Chinese are taking their peers’ advice and follow their peers’ lead. In this study, peer pressure and influence clearly and repeatedly emerged when Chinese students narrated the motivation for their choices. Therefore, it would be very helpful to develop an effective student tutor network for Chinese students at their pathway programs to help them adapt to a new environment quickly and comfortably. The most appropriate tutors could be the students who have just completed their pathway programs and enrolled into their degree programs. This does not imply that student tutors are more effective than college tutors and faculty. A student tutor system could be a good complement to college tutors and could serve pathway students in a different way. It would not be too difficult to find enough Chinese student tutors. A student tutor system would not only be good for pathway students, but also for the student tutors. It would enrich their work experience and enhance both parties’ social lives at the same time. There are currently student tutors available; however, the scale is small and mot
Chinese students do not use them. In an ideal world, the pathway program should assign (or select by mutual choice) each student a student tutor, preferably on a one-to- one basis. This would not only help pathway students with their studies, but also improve the students’ overall satisfaction rate. Student service divisions should make good use of student tutors. 142
Areas for Further Study
In the recommendation section, neither time management training nor the student tutor system is fully described due to the focus and structure of the study. But both are effective strategies that contain rich potential in improving pathway students’ study and social experience.
All the successful students could have one factor in common: commitment. All of the failed students may have different reasons for their poor performance. Reasons leading to failure is also a rich area for study, and it could be more practical than studies on progressed students.
Identifying personality correlates, such as the Big Five traits of extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, with student outcomes would yield valuable data. Pathway providers could use these data to offer programs that are even more customized for individual students.
It would be useful if the key factors on pathway student retention identified in this study could be further investigated through quantitative research. Surveys could be administered to large samples of students in different pathway settings. The survey content might cover the issues raised in the current paper, or focus on descriptive data such as number of hours per week spent on study, language practice, leisure, etc.
A variety of the interventions previously discussed, such as mandatory time management training or using student tutors, could be studied. Student engagement could be encouraged by offering informal activities with international and local student peers; for example, cooking classes. Their impact on student achievement could be measured by using pretest vs posttest experimental designs.
Finally, the results of this study would be more generalizable if it were replicated in additional settings. Different UK Kaplan Pathway programs, other UK pathway providers, and 143 even other pathway countries such as the US, Canada, or Australia could be targeted. It would be interesting to ask pathway students in non-English-speaking countries similar interview questions. Interview findings could also be used to compare students in for-profit and nonprofit programs, programs run by small and large (e.g. Kaplan) pathway providers, or pathway and first-year degree programs.
144
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Appendix A: Sample College Approval
156
Appendix B: IRB approval
157
Appendix C: NIH Certificate
158
Appendix D: Email for Interviewee Recruitment
This is the email prepared by Song Wang, the student researcher. It will be sent to students at their
pathway programs at Kaplan International College London who currently study in the
college. The purpose of this email is to invite them to participate in Song Wang’s EDD
thesis project study:
Dear Kaplan International College London students,
I am an EDD student in my third year, currently study at CPS Northeastern University. I write this
email to you and want to invite you to join my research focusing on Overseas Chinese
Students’ living and learning Experience at their pathway programs (the opportunities and
challenges). This research is for my EDD thesis. You will be joining my research as my
interviewees and tell me your experience of your study and living at your pathway programs.
I believe my research will help both Chinese students and pathway program providers in the UK
have better understanding of Chinese students’ study experience at their pathway programs
and therefore improve and enhance Chinese students’ study experience at their pathway
programs.
The study will involve a semi-structured interview about 45 minutes conducted via Wechat, a secure
online platform. All information you shared with me will be remain strictly confidential and
anonymous. If you are interested in participating, please contact me via my email at
[email protected] or by phone at +xxxxxxxxxxx.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Song 159
Appendix E: Interview Guide
Opening remarks and informed consent:
Thanks for participating this interview. This interview is part of a course which I take at the moment. You are under no obligation to talk with me and you can refuse to answer certain questions. My research interest is: What are the experiences of Chinese students at their pathway programs in a for-profit private college in the UK? You can request at the end that your conversation not be used. This conversation is only going to be used for a course paper and not go further. The interview will be recorded. I am going to transcribe the interviews after our talk are complete. Did I make myself clear? (wait for confirmation, after get confirmation, continue to ask the following question) Can we start now?
Interview questions:
1. Why do you want to study in the UK? 2. Why do you choose to do the pathway program? 3. How do you find your academic study? 4. How do you find your living here? 5. What is your goal for your pathway study? 6. What are the most concerned difficulties interfering your realizing your goal? 7. Do you have effective ways to overcome the difficulties? 8. How the staff, faculty, college may help you with your difficulties? 9. Anything else you want to share with me?
Ending remarks:
Many thanks again for your participation. I will transcribe your conversation and send you over a copy of my transcript for your verification, to make sure I fully understand what you have said. I may also contact you for clarification during my transcribing. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions.