Yu, Yun (2017) Church participation as intercultural encounter in the experiences of Chinese international students in the UK. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8606/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten:Theses http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Church Participation as Intercultural Encounter in the Experiences of Chinese International Students in the UK Yu, Yun A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education College of Social Science University of Glasgow November 2017 ii In memory of Professor Andy Furlong iii Abstract This study is a mixed-method analysis of church participation as a direct intercultural encounter in the experiences of non-Christian Chinese international students in the UK. Its setting in a religious context makes the whole research unique among research on the topic of international students’ cross-cultural experience. The study aims to address the overarching research question: What is the role of Christian churches in the intercultural experiences of Chinese international students in the UK? There are five sub-questions further developed from both student and church perspectives to comprehensively explore the main issue: 1) Why do non-Christian Chinese students choose to go to churches after they arrive in the UK? 2) Do Christian churches serve as a medium of intercultural encounter for Chinese international students? 3) What is the institutional motivation of the Christian community for attracting international students, especially Chinese students? 4) What are the Christian churches’ strategies in working with Chinese international students? 5) What is more important for students, religious or intercultural experience? The study employs survey, semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis as research methods to provide an analysis on international students’ church experiences. In the context of the non-Christian Chinese students’ international mobility and Christianity in China and UK, it investigates the intentions behind and purposes of the intercultural engagement between churches and students. What underpins the interaction between Chinese students and the international Christian community is the interplay between educational, religious, socio-cultural, and psychological factors. The study also presents the western culture, Christianity, as well as the cultural/religious background of Chinese students, and highlights Christian ambitions and missionary strategies (working model) towards non-Christian international students. The findings indicate that social connections with the host environment and the nature of organisation play a significant role in the cross-cultural adaptation and individual development of international students. Besides offering an explanation for the mechanism behind the students’ church participation, the findings also demonstrate that it is Christian churches, rather than universities in the experience of Chinese international students in the UK to facilitate intercultural encounters. The study recommends that universities be encouraged to undertake relevant interventions to facilitate meaningful intercultural engagement among students in the multicultural campus environment. iv Table of content Abstract ................................................................................................................................ iii Table of content.................................................................................................................... iv List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgement................................................................................................................ ix Author’s Declaration ............................................................................................................ xi Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Research Background.............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Problem.................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 4 1.4 Research Design ...................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Research Originality and Significance .................................................................... 5 1.6 Structure of the Thesis ............................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2 Research Context – International Students and Church Participation 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 11 2.2 International Students in the UK ............................................................................ 11 2.3 Chinese International Students .............................................................................. 14 2.3.1 Chinese International Students in the UK .................................................. 14 2.3.2 The Cultural and Religious Backgrounds of Chinese Students ................. 16 2.4 Church Participation.............................................................................................. 21 2.4.1 Christian Culture in the West ..................................................................... 21 2.4.2 Christian Church Participation and Immigrants ......................................... 25 2.4.3 Faith-based Organisations (FBO) .............................................................. 28 2.5 Summary ............................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 39 3.2 Intercultural Encounter ......................................................................................... 39 3.3 Intercultural Contact and Interaction .................................................................... 43 3.3.1 Theoretical Approaches to Cross-cultural Adaptation ............................... 43 3.3.2 Positive Intercultural Contact or Communication...................................... 50 3.4 Intercultural Engagement for International Students ............................................ 52 3.4.1 Factors related to Intercultural Engagement .............................................. 52 v 3.4.2 Intercultural Engagement around the University ....................................... 65 3.4.3 Intercultural Transformation ...................................................................... 66 3.4.4 Chinese International students ................................................................... 67 3.5 Summary ............................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 4 Methodology 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 71 4.2 Paradigm and Mixed-method Approach ............................................................... 71 4.3 Sample ................................................................................................................... 75 4.3.1 Sample Selection Criteria ........................................................................... 75 4.3.2 Nature of the Sample .................................................................................. 76 4.4 Methods ................................................................................................................. 76 4.4.1 Survey ........................................................................................................ 78 4.4.2 Qualitative Methods ................................................................................... 82 4.4.3 Participant Observation .............................................................................. 84 4.4.4 Semi-structured in-depth Interviews .......................................................... 88 4.4.5 Document Analysis .................................................................................... 96 4.5 Location of the Fieldwork ..................................................................................... 97 4.6 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 99 4.6.1 Quantitative Data Analysis ......................................................................... 99 4.6.2 Qualitative Data Analysis ..........................................................................