Many Chinese universities engage in transnational higher education by establishing articulation programs with international partners. Although research has broadly investigated transnational higher education topics, few studies have explored Chinese students’ intercultural learning and adjustment experiences in these programs. This qualitative study explored seven Chinese students’ experiences in two China-Australia articulation programs to add insights to this under-researched topic. The findings indicated that research participants’ intercultural learning experiences were far more complex than the theoretical model of “stress-adaptation-development.” The students’ agency, identity, and belonging underwent dynamic changes due to academic inconsistencies and differences, including the use of technology, assessment, and teaching strategies. This study suggests that it is important for educators to consider educational differences in designing and implementing transnational articulation programs.
Engaging students as partners (SaP) in teaching and learning is a growing arena of practice that shapes the mutually beneficial student-teacher relationship. Redefining student-teacher identities in pedagogical practice is one of the key implications of SaP. In the past decade, Chinese higher education institutions have paid increasing attention to student-centred pedagogies. Understanding and investigating new interpretations of student-teacher identities underpins the shift toward such pedagogical practices. In this theoretical discussion paper, based on the recent trends associated with Chinese higher education reform efforts revealed by large-scale and systematic survey results, we interrogate the concept of Chinese student-teacher identities as a learning partnership by drawing on the theorisations of SaP. Our intention is to contribute to the ongoing process of identity transformation within Chinese higher education. By calling for adapting SaP to the unique Chinese educational and cultural features, we provide a future vision for the cultivation of the teacher-student relationship.
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