China is advancing in its bid to internationalize higher education, but little is known to date about the life satisfaction of overseas students in that country. Life satisfaction can be understood as the extent to which individuals' experiences in a host country help them achieve their personal goals and satisfy their expectations regarding acculturation. This paper examines past research, especially international literature, to provide an overview of factors that may influence the life satisfaction of international students in countries other than their own, and looks particularly at those matters that may also affect overseas students in China. Comparisons are made between variables identified in general and those in Asia, and specifically China. The findings have implications for policy-makers and university practitioners seeking to improve educational quality and counseling support services for international students.
Background The number of international students who choose China as their destination for quality medical education is rising, particularly those from developing countries, but little is known about their adaptation and educational experiences at Chinese universities. This study explored the factors that these students perceived to have influenced their academic success. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with international students (N = 40) from developing countries from September 2020 to January 2021. Participants were graduates or in their second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth academic year in two university medical schools. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results The participants chose China to study medicine based on cost, teaching resources, quality of medical education, recommendation, and safety factors. They considered an increase in medical knowledge, clinical skills and communication skills as an indicator of academic success. Positive factors affecting academic success were the support system (family, friends, seniors) and campus resources (library, laboratories, extra-curricular activities, scholarship). Negative factors were (i) issues affecting learning (English language barrier), adjusting to the medical education system in China, learning difficulties, failing exams, internship difficulties, problems with online learning during the pandemic, (ii) sociocultural issues (lacking knowledge of the Chinese language, challenges in daily life, perceived discrimination, interpersonal relationships), (iii) wellbeing issues (physical and mental health issues), and (iv) other challenges (climate, food, finance, scholarship). The influence of teachers, administrators and classmates was perceived as both positive and negative. Conclusions Factors affecting the academic success of international medical students at Chinese universities are multi-faceted. It is the collective responsibility of the host society, universities, teachers, administrators, classmates, families, and students themselves to address these factors in order to support and help students achieve academic success. Findings in our study support recommendations to improve teachers’ English language skills and pedagogy and to invest in administrators’ professional development. They also suggest that greater awareness of students’ sociocultural and mental challenges and optimizing the positive influence of classmates could strengthen student support and better address student academic difficulties. The English proficiency and prior academic performance of international students should be considered during recruitment. Given the rapid growth in international MBBS programs in China, further research on the experiences of international students in China’s medical programs is needed.
In an increasingly interconnected world, intercultural competency has become an essential skill for many. It is important for students to learn this skill, but are teachers equipped to instil such knowledge not just adequately, but also objectively and without prejudice? In light of the recent explosion in telecommunications-assisted teaching and learning, this is a timely review on the use of online technology as cognitive tools for enhancing teachers’ intercultural competency skills. Though various online platforms for learning and sharing have been developed for and used by students over the years, less attention has been given to teachers’ needs; only five well-documented projects pertaining to the upskilling of intercultural competence were found. We focus on these five projects and draw from them best practices, platforms and methods of potential and other insights, which would provide the best benefits in meeting the professional development needs of teachers.
Background: Academic success of international medical students enrolled in Chinese universities is of great significance, because it directly influences their performance in the license exam and in obtaining a job. Insufficient research has been conducted on academics’ awareness of factors related to teaching that affect their students’ academic success. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics (N=36) from November 2020 to January 2021 at two medical universities in China. Each interview, lasting between 30 to 70-min, was audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The important teaching factors that academics perceived to influence the success of students are: (i) style of pedagogy, (ii) addressing students’ language difficulties and differences, (iii) teaching resources management, (iv) attributes of the academics, (v) supervision and guidance by the academics, (vi) rapport between the academic and student, (vii) linking teaching content to license exams, (viii) classroom discipline management, and (ix) assessment style. Conclusions: University faculties and departments that are involved in teaching international medical students need to ensure that academic staff are provided with ongoing professional development and resources to enhance teaching quality. The nine areas identified above should provide priority topics for such staff training.
Financial security affects international students’ success and wellbeing and is a cause for great concern. However, it is still understudied in the literature. This is an especially important issue in countries where most international students are self-financed and/or originate from developing countries. This is the case in China, which hosts a large number of international students, and where such research is still lacking. Adopting a phenomenological approach, this exploratory study was a case study of a high-achieving international medical student in China who experienced (and overcame) financial difficulties. Findings of the study have important implications for policy and practice, and call for an expansion of the Chinese government’s policy concerning the financial needs of poor domestic students, supporting them with financial resources and extending these resources to students from developing countries studying in the Chinese higher education system. The implications also include the need for Chinese universities to assume greater responsibility and provide more support for the learning and wellbeing of international students.
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