Chinese students at U.K. universities: Transnational education mobilities as a stepping‐stone to adulthood

Abstract

This article explores transnational Chinese students' education migration to the United Kingdom through a lifecourse perspective. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with 43 transnational Chinese graduates from U.K. universities, I found that participants regarded their transnational education migration as a stepping‐stone to adulthood. Influenced by the mobilities paradigm, this paper elaborates on the transitions to adulthood experienced by transnational Chinese students. The findings illustrate how transnational education mobilities transform social networks, in which transnational Chinese students rehearse their role as an adult in everyday social interactions, and how the intersection of Confucian collectivism and students' class background influences their experiences and understandings of transitions to adulthood. Therefore, this paper advances existing scholarship on transnational Chinese students by proposing a lifecourse perspective and exemplifies the complexities of mobile youth's lifecourse transitions by emphasising the cultural and social construction of transnational Chinese students' adulthood.

Beyond brokering for recruitment: Education agents in Armenia

“…Future scholarship should continue developing the implications of the ‘infrastructures of immobility’ in the context of predatory agents, who take advantage of vulnerable students—both those from socioeconomically vulnerable backgrounds as well as those who have been expelled from their original universities. Relatedly, given the expanding roles agents play in many students' postmigration experiences, scholars should incorporate education brokers into analyses, which investigate student migration as a transition to adulthood (Robertson et al, 2018; Wang, 2022).…”

“…In my interviews, several students spoke of the ways they continue to rely on education agents for many years even after beginning their MBBS programmes in Armenia. As scholars have noted, student migration often plays an important role in adulthood transitions (Robertson et al, 2018; Wang, 2022). For many of these students, agents' influences can exacerbate the already challenging experience of these transitions.…”

Grafted transnationalism: Rhythmic routines and disruptions of stay‐at‐home international students

“…Since international students typically perceive migration as a way of accomplishing significant life goals on the journey to adulthood (Thomson & Taylor, 2005), research has focused extensively on their dynamic agencies to cope with uncertainties and precariousness across variegated contexts (see Phan et al, 2023;Wang, 2022b).…”

“…Such complex encounters intertwine with equally dynamic life course transitions (Tran, 2015). Since international students typically perceive migration as a way of accomplishing significant life goals on the journey to adulthood (Thomson & Taylor, 2005), research has focused extensively on their dynamic agencies to cope with uncertainties and precariousness across variegated contexts (see Phan et al, 2023; Wang, 2022b). Particularly, migrant students utilize various resources, including familial support, internet infrastructure, and social connections, to bridge the gap and develop the skills necessary for completion of coursework and success in their postgraduate endeavours (Collins, 2010).…”

Chinese Postgraduate Students' Perceived Social Presence in Online Learning Environments: A Zoom-Based Online Student-Led Project Evaluation

“…Chinese students studying for higher education degrees at UK universities have poor social skills and lack confidence in their interaction abilities, which prevents them from fully socializing in education [6] . Because of their cultural traditions, linguistic difficulties, and preference for autonomous learning techniques, Chinese students find it challenging to assimilate into Englishspeaking academic life.…”