Chinese students’ study in the UK and employability: The views of Chinese employers, students and alumni, and UK teachers

Abstract

While not the only motive for Chinese students to come to study in the UK, employability must be one key factor. Yet there is relatively little research on perceptions among students, employers and teachers of how studying in the UK impacts employment prospects. This paper seeks to compare the views of these stakeholders on what are the essential skills needed for employability and whether these match those gained through study abroad. The data used was from an online questionnaire. The data showed that while there seemed to be some agreement about what skills were valued for employability and about what was learned in studying in the UK yet there was quite a strong mismatch between the two. Free text responses to the survey confirmed from previous research that reverse culture shock and work experience issues were important barriers to employability. They also revealed some types of challenge not identified or given emphasis before such as a reverse language shock and a misalignment between the timing of recruitment rounds and study in the UK. The data also confirmed the relative weakness of career advice for international students.

Preschool Teachers' Knowledge Building Community During a Crisis: An Integrative Culture, Identity, and Practice

“…The development of a shared language helps to connect and build a community, improving the understanding of ideas and conversation within the community (Cortazzi and Jin, 1997;Zhao, 2014). We noted that with the use of KB scaffolds, teachers' engagement on KF consolidated this shared language and allowed teachers to share their ideas in a productive manner.…”

Translating Interviews, interpreting lives: bi-lingual research analysis informing less westernised views of international student mobility

“…Extracts from interviews were presented in the thesis to reveal the field and illustrate the researcher-translator's interpretation. In the original research report, in order to highlight that the fieldwork was conducted, and the Chinese participants' stories were initially told, in Chinese, extracts from interviews were presented in Chinese and were followed by the English language translation [set within brackets] (Zhao, 2019).…”

“…These phrases also imbricate the researcher-translator in actively 'combating the dominant culture's ways and norms' (Kouritzin and Nakagawa, 2018: 683). Additionally, as a transparency check, extracts from interviews were presented in the original research report (Zhao, 2019) in Chinese and were then followed by the English language translation. The integrity principle is reflected most obviously in the constant reflection on the dilemmas and sense of unsettlement that the researcher-translator experienced as part of the translation process.…”