Exploring expectations, experiences and long-term plans of Chinese international students studying in the joint Sino-Russian degree

Abstract

This article investigates the transitioning process of international Chinese undergraduate students studying in Russia. The paper offers new insights into changes in the expectations and experiences of Chinese students at various stages of their joint educational studies in China and Russia. Drawing on a qualitative study of 20 Chinese undergraduates studying in Russia, the findings of the study indicate that before studying in Russia, most of Chinese students had low expectations about their study program. However, once they were in Russia, students' perception of the value of their international education experiences changes through varied opportunities for self-reflexivity in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The study also offers an example of methodological approach useful for researching international students' experiences, particularly within but not limited to context of Sino-Foreign university partnerships.

Reimagining transcultural identity: a case study of field experiences for international preservice teachers

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The digital explosion: It’s impact on international student achievement

“…Now, more than ever, higher education establishments are facing an increasingly complex and competitive environment (Daniel, 2014). One of the complexities relates to the fact that, in recent years, numbers of international students in universities have increased dramatically (Brauss, Lin and Baker, 2015;OECD, 2012;Norton, Cherastidtham and Mackey, 2018;Sablina, Soong and Pechurina, 2018;Holloway, O'Hara and Pimlott, 2012;Sidu et al, 2011). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines an international student as one who has left their country of birth in order to study in another (OECD, 2012).…”

Chinese and Indian higher education students go abroad: listening to them to determine what their needs are

“…Other lines of research on student’s experiences and students’ problems while studying abroad have shed light on issues related to their motivation to enrol in foreign programs. There are studies on social, cultural and linguistic capital gained through international experience (Bótas & Huisman, 2013 ); on the expectations, experiences and results obtained by Chinese students (Comerio & Walker, 2021 ; Hu et al, 2021 ; Sablina, Soong & Pechurina, 2018 ); on student mobility as an engine of higher education internationalization (Fumasoli, 2021 ); on the relationship between universities’ rankings and students choice (Hazelkorn, 2015 ); on international students’ satisfaction after their educational and non-educational (culture, transportation, accommodation, administrative issues) experience (Nada and Araújo, 2018 ; Huisman et al, 2020 ); on the reasons why some students go abroad when other ones stay at home (Matthies & Karhunen, 2021 ); on students’ opinions on their emotions at the host university (Bañegil-Palacios & Sánchez-Hernández, 2018 ) and, in a wide perspective, on the value of students’ feedback on their educational experience (Williams, 2014 ).…”