The Chinese Student Experience Roz Collins Institutional Research Team

The Chinese Student Experience 2 Research Rationale and Aims To gain a greater understanding of the Chinese student experience at Southampton Institute Identify gaps between expectations prior to students arrival and their subsequent experience Identify specific areas of perceived difficulty, and explore ways in which greater and effective support might be given Elicit the views of academic and support staff regarding the behaviour and needs of Chinese students and the current and possible future support offered to them Identify ways which would help Chinese students to meet the standards required of their courses.

The Chinese Student Experience 3 Methodology Small Scale Qualitative Study –11 interviews with students between levels 0-5 –6 interviews academic and support staff –Semi- structured interviews

The Chinese Student Experience 4 Findings Students –Cultural differences: The food is very big difference, if the people coming from Hong Kong or China they will find difficult to have their food… they will have difficulty getting rice and the main supply is chips in here(1M1)

The Chinese Student Experience 5 Students Language –Reading English books very time consuming for assignments – constant reference to dictionaries –Keeping up in class –Televised experience of English results in attuned comprehension of American accent –Inhibition and shyness

The Chinese Student Experience 6 Students Learning experience –Impressed by educational facilities and resources –Access to lecturers and –Group work – access to English speaking students If you just come here for the lesson you can meet other people there is no other way to make friends (2M1)

The Chinese Student Experience 7 Students Social integration –Friends were often other international students – difficulty in making friends with English speaking students –P/T work had enabled students to make friends outside of the institution –Host families were a significant source of support and networking –Limited informal opportunities to make friends with other students

The Chinese Student Experience 8 Students Loneliness –The first few months were the worst and it takes a long time to feel a bit more confident I called my father in China, I cant say anything, just cried because you know I came here just one day, I cant understand the English very clearly so I must concentrate my mental and listen, listen… (OM4)

The Chinese Student Experience 9 Students Accommodation –Many of the students had found their own accommodation via friends or the internet –Some were unhappy with the area and the late and noisy habits of other tenants –Halls were considered expensive and unavailable during the Summer period –Students staying with relatives or host families expressed no concerns

The Chinese Student Experience 10 Staff Cultural differences may mislead staff in relation to language proficiency Cultural awareness – acknowledgement of the limitations – needs to be a 2 way process

The Chinese Student Experience 11 Staff Teaching Experience –Chinese students as generally very keen and enthusiastic –Tutors need to speak slowly and think carefully about terminology –Chinese students appear to struggle more with autonomous approaches

The Chinese Student Experience 12 Student Support Initial induction to incorporate social activities for all students Student Support Network Spiral Induction Programme Appointment of dedicated Chinese speaking adviser Provide social base run by students to promote diversity and cultural awareness

The Chinese Student Experience 13 Other considerations Extend host family network Introduce 2- way notice board (actual & electronic) Provide more support and assessment for English in speaking and listening Investigate the possibility of serving more culturally diverse food in the refectory Produce Chinese language guide for newly arriving students (written by current Chinese students) detailing: finding your way around; best places to buy food; what to expect on your course; who to contact, what to do if experiencing problems etc.

The Chinese Student Experience 14 Staff/Tutor Support Opportunities for staff development –Cross cultural teaching exchanges –Cultural awareness training Raise awareness of undisclosed language problems Explore helpful teaching techniques such as: pre-reading information; information literacy training; opportunities for Chinese students to find out more about local business/politics/culture; integrate groups through flexible approaches