Different Is Not Deficient: How Context and Change Influence Mainland Chinese Undergraduates in U.S. Colleges

• In Event: Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Research on the Experiences of Chinese Students in U.S. School Contexts and Abroad

Abstract

Despite the rapid increase in mainland Chinese undergraduates in the U.S., very little is known about them, and most discourse around them tends to adopt a deficit perspective. This study follows 18 undergraduates over one year to examine their perspectives on challenges they face here and highlight their responses to said challenges. Data collection involved a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and journals. Findings reveal that Chinese students are shaped by the contexts within which they reside, rendering their experiences and responses fluid. Further, they possess agency in interpreting their environment, resulting in changes in abilities, behaviors, and attitudes over time. This study aims to increase intercultural understanding between students and faculty in addition to improving college policies that address students’ needs.

Author

• Tang T. Heng, Teachers College, Columbia University