"Chinese Students Themselves Are Changing": Evolution of Chinese International Undergraduates' Experiences in U.S. Colleges

• In Event: 16.061 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.061-12 - Institutional and International Contexts

Abstract

U.S. media’s reports of Chinese students—the largest group of international students—tend to perpetuate the stereotype of them as needy, problematic, and unwilling to change. This study follows 18 Chinese freshmen and sophomores over one year to examine how they evolved over a year and compare freshmen vs. sophomores’ experiences. Data collection involved a questionnaire, three semi-structured interviews, and four structured journals. Findings reveal that freshmen are more positive about their experience than sophomores, and that students reported improvements in reading, pedagogy, class choice, balancing work load, and making friends with locals. This study highlights the complexity, fluidity and heterogeneity of Chinese students’ experiences and aims to increase transcultural understanding between international students and college members.

Author

• Tang T. Heng, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education