Leveraging Online Learning Platforms: Chinese Students' Strategies for Gaining Research Experience to Enhance Foreign University Applications

• In Event: Diverse studies exploring educational topics: internationalisation, etwining, compulsory attendance, and online learning platforms

Proposal

The COVID-19 pandemic has given education worldwide a challenging time. Students and teachers have shifted from the physical classroom to online learning through different platforms from K-12 to higher education (Roman & Plopeanu, 2021). However, the landscape of higher education has undergone significant shifts due to the rapid globalization of knowledge and the rise of digital learning platforms. Online education is now an essential resource for students worldwide seeking to enhance their skills, gain new knowledge, and improve their academic profiles, especially for those Chinese students seeking international higher education opportunities.

Historically, Chinese college entrance examinations, or “GaoKao,” have been understood as life-changing opportunities for Chinese students. Unlike SAT or ACT in the United States, which is held a couple of times a year, GaoKao is held once a year as one of the most significant nationwide events. As a score-based admission system, only those students who achieved high scores can secure a seat from the top tier universities, so-called “985” projects or “211” project universities. Thus, studying abroad became a means for families with financial capabilities to send their children to foreign countries, predominantly English-speaking countries, to secure higher education opportunities.

The difference in the admission process between Chinese and Western universities may not be familiar to Chinese students and their families, especially the background part, which is understood as extracurricular in supporting students' college application. Online learning has seen remarkable growth since the Pandemic in China, which allows students to access foreign universities' education resources through synchronized online courses through Zoom or other video conferencing platforms.
Chinese students, facing intense competition for spots in prestigious foreign universities, increasingly turn to online platforms to gain the research experience needed to bolster their applications. Research experience is a crucial aspect of applications to Western universities, especially for graduate programs, as it demonstrates a student’s ability to engage with academic scholarship, design experiments, and contribute to new knowledge. However, online learning platforms present a promising solution for students without access to research opportunities in their domestic education systems. Pierre Bourdieu (1986) argues that cultural capital plays a crucial role in the education system, serving as a critical factor in the reproduction of social class, which Chinese students accumulate specific forms of cultural capital (e.g., research skills, certifications from prestigious universities/professors) through online platforms to enhance their foreign university applications.
This study focuses on how Chinese students leverage online learning platforms to gain research experience and specifically strengthen their applications to foreign universities. This research aims to understand the motivations behind these platforms, identify the most beneficial courses, and assess the challenges these students face in navigating the online learning space. This study has the following research questions: 1) How do Chinese students use online platforms to engage in research-based learning in preparation for foreign university applications? 2) How effective do Chinese students perceive these online research courses to be in helping them meet the admission requirements of foreign universities, particularly in terms of research skills and experience?3) What barriers and challenges do Chinese students encounter when using online platforms to gain research experience?
This study employs a mixed-methods approach to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. We primarily focus on students 18 years and older who have applied to or were applying to foreign universities, specifically those who have completed at least one online research course. The participants were recruited from a leading online platform that provides synchronous online research courses. The types of courses ranged from general research methodology courses to specific disciplinary research seminars, often affiliated with prestigious international universities.
The survey captures data on the types of online platforms used, the courses taken, and the students’ perceptions of the utility and effectiveness of these courses. In addition to the survey, in-depth interviews will be conducted with a smaller sample of 15 students, ideally those who took different classes, to provide more detailed insights into their motivations, experiences, and challenges with online learning. The semi-structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted internationally and remotely, predominantly on video conferencing platforms. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics for the quantitative aspects and thematic coding for the qualitative interviews.
Data Analysis began during our first phase of interviews, conducted in the summer of 2024. Emerging themes from preliminary data include recommendation letters, technological issues, the expense of the course, concerns with application material, parental suggestions, access (or lack thereof) to resources abroad, discipline limitations, and preparation for college life abroad. We will gather further data aiming to capture this evolution. To this end, we have amended our interview protocol as we move forward with future interviews. We will continue to collect both qualitative data and quantitative data to gain a fuller understanding of these newly emerged education activities. The next round of data collection will take place October 2024 - December 2024. Data analysis will be ongoing through February 2025. We anticipate expanding upon our preliminary findings from both rounds of data collection and having them available for presentation at CIES 2025.
As globalization continues to shape the landscape of higher education, this study will provide valuable insights into how Chinese students leverage these platforms, the benefits they perceive, and the challenges they face. Moving forward, improving access to high-quality, research-based online education will be vital to ensuring equitable opportunities for all students aspiring to study abroad.

Authors

• Junjian Gao, Wenzhou Kean University

• Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Columbia University