An Investigation of the Experiences of Working with Multilingual International Students among Local Students and Faculty Members in Chinese Universities

Abstract

In recent years, as a response to the internationalization of higher education worldwide, China has begun to enroll international students to study at the tertiary level on an increasingly large scale. While the majority of the programs and courses are open to international students via Chinese as Chinese-medium instruction (CMI), there are also an increasing number of programs and courses delivered through English-medium instruction (EMI). In order to understand higher education multilingual contexts, this qualitative study examines how local students and faculty members make sense of their engagement with international students in three Chinese universities. In the study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 11 academics who worked with international students as project supervisors and 25 Chinese university students regarding their experiences of working with international students. The findings that emerged from the thematic analysis revealed that international students’ learning engagement was profoundly mediated by language barriers, cultural assumptions and the academic conventions in host institutions. The study revealed that Chinese academics are concerned about international students’ learning attitudes, their academic progress and a lack of participation due to their language ability. Local Chinese students also reported a lack of satisfaction in working with international students. Some of the local students felt that some international students may have been enabled to enroll in the academic programs as a result of national and university policies, which has led to a ‘dumbing down’ of the curriculum offered in English. The findings indicate that more needs to be done to promote mutual exchanges and better understanding among international students, Chinese faculty members and local students.

Challenges to Internationalisation of University Programmes: A Systematic Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Research on Learner-Centred English Medium Instruction (EMI) Pedagogy

“…2 (5) [13,95] Frustration "Some students do not understand what the teacher says and that interrupts the flow of the class that becomes really slow and some of us feel frustrated" [64].…”

“…Other students complained that communication was sometimes impossible since the 'students from the same country always sat together so they could speak their own language' [79]. Language barriers also seemed to increase in-group pressures noted by students in several studies [73,74,77,78,84,95]. For example, some home students felt that 'international students might have used their lack of language proficiency as an excuse to seek and receive more help from teachers' [95].…”

“…Language barriers also seemed to increase in-group pressures noted by students in several studies [73,74,77,78,84,95]. For example, some home students felt that 'international students might have used their lack of language proficiency as an excuse to seek and receive more help from teachers' [95].…”

Chinese Universities: Problems, COVID-19 & Efforts

“…The study revealed that Chinese academics are concerned about international students' learning attitudes, their academic progress and a lack of participation due to their language ability. Local Chinese students also reported a lack of satisfaction in working with international students (Han, Li, Bao & Cao, 2020).…”

The Influence of Transaction Process With Doctors on Patient Satisfaction, Self-Rating Anxiety and Self-Efficacy Among International Students in China

“…A report indicated that 492, 185 international students are pursuing higher education in mainland China and had an increase of 3,013 in 2018 ( 2 ). Most of these students come from Asian and African countries, ( 2 ) and experience significant difficulties from assimilating into new customs to access healthcare under the unique cultural practices in host country ( 3 , 4 ). One study revealed that around 71% of students agreed that language was a barrier to healthcare access and interpreter services should be available ( 5 ).…”