Exploring Chinese students’ experience of curriculum internationalisation: a comparative study of Scotland and Australia

Abstract

Increasing enrolment of Chinese students has become a key feature of internationalisation for Western universities, but there is limited research into how curriculum internationalisation affects Chinese students' learning experiences. Using the typologies of curriculum internationalisation (Edwards et al, 2003) as a framework, this paper explores and compares how Scottish and Australian universities integrate international and intercultural elements into their curriculum to support Chinese postgraduate taught students' study. Interviews, focus groups and a survey are used as the main research methods. Analysis reveals that the practice of curriculum internationalisation in both countries is rather limited, and that Chinese students express a desire for more international perspectives in the course content, and for more mobility experiences, in order to prepare for their future careers. The mismatch between academics' and students' understandings of curriculum internationalisation is highlighted as an arena of power differential and an area for further study.

Challenges in obtaining employment in China: Lived experiences of Australian Chinese graduates

“…Hao et al.’s (2016) finding that graduates from overseas institutions did have high expectations of securing high salary packages for their first job. Cheng et al. (2018) argued that Chinese students who studied in China had easier access to work experience through internships or placements compared to Australian- or United Kingdom-educated Chinese international students.…”

“…Chinese international graduates have invested in gaining an Australian higher education degree and, in return, this investment has, over time, yielded positive outcomes in gaining international professional skills and knowledge that allow them to develop their careers in China's competitive labour market (Cheng et al, 2018;J. Hao & Liu, 2017;J.…”

“…Hao et al's (2016) finding that graduates from overseas institutions did have high expectations of securing high salary packages for their first job. Cheng et al (2018) argued that Chinese students who studied in China had easier access to work experience through internships or placements compared to Australian-or United Kingdom-educated Chinese international students. However, this challenge must not deter international students from gaining work experience in the host country, even though there remain numerous opportunities for them to gain prior work experiences in China or elsewhere.…”

International Students’ Cross-Cultural Adjustment: Determining Predictors of Cultural Intelligence

“…Fourth, it is stated that curriculum internationalization or internationalization of education is vital as it allows students to come across diverse norms and cultures that would shape their overall learning experience and enhance intercultural competence (Cheng et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2012). Curriculum internationalization refers to the inclusion of international and intercultural elements into the subject matter of the curriculum as well as the philosophy and knowledge procedures and support services of a course of study (Leask, 2009).…”

Engaging “Students as Partners” in Global Learning: Some Possibilities and Provocations

“…Zimitat’s (2008) survey of undergraduate students in one university, which had undertaken a strategic commitment to IoC, found that approximately half did not recognize an “international dimension to their experiences” when this was offered. On the contrary, several studies show that international students experience apparently internationalized curriculum as parochial, dominated by “western knowledge,” and lacking relevance, in a range of countries including Malaysia (Pandian, Balraj Baboo, & Mahfoodh, 2016), Australia, and Scotland (Cheng, Adekola, Shah, & Valyrakis, 2018). Cheng et al’s comparative study between Australia and Scotland found a “mismatch between academics’ and students’ understandings of curriculum internationalization” (p. 754).…”