The experiences of Chinese students entering top-up courses: comparing

students from UK-style HND courses and those from Chinese diploma courses.

Dave Burnapp & Wei Zhao.Northampton Business School,The University of Northampton.

A comparison study: TNE group.

• UK-validated, e.g. SQA or BTEC HNDs.

• Taught in English language.

• UK-style teaching and assessment approaches.

• E.g. SQA HND course, described by the Chinese Ministry of Education as being part of a five-year framework.

A comparison study: Chinese group.

• Dazhuan diploma students moving to top-up degrees, or in some cases degree students moving to Masters courses.

• Taught in Chinese.

• Chinese-style teaching and assessment approaches.

Aims.

• To explore changes which relate to linguistic, social, and academic competences.

• In addition, intercultural adaptation is often described in three aspects:

– affective, which relates to liking or not liking;

– behavioural, which relates to knowing what to do in a situation;

– and cognitive, which relates to understanding the requirements of the situation.

What is the ‘trajectory of adjustment’?

1. Either, students experience a culture shock stage soon after arrival followed by recovery, which would give a U-curve trajectory.

2. Or, they begin with anxieties but then follow a rising learning curve.

• Possible that the trajectory of adjustment for these two groups is different, hence that the requirements for provision of support will be different.

Methods.

• Used mixed methods of a quantitative attitude survey, as well as qualitative data gathered from focus groups and interviews.

• The first data collection was carried out during the students’ induction period in August 2009.

• This was then repeated four months later at the end of their first term on top-up or Masters courses.

Cognitive aspect

Behavioural aspect

Affective aspect

Linguistic competence

E.g. I have a good knowledge of English.

E.g. I am able to express my ideas clearly in English.

E.g. I enjoy speaking in English.

Socialcompetence

E.g. I know a lot about daily life in England.

E.g. I will be able to do things like shopping without difficulty.

E.g. I am looking forward to knowing more about English life.

Academic competence

E.g. I have a clear idea about the methods of education in England.

E.g. I will be able to finish my assignments easily.

E.g. Studying in England will be an exciting experience.

Quantitative survey August 2009.

• The Chinese system group rated themselves more highly in 32 of the 36 items, significant differences in seven cases.

– Studying in England will be an exciting experience.

– I write well in English.

– I know different types of English, both formal and informal.

• (list continued on next slide).

Significant differences continued.

– I will be able to do things life shopping without difficulty.

– I will be able to follow my lectures.

– I will get to know English people easily.

– I will learn a lot from using different study methods.

Focus Groups September 2009.

• Because the confidence of the TNE students was lower than those who had studied in the Chinese system the focus groups explored these ideas.

– Possibly the Chinese system students only had vicarious knowledge of the UK system.

– Possibly the TNE group had their own direct experiences, both positive and negative, hence a form of behavioural insideness , and their lower expectations might have been more realistic.

TNE students qualitative findings.

• Had difficulties in learning and using English as the language of instruction on their TNE course.

• Had developed survival strategies: frequent use of Chinese to clarify and scaffold their learning.

• Recognised that their programmes demanded different approaches to study; differences in logical thinking, the use of discussions, the need to present different view-points, assessments, time-management skills, and the need to illustrate theory with practical applied examples.

TNE qualitative findings, continued.

• Although they had lower confidence than the Chinese system students, they were proud of their achievements, and confident that they had been well-prepared for their top-up degrees.

• Their major concern was English language proficiency.

• On arrival in the UK had new difficulties in the social domain.

Chinese system group qualitative findings.

• Concerning educational methods, they reported little use of discussions in China, strong emphasis on lectures which supplied very detailed knowledge.

• A belief that Chinese teachers provide more detail, an approach which some described as boring.

• A student of art described a difference between an emphasis on detailed technique in the Chinese system with an emphasis on theory in the UK system. (Continued on next slide).

Chinese system qualitative findings, continued.

• A heavy reliance on passing examinations. • A shared view that in China it is hard to enter

university but easy to graduate, (and that this is opposite in the UK).

• Aware that plagiarism and referencing are important in the UK, disagreement about importance of this in the Chinese system.

• Had experienced difficulties concerning the use of English language in initial social encounters when they arrived in the UK.

Quantitative survey January 2010

• The Chinese system group higher in 19 items: the TNE group higher in 17. Significant differences in 3. TNE group higher in 2 items:

– I can read English newspapers with little difficulty.

– I know different types of English both formal and informal.

• The Chinese system group higher in 1 item:

– I will learn a lot from using different study methods.

Changes over time.

• Generally a lowering of confidence, which could be explained by ‘regression to the mean’, so here only report those instances where there was an increase in confidence.

• Most increases felt by the students who had studied on TNE programmes (ten items as compared to four items for the Chinese system group).

• These increases were mostly related to linguistic followed by social competences and in cognitive followed by behavioural aspects.

Interviews January 2010.

• Did the Chinese system group have a period of anxiety after their initial feeling of excitement?

• What were the experiences of the TNE group?

• To question both groups about the accuracy of their previous feelings of insideness:

– The Chinese system students’ vicarious knowledge of the demands of the UK system.

– The authenticity of the TNE students’ experiences of the UK system whilst in China been.

Chinese system qualitative findings.

• Main anxiety was how to do written assessments, completely different from the methods previously used in the China.

– Expected formats.

– Need for referencing.

• Level of English cause difficulties, both in study and daily life.

• But at the time of the interview were feeling more confident about succeeding, getting used to the study methods in the UK education.

TNE group qualitative findings

• Main anxiety was understanding assignment requirements, in particular relating to research and using correct referencing methods.

• Level of English.

• Previously had used more Chinese than English information, had structured ideas in Chinese, and then translated.

• Disagreement about necessity of referencing some reported that referencing had, or had not, been expected.

Discussion and conclusions.

• Guides to autonomous research/referencing are given, but the students fail to notice them.

• This concerns cultural change, a trajectory over time, not a transformation achieved in induction, not knowledge lacks. Hence responses should focus on techniques of assisting cultural change.

• Chinese system students trajectory can perhaps best be figured as a U-curve.

• For the TNE students the increase in confidence suggests a trajectory of a rising learning curve.

Discussion and conclusions.

• Cannot assume that TNE courses are fully authentic, possible to pass (if not to excel) via adopting a set of survival strategies, less likely to succeed in the progression courses such as top-ups and Masters.

• Timing and methods of support for students: if arrive in a state of optimism, then an initial study preparation course is perhaps not best time, could it be offered at a later time?

• Could such support benefit from using student mentors?

English language.

• The students identify language as their main of weakness: not just concerning formal knowledge of grammar and vocabulary but also the uses of language expected in higher education; the set of skills relating to researching, summarising, and following conventions related to referencing.

• For the students with the HND it is disappointing that after three years of studying a TNE course (the foundation year and the two years of HND) there are still some who seem still to be deferring rather than confronting this requirement.

TNE courses.

• If these aim to allow progression to another country, such as the HNDs in China leading to top-ups in the UK, it is important that the authenticity of the learning experience is given as much weight as the subject specific knowledge.

• To resort to over-scaffolding in order to teach an aspect of the programme (for example a specific aspect of Marketing or of Logistics) may reduce student autonomy and language development which will be essential for them on their progression courses.