Learning experiences of Chinese international students in a UK university: Swimming in a different pool

Zhou, Mengxing 2025. Learning experiences of Chinese international students in a UK university: Swimming in a different pool. PhD Thesis, Cardiff Univeristy. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Chinese international students’ experiences in UK universities have been studied over the last two decades, with most research focusing on the challenges they face and how they adapt to this new academic environment. However, less attention has been paid to their development and personal growth during the cross-cultural transition. To address this gap, this study explored the learning experiences of Chinese international postgraduate taught students throughout their one-year programme at a UK university. It aimed to explore their experiences, identify the factors that contributed to these experiences, and examine how these experiences developed over time. With a longitudinal design, this study examined the learning experiences of Chinese international students enrolled in different postgraduate taught programmes across three different Schools within the same UK university. Conducted from January to August 2022, it employed both qualitative and quantitative methods, including semi-structured questionnaires with Likert scales and open-ended questions, and in-depth interviews with 14 selected participants. The findings of this research revealed four key themes in participants’ learning experiences: the application of English language, learning through reasoning and research, learning engagement, and interpersonal dynamics. These experiences were analysed through a multilayered theoretical framework to examine how students’ actions and decisions, shaped by their interaction with the new learning environment, contributed to either transformative or miseducative experiences, each distinctly influencing their personal and academic development during cross-cultural transitions. The discussion also drew on the researcher’s transient insider position, using personal reflection and the allegory of ‘swimming in a different pool’ to interpret learning experiences during cross-cultural transition. ii This research revealed that participants’ experiences during cross-cultural transition unfolded through stages of resistance, reflection, change, and engagement. Whether these experiences became truly educative or transformative depended on reaching a key stage, which was exploring a new role and actively taking steps to enact it

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 September 2025
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2025 13:51
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180877

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