A Study of Chinese International Students Enrolled in the Master of Education Program at a Canadian University

Abstract

Even though more and more studies have been reported in the literature about international undergraduate students’ learning experiences in North America, little research has been done to study international graduate students on North American campuses. The university where this study took place has recently established a cohort-based Master of Education (M. Ed.) program for international students. This study was designed to investigate the adaptation of the international graduate students (all Chinese) who were enrolled in the M.Ed. program with a focus on their learning experiences, the challenges they encountered, and the suggestion they had for improvement of the program. Data analysis reveals that while Chinese international graduate students shared some common challenges with international undergraduate students such as language and cultural challenges, they had unique perspectives and expectations on curriculum and pedagogy. Suggestions for curriculum development for Chinese international graduate students are highlighted.

Introduction

In recent years, an increasing number of international students have chosen Canada as education destination. Between 2003 and 2013, international student enrollment in Canada grew from 159,426 to 290,000, an increase of 84%. By 2013, international students counted 8% of total post-secondary enrollment in Canada. Approximately 48% of international students come from East Asia with China as the top country of origin. 1

To meet the high demand for international education, a mid-sized Canadian university located in south Ontario started an International Master of Education program in 2013. The program has taken in four cohorts of international students so far and almost all of them were from China with only a couple of students from other countries in the first cohort. Like graduate students who were enrolled in the domestic M.Ed. program, students in the international cohort were eligible to choose their own areas of concentration (Education Administration or Curriculum Studies). However, courses for the international cohort were pre-assigned and compulsory. In contrast, students in the domestic program could choose from a list of compulsory and optional courses depending on their study concentration and interest. International cohort students attend some courses that are exclusively populated with international students, and others with students from the domestic program. The purpose of this study was to investigate Chinese international graduate students’ learning experiences, the challenges they encountered and the suggestions they had for the improvement of the program.

Klein, Miller, and Alexander 2 pointed out that Chinese language, culture, social structure, and political ideology are quite different from Western countries. Thus, Chinese students’ cross-cultural experiences in Western countries are most likely to be challenging. As a unique group on campus, their institutional experiences deserve a close look since they may have different values, attitudes and habits of learning compared with their domestic counterparts. Studies have documented that Chinese students face more challenges on campus than domestic students. 3, 4 Frequently cited challenges that international students face include English language ability, cultural difference, and loneliness. 5, 6, 7, 8

While the literature has reported rich research on Chinese international students who study aboard for their undergraduate degrees, there is limited research focusing on Chinese graduate students, which makes this study significant. The findings of this study are intended to help Chinese international graduate students adjust to the North American educational environment and explore ways to improve the services and academic programs that North American universities provide to international learners. The study was guided by the following three questions:

1. What were Chinese international graduate students’ experience and perceptions about the international M.Ed. program?

2. What challenges did Chinese international graduate students experience for their learning in the program?

3. What were the suggestions that Chinese international graduate students may have for the improvement of the program?

Literature Review

Previous research has suggested that there is a strong relationship between the degree of cultural distance and the degree of psychosocial stressors experienced in cross-cultural transition. 9 Samovar et al. 10 claimed that there were maximum sociocultural differences between Western and Asian countries, such as the United States and China. Hence, Chinese students were likely to encounter more challenges and difficulties than students from many other regions when they left their families, friends, and support networks behind and adjust themselves to a quite different culture. Dao et al. 11 and Ying et al. 12 reported that, during this process, lower levels of acculturation may likely lead to higher levels of stress, distress, and depression. Similarly, research regarding international students from Taiwan and Korea has shown that acculturative stress positively predicts depression. 13 International learners may feel overwhelmed and doubtful of their capacities when encountering acculturative stress.

Tsang 14 developed a model of fundamental elements that have a direct impact on international adjustment of Chinese sojourners, including such factors as self-efficacy, language proficiency, prior international experience, and association with locals, and social support. Smith and Khawaja 15 found that factors that influence the acculturation process of Asian students include language barriers, educational experiences, social and cultural encounters, and financial constraints. Similarly, Zhou and Zhang 16 reported that Chinese international students faced three types of challenges that will significantly influence their life and study in Canada, including language barriers, culture difference, and differing educational contexts. Most recently, Guo and Guo 17 argued that the existing discrepancy between the university policy and practice of internalization contributes to the challenges that international students have encountered.

Language Barriers

Language proficiency has been widely considered to be a significant issue that affects international student’s adjustment. 18 Whether one can function effectively when pursuing academic goals and handling social life largely depends on the language competence of the individual. International students who reported superior English ability were more likely to be better adjusted both academically and socially. 19 In their study of the first-year international university students, Zhou and Zhang 20 reported that participants who had better English preparation were more likely to make friends with native English speakers. Inadequate language proficiency limited many participants’ in-depth communications with peers as well as with instructors. Johnson 21 found that, due to their lack of confidence in their oral English, international students preferred to clarify course requirements via emails rather than through face-to-face discussion with instructors.

For most Chinese international students, English is a second language they learned in school, but is rarely used in daily life. English teaching in school is often lecture-based and exam-oriented, and rarely addresses the development of student listening and speaking skills. Huang 22 conducted a study about academic listening challenges of Chinese students at an American university. He found that these participants were more confident about their reading ability and grammar structure. Their weaknesses were speaking and listening.

Cultural Differences

Zhang and Zhou 23 noticed that although language proficiency was mentioned by many participants as one factor that influenced their full engagement in the academic and social life on and off campus, it was often cultural differences that thwarted their efforts to be a part of the large community. Again, in their most recent study, Zhou and Zhang 24 found that some of their study participants who were fluent in English and felt comfortable using English for social and academic purposes still had a variety of problems adjusting themselves to the new school life in Canada including communicating with local students and actively participating in the learner centered classes. These participants still mainly socialized with home country student colleagues. Some participants indicated that they got along with Canadian domestic students in their class but still felt that they had a closer relationship with other international students than with Canadian students.

Culture is another factor that determined international students’ socialization as reported in many other studies. Yan and Berliner 25 pointed out that the cultural difference amplifies the communication difficulty. Zhou and Zhang 26 argued that international students who grew up in another culture usually possessed different personal interests, preferable ways of communication, sense of humor, daily routines, and perceptions on many things such as friendship, sexual relationships, and privacy concerns which would negatively influence their willingness and attempts to make close friends with domestic students. Zhang and Zhou 27 concluded that English language proficiency and cultural differences together caused barriers to Chinese international students’ willingness and attempts to make friends with native English speakers, share residence rooms with them, and become fully involved in group work. It is not surprising that international students feel more comfortable making friends with their home country fellows. Similarly, Xiang 28 reported that it took time and effort for international students from diverse cultures to develop friendship, which was often tougher than they anticipated. Thus, many international students tend to stay with people from similar cultural backgrounds.

Different Educational Context and Values

Zhou and Zhang 29 argued that international students came with different educational experiences compared with the domestic students. Their high school education might not meet the expectations of Canadian universities for its first-year undergraduates. For example, they found that international students’ academic writing ability was not adequately developed to meet the expectation of Canadian classes. This even applied to the international students who had an educational background in which English was extensively used in their high school curricula. International students may also bring unique learning preferences which are different from the learner-centered approach at the university. Edwards and Tonkin 30 claimed that, influenced by their previous educational experiences, some international students may be more accustomed to listening and learning rather than speaking in class. Similarly, Zhou and Zhang 31 found that some of their participants were used to learning by listening with a focus on theoretical knowledge and felt at odds with instruction that values students’ contribution in class and emphasizes student construction of knowledge. Because of their established values on instruction, international students may find interactive classes chaotic. 32 Such resistance to Canadian way of instruction may limit their willingness and engagement in the process of teaching and learning. Zhou and Zhang also pointed out that for those participants who came from a highly competitive education system, group learning was contradictory to their past school experiences. Such lack of prior experience with group learning coupled with language and culture barriers would cause international students to be in an awkward position in the context of education that emphasizes collaborative learning.

Discrepancy between Internationalization Ideology and Practice

High education institutions in North America are eager to take in international students for various reasons. However, the presence of international students will not automatically lead to a multicultural campus. While the language barrier, cultural difference, and past educational experience create difficulty for international students to merge into the campus community, there are other factors that we cannot overlook for the effort of internationalization. Guo and Guo reported that the international students from Asia and Middle East felt that they were not well received and often felt alienated. 33 They felt that they were perceived as unintelligent due to their accent in speaking English. Some of them had to deal with biases and discrimination from their classmates, instructors, supervisors, and the local community. Similarly, Leask 34 reported that international students felt that domestic students often avoided working with them inside class and very rarely interacted with them outside class.

The recruitment of international students will not automatically result in an internationalized curriculum either. Leask argued that internationalized curriculum should incorporate international, intercultural, and global dimensions into its content coverage, pedagogical approaches, learning outcomes, assessment tasks, and associated support services. However, in practice, “although many classes emerge as a cosmopolitan mix, curricula remain Western.” (p. 272) 35 Guo and Guo 36 found that the internationalization of the curriculum at their studied university was limited. Students rarely encountered materials that reflected their experiences, and when they did, the materials tended to be dated or skewed. The effect of this lack of international content may be negative, in that it reinforces prejudices and stereotypes.

Methodology

The study was conducted in a mid-sized comprehensive university located in southern Ontario. It used a mixed-methods design to combine the advantages of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to interpret research questions well. 37 It helps researcher not only generalize the findings, but also develop thorough insights as to the meaning of a research topic.

By the time of data collection, the international M.Ed. program had taken in three cohorts of graduate students. The 2nd (n=14) and 3rd (n=32) cohorts participated in the study. They were all from China. Some of them came to Canada right before the program started, and others came earlier for the English Language Improvement Program (elip) to compensate their low English test scores. All of them had been in Canada for no more than two years and this was the first Canadian degree program in which they would participate.

Data collection took place for the 2nd cohort in December of 2015 which was their last month in the program. Data collection with the 3rd cohort took place in the winter of 2016, which was their second semester in the program. For both cohorts, data were collected through two phases: quantitative and qualitative in sequence. The quantitative data were collected through a survey and qualitative data through interviews. Every student in these two cohorts participated in the survey. Five participants from the 2nd cohort and six from the 3rd cohort was recruited for interviews on a volunteer basis. Due to the limitation of space, this paper will only report the findings from the qualitative data.

Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions provided enough room for participants to interpret questions asked and express their views or opinions in detail. They also allowed the researcher to have some control over the flow of the topics. 38 The qualitative phase of this study explored participants’ in-depth opinions, struggles and constructive suggestions about the program. It was beneficial as it allowed the researchers to ask questions and listen to participants’ opinions in their own language and on their own terms.

The interviews took place at a time and location that were convenient and comfortable to participants. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin since it was the participants’ mother tongue. All interviews were audio-taped and each of them lasted approximately one hour. Field notes were taken during and right after each interview to record the detailed descriptions of the interviewee, time and location of the interview, specific conversations, and the body language and facial expression that audio taping could not capture. The researcher’s quick reflection, comments, and insights of each interview were also recorded into the field notes. Field notes served as a reminder to recall what happened during the interview when the researcher subsequently transcribed and analyzed the interview recordings.

Findings

Among 11 interviewees, only one of them grew up in a rural area with siblings. Ten came from urban families as an only child. One interviewee had 18 years of teaching experience and 10 did not have work experience before starting the program. Their majors for undergraduate degrees were mostly linguistics related, one majoring in teaching Chinese as second language, one in journalism, one in German, six in English, and two in teacher education (with English as a teachable).

Reasons for Choosing the City/Canada

When being asked why they choose Canada as their graduate study destination, participants mentioned the following key factors without order of significance: (1) Canada is a relatively safe and less aggressive country compared to America; (2) Canada is a diverse country with attractive immigration policies; (3) Master’s graduates can apply for three-year work permit within Canada; (4) There were some relatives or acquaintances in Canada; and (5) Canada is close to America, and it is possible to find a job there. As to why these participants chose this university, all participants mentioned the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (oinp), which means graduate students can apply for provincial nomination for fast track immigration after graduation if they receive their post-secondary degrees in Ontario. Moreover, several participants mentioned low cost of living, low tuition, and relatively mild weather (the city is in the southernmost part of Canada) as contributing factors.

Their choice was confirmed with their study and living experience in the program. When speaking of the things they found to be most enjoyable in Canada, all of the participants felt their life was freer than it was in China. For example, one participant said that in Canada, she had absolute control of her life and could make plans as she desired with no disruption from her parents or public opinions. Another participant liked the city because people were friendly and always ready to help others. She thought that life was less competitive and stressful in Canada compared to her hometown in China. One participant mentioned that she enjoyed the “peaceful, simple, and harmonious” life in Canada and that people in China were always in a rush. When being asked their plan for the future, all participants showed an interest in finding jobs in Canada after graduation.

Challenges

The researcher asked the participants what their most challenging experiences were with respect to their studies, and almost all of the participants talked about language barriers in academic reading, writing, and class discussion. One participant said:

Before I came to Canada I was quite confident about my English proficiency, but now sometimes I find I still cannot figure out a given sentence in the assignment even though I know every single word of it. When words are grouped together they become difficult to understand. So I have to go through it over and over again which wastes me a lot of time. I often spend one whole night trying to understand an article.

Such inadequate language ability negatively and significantly affected their reading efficiency. Participants reported that they were not familiar with academic writing styles and requirements in Canada. They believed the requirements for academic writing in Canada were much more demanding than it in China, as stated by one participant:

In China people do not care about formatting issues in academic writing. But here, it is totally different. It is very demanding for international students. Canadian students learned how to do citations from high school, while we knew nothing about it. We were like pupils, which made me really upset at the beginning.

Participants mentioned the challenge with class participation. They reported that domestic students would often be the first to answer the question since it took time for Chinese students to understand the question, process it in Chinese, and then organize it into English. Moreover, Chinese students knew little about the Canadian education system, and consequently struggled to answer the question in Canadian context. One participant shared her perspective:

When the instructor raised a question, the first one to answer the question was always a domestic student. They could keep talking for 30 minutes without stop while we can hardly catch up with. It was hard for us to get what they were talking with the instructor, not to mention join their discussion. When I organized my answer in English and was ready to say something, the topic had changed.

There were instances where participants did not understand the question but hesitated to ask for clarification. They were afraid of being embarrassed with their questions. One participant, for example, mentioned that sometimes she thought her question was so silly that she was afraid of raising it to the class.

The culture and educational differences between Canada and China were reported to be significant challenges by participants as well. Particularly, many interview participants admitted that they were not used to debate or discussion in class. They grew up in China and were educated with Chinese ideologies and pedagogies. Consequently, it was difficult for them to adjust themselves to the Canadian education values and requirements in a short period of time. One participant, for instance, shared her experience on writing reflection papers:

In China, students are always asked to follow instructions and do tests rather than engage in critical thinking and raising questions about lessons. At the beginning, I felt so struggled when writing reflection papers about articles I read, though I eventually became accustomed to this practice.

Teamwork was another issue for some Chinese students. Participants stated that it was easier to complete a task alone than it was with a team as one must discuss everything with team members and that individuals must compromise their own ideas.

Asking for Assistance

When they had course related questions, only a couple of participants claimed that they would ask the instructor for more detailed requirements during office hours in order to clear up any confusion. The rest of participants said they preferred to discuss their concerns with classmates, listen to others’ perspectives, and agree to a consensus. The reason behind their preference of peer students lies in the following comment:

I would like to discuss concerns with my classmates because they can understand me more easily. They probably have similar concern so we can figure it out together. I am afraid to ask my professors for fearing that they will consider my question silly or meaningless.

In searching for support to their academic tasks, almost all interviewees mentioned the Writing Support Desk and librarians at the university library. For example, one participant said that besides speaking to her classmates with respect to general questions, she would seek support at the library, noting that the research librarian for education was extremely helpful and taught students how to search for academic articles in databases. She also added that before submitting her papers, she would make an appointment with the Writing Support Desk to go through her work, stating that they were professional and helped her with grammar, punctuation and formatting issues. Participants highly recommended the Writing Support Desk to other international students because of their patience and efficiency.

Among other campus services employed by interview participants was the International Student Centre (isc). One participant, for example, spoke highly of the Resume Clinic that isc offered for graduating students, which helped them to modify their resumes. She stated that when students in her program had concerns and questions, but did not know where to find the answers, they often turned to isc. Even though isc staff did not always have the answer, they could direct students to those who did. The existence of isc provided significant assistance to international students by providing various services or workshops that helped with applying for a us visa, applying for work permits, job hunting, and English conversation skills.

Social Life

All interview participants reported that they had a limited number of native English-speaking friends. Most of those who had native English-speaking friends met their friends in the common classes they shared. Some participants said they met new friends outside the classroom, such as gym, but it was hard to maintain the relationship. Speaking of the limited friend making with native English-speaking students, almost all participants thought they did not “fit in the Canadian culture.” One participant shared her struggle:

Although I am willing to make some local friends, my social circle is very limited. My landlord is Chinese, my housemates are all Chinese, and so are most of my classmates. I have tried to attend some campus activities and workshops, but it is hard to maintain the relationship after these events. Therefore, I do not have the access to make native friends. The access is vital. Access is the key issue!

Perceptions of and Suggestions for the Program

Academic and Social Environment

Most participants enjoyed the academic environment for several reasons. Firstly, campus location was quiet and peaceful, which made it an ideal place to study. Secondly, instructors were willing to provide accessible academic sources to facilitate learning. Moreover, instructors would offer opportunities for students to work in groups and do research. In contrast, all participants were more or less indifferent about social involvement. Participants reported that they rarely participated in community events. As a result, they did not really engage in the social environment and had nothing to say about it. Some participants suggested that the Faculty should organize more socialization opportunities.

Curriculum Design

Interview participants shared their views about the curriculum of the program. Several participants expressed their puzzlement with the course requirement around methods courses. For example, one participant stated, “I am confused about the program arrangement about methodology courses. Students registered in the curriculum stream could only choose qualitative method, while students in the administration stream could only choose quantitative research method. This is weird, why cannot we choose both?”

Some courses of the program were designed only for international cohort and there were only Chinese students in class. Interview participants reported that they benefited from having classes with people from different cultural backgrounds and complained that these courses only enrolled international cohort students. One participant for example stated, “[students from different backgrounds] offer me different perspectives of ideas and concepts I have already been familiar with. However, many classes only had Chinese students. I strongly suggest that courses for the international cohort should be open to all graduate students in the Faculty of Education.” Participants suggested that the faculty should facilitate “multi-cultural” interaction by encouraging more teamwork and communication among domestic students and international peers.

Participants complained that the courses were pre-assigned for international cohort while domestic graduate students could choose courses that aligned with their interests and wishes. They wished to have more autonomy in choosing courses they liked. Additionally, some participants thought the schedule of the program was too short and tight. The whole program finished in 16 months with only a three-week break between semesters. It came to end when students started to get to used it. One participant stated, “It is like we came here in a rush and finished all the courses without reflective thinking and suddenly it was the end.”

One participant spoke highly the last course of the program: Education Research Internship. She expounded that the internship provided her with a decent opportunity to learn more about what the Canadian education system looks like and how pedagogies actually worked in schools.

Class Instruction

Participants shared their experiences and opinions of the different pedagogical approaches. All participants appreciated Canadian teaching styles, which were new and interesting to them. They claimed that Chinese education focused on conveying concept of knowledge, while Canadian education aimed at developing students’ learning ability and skills. One participant noted the value of the Canadian approach, stating that “Since knowledge is endless, once you know how to enrich yourself by learning, you will benefit from it in lifetime.” Another participant shared appreciation of Canadian instruction through her experience with one specific course:

The instructor usually asked us to raise at least three questions after reading an article. At first, I had difficulty figuring out questions, because it is harder to raise a question than answering a specific question. You need to build a profound understanding of the whole ideas. Later, I found that it helped me to gain a better understanding of the article. Moreover, this pedagogy cultivates critical thinking ability.

There was a consensus among the interview participants that Canadian classes were flexible and students were encouraged to express personal ideas in classes. One participant stated, “Teachers in China always lead the class, and there are only right or wrong answers. Ones who get the right answers will be awarded and praised, others will be criticized.” In contrast, she noticed that Canadian instructors always encouraged students to share their ideas with the class regardless of whether they were right or wrong. Another participant also noticed that students in Canada were encouraged to speak in class and share “whatever came to their mind.” She said:

In China students are afraid of answering unsure questions, because they feel shameful if their answer is wrong. But in Canada this problem does not exist since instructors encourage everyone to express their ideas. No matter what you say, they would praise you. That makes you feel motivated to engage more in class. I think this is one characteristic of Western teaching that I really appreciate.

Participants mentioned that students in the program needed a lot of preparation before class, which included reading or working on presentation, as they were expected to share ideas with their peers in class. In contrast, Chinese classes focused on teachers’ lecturing with students listening and taking notes.

Participants highly commented on the program instructors. The words they used when they shared their impression about instructors included “friendly,” “humorous,” “willing to help,” “motivating and engaging students in class,” and so on. One participant for example stated, “They talk like your friends rather than authorities of knowledge, and they are humorous and funny. We can talk some course-related jokes in class which is prohibited in China.”

Participants also noticed many other characteristics of instruction which are different from their education experience in China. For example, instructors set multiple tasks during semesters, like quizzes, midterms, and finals, to keep students in track; while in China students were only busy with finals. Canadian education placed a different emphasis on teamwork and cooperation with respect to task accomplishment, while Chinese education cultivated individual problem-solving abilities. Participants realized that academic integrity was a central issue in Canada, as one participant noted: “Since the first day of our program, librarians and professors were talking about academic integrity all the time. We have to be very careful when we write papers doing citation of anything you retrieved from other sources to avoid plagiarism.” Another participant deeply felt that every student was regarded as a unique individual. For example, students with disability could arrange special exams based on their needs.

Conclusions and Implications

The study revealed that, like the other study reports about international undergraduate students, 39 graduate participants experienced great challenges due to language barriers and unfamiliarity with Canadian culture and education context. However, different from international undergraduate students, our graduate participants expressed great appreciation of the Canadian student-centered pedagogy over the instructional practice in China although they struggled with such approaches at the beginning of the program. They greatly appreciated the encouraging atmosphere, flexible environment, and learning opportunity to be critical thinkers.

The language barriers appeared to be the most problematic issue that Chinese graduate students faced in academic and social adjustment. In our study, participants had difficulties in communicating with domestic peers and instructors in English. Such inadequate language proficiency limited their experience in building social networks, fitting into the community, participating in classes, and connecting with instructors. Although they took English courses in school and university in China and many of them passed standardized English tests such as ielt and toefl, their language proficiency may not have fully prepared them for the demands of academic studies. It is significant for program developers and instructors to know that standardized language tests cannot effectively measure the range of language competencies required for post-secondary studies. 40

In addition to language barriers, lack of knowledge about Canadian culture, instructional context, and local education systems were closely associated with international students’ struggles with academic performance and low class participation as previous studies concluded. As the study participants pointed out, there were many differences between Canadian and Chinese learning contexts which they had to struggle through. The most significant ones participants mentioned include: 1) Different expectation on students—Students are expected to share ideas in Canadian classroom vs. students are required to listen carefully in Chinese classrooms; 2) Requirements of courses—Canadian courses require lots of readings before class vs. teachers cover the materials in class; 3) Democracy in classes—Canadian classes are much more flexible than Chinese classes, thus students are encouraged to express personal ideas in classes and even debate and negotiate with instructors; 4) Focus of classes—Chinese classes focus more on conveying knowledge, while Canadian classes focus on synthesis and application; 5) Different evaluation—Canadian instructors assess student learning through assignments, midterm and final papers, while Chinese instructors rely heavily on final exams.

Many North American teachers don’t have knowledge of or experience with Chinese education system and Chinese international students lack knowledge of local school systems. 41 Since instructors often referred to the local education system in class when discussing educational issues, this put Chinese students in an awkward position. In Chinese school and university, writing emphasizes ideas, with not as much emphasis on formatting and citations. Plus, most of the participants had not majored in education for their undergraduate degrees and had little experience with education courses. They fell behind compared with domestic graduate students who usually had a B.Ed. degree. These factors contributed to the disadvantages Chinese graduate students had in Canadian classes.

To optimize the study experience of future Chinese students in Canadian graduate programs, this study offers the following suggestions for changes both in terms of program improvement and learner change.

Suggestions for Chinese Graduate Students

Past literature on international education has focused on how North American universities offer better services and programs to meet international student needs. For example, Hegarty 42 and the Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy 43 argued that international students were an essential part of North American higher education, contending that university administrators must ensure they meet all the academic needs of international students. While this call is valid, this study suggested that international graduate students need to make personal adjustments as well to maximize the benefits of their study in Canada, including adjusting their education values, actively participating in class discussion, spending more time for class preparation, and improving English language proficiency.

Social network building is a significant element in the framework of acculturation. 44 For Chinese international learners to achieve primary mission, research suggests that international students turn to various on-campus organizations. 45 The on-campus networks will help them get through mentally and socio-culturally difficult periods. Unfortunately, in this study, most participants did not participant in campus events. Like other international students, they tended to work with peers from the same cultural background. Even though they got along with domestic students in classes, international students felt that they had a closer relationship with other international students with similar experience and background. 46 Chinese students need to move out of their comfort zone and take various in-class and outside-class opportunities to build their social networks.

Chinese students’ mindsets in education are deeply influenced by Confucian ideology, 47 which emphasizes diligent learning and respect for knowledge authority. Hard work is viewed to success and teachers are considered as the authority in the classroom. Compared with Western education, Chinese education has long been considered teacher-centered, content-based, and exam-oriented. Chinese students usually view learning as a process of constant revision and reviewing, 48 which closely matches what Confucius promoted by stating wen gu er zhi xin (gain new insights by reviewing old materials). Therefore, Chinese international students are usually seen as assiduous, but also impassive and uncreative, as well as excessively focused on memorization and repetition. 49 Liu and Magjuka 50 found that Chinese students often emphasize learning from others with modesty and humility and being respectful to the teacher. Wang and Kreysa 51 also found that Chinese teachers like docile students. Inquisitive and assertive students are considered nuisances in a Chinese class. With such different mindsets on education, Chinese international learners had a negative reaction towards American students’ behaviors in classes, such as challenging instructors, making jokes, or being tardy, as these behaviors are regarded as rude and disrespectful in Chinese culture. 52 They are afraid to propose different opinions as they do not want to challenge teachers’ authorities which may result in teachers “losing face.”

The fear of “losing face” does not only position Chinese international students to hold a different view to teachers, but also make them hesitate to speak out what they think freely. An American professor questioned why “Chinese students in his classes always answer ‘yes’ when he asks them whether they understand my requests or not” although he “can tell from their assignments that they are not really clear.” 53 Researchers informed him that in China it would be embarrassing or shameful to admit one’s ignorance in public. This study found that the “loosing face” mindset played a significant role to prevent Chinese graduate students to speak out their thoughts without fear.

The teacher’s authority and the student’s subordination have long been institutionalized in Chinese school life. 54 Students expect teachers will cover everything in class and their task is to listen to what teachers lecture to them and review it after. 55 Once they get into an educational context where teachers as facilitator and students are expected to contribute to the class discourse, they felt lost about what they should do and need to do.

Suggestion for Instructors

Since an increasing number of international students are pursuing their degrees on Canadian campuses, educators need to customize their teaching strategies and establish a learning environment to benefit different learning groups. 56 Chinese learners struggle with unfamiliar activities and cultures in Canadian graduate education while Canadian educators are unfamiliar with Chinese students. 57 It might be too demanding to ask each instructor to learn Chinese culture and education, but instructors should be culturally sensitive. They should try to make sense of the behaviors of Chinese graduate students and actively encourage them to share their ideas and communicate with domestic students. They should understand that the international students’ background knowledge and ideology can impact their engagement and commitment to teamwork. Researchers argued that “instructional design of group work has a strong influence on how international and domestic students work and learn together.” 58 In order for Chinese graduate students to achieve academic success and remain competitive in international education, instructors need to facilitate a diverse learning environment where international learners can communicate with domestic students as well as fellow students. In this study, one of the main concerns of participants was lack of communication and collaboration with domestic students. Participants reported that instructors often let students self-group for team projects and this often resulted in groups that were exclusively international or domestic. Instructors should explicitly promote diversity in group makeup, so that domestic students and international students are both more likely to benefit from group work opportunities.

Suggestions for the Program

Study participants were happy with the academic context of the program, but their experience with social context was limited. William and Johnson 59 reported that international students who build friendship with domestic peers benefit from less acculturative stress and higher academic achievement than those who do not have such relationships. However, they realized that the establishment of international friendship is challenging and rare. Wan 60 indicated that the lack of common hobbies and mutual understanding between Chinese learners and Canadian peers can result in communication difficulties. University should take diversities and cultural conflicts into account to facilitate better adaptation of international students including creating more opportunity for the contacts between international students with domestic students. 61 The faculty where this study took place has enriched its orientation program and encouraged all graduate students to attend the monthly Sharing Ideas research seminars and annual graduate research conference. Such measures will take the change in the right direction to improve international graduate students’ academic and social experience in the faculty. In this study, a majority of participants did not have personal contact with instructors. Instead, they approached student colleagues from their home country for assistance. Considering the widely-reported study findings that international students tend to build closer relationships with other international students with similar cultural background, 62 a multicultural faculty coordinator for the international cohort programs is recommended as a means to facilitate the acculturation of international graduate students.

For various reasons, the curriculum for international cohorts was pre-assigned. Study participants clearly wanted more flexibility on course selection. Configuration of classes may be another practical issue for any international program. Should international students be grouped together given their similar background? Or, should they be placed with domestic students in class so that they had more opportunity to communicate with domestic students and to bridge the socio-cultural barriers that many international students experience? In this study, participants had positive and negative perceptions of this issue. Participants who preferred classes that only enrolled international cohort students indicated that due to various reasons, domestic students often dominated the classroom participation, and international students did not get enough opportunity to participate in class discussion. Without domestic students, participants believed that instructors could slow the pace of instruction and tailor curriculum and instruction for international students. Participants who preferred blended classes believed that they could learn from and be inspired by domestic students, however they were aware of potential issues with blended courses including less opportunity for participation for international students, being overlooked by instructors, and the likelihood that they might not be meaningfully involved in group work with domestic students. Such findings suggest that graduate programs should arrange for international students to have some classes separate from domestic students during the first semester to ease their transition and then combine them more often with domestic students starting in the second semester.