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Exploring the Learning Experience of Canadian Exchange Students in Chinese Universities

  • Author / Creator
    Yu, Shuai
  • As a high priority of internationalization, international student mobility has transformed the higher education landscape over the last few decades. Although plenty of studies focus on international students’ experiences, less attention was paid to North American students’ learning experiences in other countries due to the low outbound mobility, especially Canadian students. Despite the increasing collaboration and partnerships between Chinese and Canadian universities, the number of Canadian students who chose to study in China remains small. Moreover, international student mobility brings many benefits to students, higher education institutions, communities, society, and the economy (Knight, 2012). Therefore, in order to provide Canadian students with targeted support services and improve outbound mobility, it is essential to understand their learning experience in China.
    Applying concepts of Kolb’s (1984, 2015) Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (TLT), this study explores the learning experience of Canadian exchange students in Chinese universities, including students’ perceived challenges and benefits of their learning experience, as well as their reflection on the impacts of their academic and social learning experiences. A generic qualitative research design was employed based on the constructivist-interpretive paradigm. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 Canadian exchange students who studied in Chinese universities from 2016 to 2021. The 14 students were from 10 Canadian universities and studied at seven Chinese universities.
    Key findings indicate that all the participants perceived their learning experiences in China as beneficial. The main benefits include personal growth, improved language proficiency, critical thinking abilities, intercultural awareness and competencies, and enhanced academic and career development. Perceived challenges revolved around personal and external challenges. Personal challenges were culture shock due to the language barrier and cultural differences. External challenges were caused by insufficient administration, which involved bureaucratic barriers, confusion in course registration, and difficulties in receiving transcripts and accessing essential and relevant information.
    This study provides a view of the context of student mobility between China and Canada. By investigating Canadian exchange students’ learning experiences in Chinese universities, this study contributes to an understanding of the outbound student mobility of Canadian students, especially in developing countries. Further, this study provides theoretical and practical implications that may be of interest to educators and policy makers involved in planning and implementing international student mobility programs. Participants’ learning experience may shed light for students who are potentially interested in participating in exchange programs in China.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2024
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Doctor of Philosophy
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-y7cc-sq73
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.