Why Chinese Students choose to Study in the United Kingdom
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Literature Review
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Introduction
The higher education sector has been growing in China, but most Chinese students are studying abroad, with a majority moving to the United Kingdom. Chiefly, the demand for education in the United Kingdom remains strong among Chinese students. Evidence from the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows there were more than 120,385 Chinese students in the United Kingdom for the 2018/2019 academic year (HESA, 2019). The United Kingdom has many globally recognised universities, and the education system has created a favourable multicultural learning environment. Besides, learning institutions in the United Kingdom have highly skilled academic staff (Zhu and Reeves, 2019). International students also graduate faster in British universities as compared to students in Chinese universities. In this case, studying in the United Kingdom leads to more work and practical experiences because the students enter the job market earlier.
Analysis of the existing research and studies shows Chinese students are the largest group of international students in the United Kingdom. These studies also establish this number of students is expected to continue growing. In this case, the factors behind the growing number of Chinese students in the United Kingdom will be used as the criteria for analysis and comparison across the articles. It is essential to examine these factors to understand why Chinese students continue to choose the United Kingdom for their studies.
Factors Influencing Chinese Students Choice of Studying in the United Kingdom
Most Chinese students choose to study in the United Kingdom because of the quality of education. A study conducted by Tee (2016) focused on the analysis of the suitability of different performance indicators as well as benchmarking practices in the United Kingdom Universities. It was established that the United Kingdom curriculum and high education institutional levels play a major role in influencing Chinese students to study in this nation. In this case, Chinese students focus on university ranking because they believe it represents the quality of education in the learning institutions. According to a study by Zhu and Reeves (2019), most Chinese students study in the United Kingdom for enriching their employment prospects due to the quality of education offered in the nation. In this case, the Chinese students focus on gaining better skills, knowledge, and experiences for professional and personal growth and development. This leads to the building of broadly oriented professionals, thus accessing and maximising on better job opportunities in China and other parts of the world.
According to a study by Adisa et al. (2019), the United Kingdom has become of the most popular education centers across the world for international students. In spite of the transitional challenges that affect students in this nation, Chinese students believe the United Kingdom is the perfect place for the acquisition of academic knowledge and professional and personal development. This is attributed to shorter learning periods and better education. Adisa et al. (2019) argue international students experience language, communication, and adjustment difficulties in relation to the education system and culture in the United Kingdom. However, this has not stopped Chinese students from seeking education in the country because they are seeking better academic qualifications, life experiences, and enhancing their cultural integration. However, a study by Han (2018) established Chinese education does not conform to the English rules, and this makes most Chinese students seek education in the United Kingdom. This is caused by the lack of standardised and well-defined language forms. This has been causing misunderstanding and affecting Chinese foreign economic dealings and cultural exchanges. Hand (2018) established students have been moving to the United Kingdom for integrating their Chinese and Western logical thinking, thus improving their language expressions and abilities.
Rose and Galloway (2017) established Chinese students move to the United Kingdom for improving their global awareness and innovativeness in terms of language ideologies. The growing diversity in English has introduced new standards and imaginary benchmarks for better education, and this makes Chinese students study in the United Kingdom. Similarly, a comparative study conducted by Tang (2018) on Chinese and Western cultural differences in terms of literature established Chinese students choose to study in the United Kingdom for enhancing their understanding, respect, and appreciation of the Western cultures. In this case, British culture attracts Chinese students in the country and also increases their interest in studying in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, You and Hu (2013) established Chinese college entrance examinations are the formal determinants of university admission in China. If a student fails to attain the required grade line, they are not admitted in colleges or universities. However, in the United Kingdom, the government has developed a diverse admissions policy that allows international students from China to join colleges and universities regardless of the Chinese grade line. You and Hu (2013) found out high-score examinations have been losing their personalities, creativity, and curiosity among the Chinese students in China, and therefore they have been choosing to study in the United Kingdom.
Conclusion
In summary, different factors have been influencing Chinese student’s choice of studying in the United Kingdom. In the current study, the focus will be on these hypotheses:
- Length of schooling in the UK affects Chinese students.
- Tuition in the UK is a hindrance to Chinese students’ choices.
Analysis of the articles shows they have been effective in pinpointing the factors influencing Chinese student’s choices to study in the United Kingdom. They are also clear in their methodologies and frameworks. However, these articles have used limited participants, and this can affect the credibility and validity of the research results. Besides, there are other areas that need further research, as illustrated in the following research questions:
- Does better and quality education influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Do employment prospects influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Does better and quality education influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Do life experiences and cultural integration influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Does the lack of standardised language forms influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Does Western culture influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Does global awareness and innovativeness influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
- Does the diverse admission policy influence Chinese student’s choice to study in the United Kingdom?
References
Adisa, T. et al. (2019) Understanding the trajectory of the academic progress of international students in the UK. Education and Training, 61(9), pp. 1100-1122.
Han, L. (2018) Analysis of Chinglish phenomenon in the translation of Chinese public signs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 8(3), pp. 360-364.
HESA. (2019) HESA-Experts in higher education data and analysis. HESA. Available from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/ [Accessed on 02/05/2020]
Rose, H. and Galloway, N. (2017) Debating standard language ideology in the classroom: Using the speak good English movement to raise awareness of global Englishes. RELC Journal, 48(3), pp. 294-301.
Tang, T. (2018) Comparative study of Chinese and Western cultural differences in British and American Literature. 3rd International Conference on Education, E-learning, and Management Technology: Atlantis Press, 2018(1), pp. 593-597.
Tee, K. (2016) Suitability of performance indicators and benchmarking practices in UK universities. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 23(3), pp. 584-600.
You, Z. and Hu, Y. (2013) Walking a policy tightrope: The dilemma of balancing reform. Higher Education Policy, 26(3), pp. 309-324.
Zhu, L. and Reeves, P. (2019) Chinese students’ decisions to undertake postgraduate study overseas. International Journal of Educational Management, 33(5), pp. 999-1011.