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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. What is the ‘trajectory of adjustment’? • Either, students experience a culture shock stage soon after arrival followed by recovery, which would give a U-curve trajectory. • 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.

6. 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.

8. 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).

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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).

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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?

22. 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.

23. 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.