Biblography:WorkingWithChineseStudents

Watkins, David A. and Biggs, John B. ( Eds ) (1996). The Chinese learner : cultural, psychological and contextual influences. Melbourne Comparative Education Research Centre; Australian Council for Educational Research. This book is a good overall view of the experience of Chinese students studying both in China and in other countries. John Biggs gives a useful explanation of reasons why Chinese speakers may be accused of plagiarism including lack of security about English expression, lack of understanding of scholastic conventions and a wish not to contradict expert knowledge.

Kember, David (2000). Misconceptions about the learning approaches, motivation and study practices of Asian students. Higher Education 40: 99121. Using some comparative studies, and the evidence from over 90 action research projects, this study explores some of the strategies Hong Kong students use to learn and memorise material. There is a useful explanation of approaches to learning from surface to deep. Kember argues that time needs to be allowed for Asian learners to adapt to new forms of teaching and learning, that they need to be scaffolded into critical and reflective writing. An interesting exploration of the ways in which these students employ collective and collaborative forms of study.

Rambuth, Prem and McCormick, John (2001). Learning diversity in higher education: A comparative study of Asian international and Australian students. Higher Education 42: 333350. This study compares the learning styles and preferences of a sample of students newly arrived from Asian countries with a sample of Australian students. No statistically significant differences were found between Asian international and Australian students in their overall approaches to learning. However, Asian international students demonstrated significantly higher use of deep motivation, surface strategies, and achieving strategies, whilst Australian students demonstrated higher use of deep strategies and surface motivation. The groups also differed significantly in their learning style preferences in group, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic modes of learning, with the strongest difference being in group learning, supporting the notion of Asian students being more collaborative in their learning styles.

Gerbic, P. (2005). Chinese learners and computer mediated communication: balancing culture, technology, and pedagogy. In H. Goss (ed), Balance, fidelity, mobility : maintaining the momentum? Proceedings of the 22nd ASCILITE conference, Brisbane, 4-7 December, Volume 1, pages 241-251. Brisbane: Dept of Teaching and Learning Support Services, Queensland University of Technology. The modern Chinese diaspora has raised new issues for learning. A recurrent theme within the literature is that technology by itself is insufficient to promote cross-cultural learning, and a new balance must be found between culture, technology and pedagogy. This paper takes a student perspective and reports some research findings about the ways in which Chinese students learn in online discussions, including the influence of the computer mediated communication and the curriculum. It also makes some comparisons with the local students. A major benefit for Chinese students was their increased participation, which they considered was due to the virtual and text-based nature of the medium. Unlike local students, Chinese students did not find the debate with its controversy and argument motivational. Surprisingly, communication anxiety was more problematic for local students. Chinese and local students found that reading and writing messages helped them develop their thinking and understanding, and assessment was a significant influence for them. The importance of integrating the online discussions with the weekly face-to-face classes was identified by both groups.

Wang, T. (2006). Understanding Chinese culture and learning. In P. L. Jeffrey (compiler), AARE 2006 International education research conference : Adelaide : papers collection. [Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, 27-30 November] Melbourne: Australian Association for Research in Education. This paper gives a simple introduction to some of the learning traditions that influence Chinese students. It explores some complexities of the ways in which these traditions have developed. There is an exploration of the ways in which Chinese students understand the relationship between teacher and pupil. This paper argues that Chinese learning and teaching are more subtle and complex than they appear to be in some representations of them. Relevant studies also provide evidence that conceptions of learning, teaching and knowing are deeply rooted in specific cultural antecedents and social structures.

Nield, K. and Thom, V. (2006). International students: opening hearts and minds: creating a new framework for teachers and learners. In International education, a matter of heart : conference proceedings : information, program and papers , pages 429-444. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia : Monash University. This paper charts the ways in which teachers and international students learn to recognise each others expectations derived from their different academic cultures. It demonstrates how students adapt and respond to the pedagogical context of UK higher education and the impact of responsive teaching. The action research on which the paper is based indicated that Chinese learners preferred group work, but expected greater contact with their tutors than British Universities provide. Other research with a wider group reaffirmed a second proposition which is that, although students are strategic, they are seeking a challenging learning experience. They most enjoy reflective and active learning, group work and project based learning.

Turner, Yvonne (2006). Chinese Students in a UK Business School: Hearing the Student Voice in Reflective Teaching and Learning Practice. Higher Education Quarterly, Volume 60, No. 1, pp 2751. This paper presents the outcomes of a study carried out in 20012002 with nine postgraduate students from China, enrolled on taught masters programs in a UK university business school. The aims of the research were to explore the development of the students orientations to learning during their year of study in the UK, and to explore how the researchers interactions with the study group contributed to her professional reflections and influenced her academic practice.

The main conclusions of the project were that participants underlying approaches to learning did not change substantially over the year, owing to the culturally implicit nature of UK academic conventions; and that they experienced high levels of emotional isolation and loneliness, which affected their academic confidence.