Abstract:

Recent statistics indicate that there are approximately 91,215 Chinese students currently studying in UK higher education. Many of these students are motivated to travel to the UK to undertake a higher education qualification because of the strong global reputation of UK higher education. This places a responsibility on UK higher education institutions to support these students throughout their studies. Through a reflection of teaching and researching a cohort of Chinese students over the course of two academic years, this paper reviews some of the keys issues facing students and institutions alike in facilitating the transition of Chinese learners during their educational sojourn. The paper concludes that international students are challenged by a range of academic and non-academic challenges and that the potential limitations of the academic staff in dealing with these issues are of key importance.

Keywords:

Chinese students, higher education, learning barriers, retention