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Building Bridge Across Cultures: Learning about China's Higher Education System and its Impact on Academic Advising
Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, M.A.
Washington State University
Make a list of challenges/obstacles you have encountered while advising international students from China.
What we will cover today…
Why is research important in advising?
Share personal experience in a current research project
Initial Data on Chinese Higher Education
Why are students coming to the U.S?
Suggestions for working with Chinese international students
Why is Research Important?
Research is important because:
Creates new knowledge that helps the advising community
We need theories and data to help us understand issues related to advising
Ultimately, we need research to show that academic advising is important
Data of International Students in the U.S.
2010-2011 data for U.S. institutions--
Total international student enrollment: 723,277
Top places of origin:
China, India, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan
From China:
2009-2010: 127,628 students
2010-2011: 127,558 students
Research Question
What can I, as an academic advisor, do to ease the transition of Chinese international students moving to the U.S. having to overcome language, cultural, and financial barriers, all the while, navigating their way through college?
Research Design
I want to know what the Chinese higher education system is like and how this information impacts advising? (Ethnography)
Interviewed students in China
Interviewed university officials at a Chinese institution
Data Collection
Total interviews—23
Students: 13
Advisors: 10
At WSU: interviewed 4 academic advisors and 4 students
At Fudan: interviewed 5 university staff/faculty and 6 students
In China: interviewed 1 student, 2 recent graduates, and 1 former Fudaninstructor
Data Collection
Fudan University
4 yr. university
Ranked 3rd in China
26,000 students
28 schools/departments
70 undergrad. majors
Partnership with MIT, Dublin Uni, and various businesses (Lucent Tech., Cisco)
Goal: to be world-class
What I learned…
Similarities to U.S. Higher Education System:
Fudan College/first year program
Format of classes
University structure
Same student issues
What I learned…
Differences:
College entrance
Major
Cohorts and mentoring
Education philosophy
Gao Kao—the Chinese SAT“Looking at the Chinese education system, there are still a lot of inequalities. My friend from Henan, there were 1 million students who took the gao kao, he placed 19th and got into Fudan. So in Henan, only about 10% can test into college. In Shanghai there were 68,000 students who took the test, and 64,000 were able to test into college. The system is not fair at all. So you asked if most students will attend college, most students from developed cities, yes, but students from rural areas, most likely not. Everyone hopes to attend college, but most of them will not”—Fudan first year student
College Entrance Gao Kao—”It is
like a stampede of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of horses across a single log bridge”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/world/asia/13exam.html
College Major
“Changing one’s major is a huge decision. You’re used to being with your cohort and your friends and the classes. Unless you really hate your major and you really love something else, no one really changes their major.”—Fudan 3rd year student
College Major
Major Selection—mostly through Gao Kao score
Change of Major—extremely difficult
Cohorts
“So in China, we have this concept of cohorts/class. And there is a class monitor/leader. For example, if I forget about an assignment, I can ask the class monitor or my roommates. Everyone is together and learning and living is more relaxed. I don’t have to be too independent because if I forget something, I have an easy way to retrieving that information. “—Chinese international student at WSU
Mentoring/Advising System
Cohort concept
K - College
Student Mentors
Cohort Teachers
Education Philosophy
“We see all 4 years as an opportunity for them to succeed. We don’t dismiss them for one semester or two of poor grades. We encourage them to make adjustments and changes and will look at their progress at the end of the 4 year process, to see if they have the overall 2.0 (GPA). Some students might start off their first year with really poor grades, but once they start taking courses within their major, they perform quite well. So their grades will even out at the end.” –Director of Fudan College
Education Philosophy
Confucian influence
Meritocracy
Retention and repeats
Grades and GPA
Make a list of problems/obstacles you might encounter if you went to
study in China.
From China to the U.S….
Coming to America
U.S. # 1 host country
Recruitment
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
200
7
200
8
200
9
2010
student #
student #
Common Problems
Lack of understanding of U.S. Higher Education System
Cultural and language adjustment
Transfer credits
What Advisors Can Do
Face to face advising
Use oral and written explanations
Be patient
Ask about goals/expectations to avoid misunderstanding
Make connection by asking about home country or learning how to greet in native language
Encourage courses that develop critical thinking skills
What Advisors Can Do
Encourage dept. to come up with transfer agreements
Find a student, graduate student, or faculty from home country to help with advising or answering questions
Encourage participation of International Program events/activities
In Conclusion…
The Chinese higher education system is very different from the U.S. models.
As more international students study in the U.S. further research is necessary.
It’s pertinent for advisors to learn about students’ unique backgrounds and make connections.
References and Resources
International Institute of Education (Open Door data)
www.iie.org
Chronicle of Higher Education
www.chronicle.com
About the Use of Agents
http://www.washcouncil.org/documents/pdf/WIEC2011_Fraud-in-China.pdf
About plagiarism
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=401564
Questions???
Building Bridge Across Cultures: Learning about China's Higher Education System and its
Impact on Academic Advising
Yung-Hwa Anna Chow
Washington State University
