With English as the medium of academic exchange, Chinese students are the largest single overseas student group in the English speaking countries (2010). Relative to the outbound education market of other countries, the Chinese education market is large, and it is currently receiving much attention globally. Not only is South Africa one of countries where English is spoken, it has relatively speaking, low study fees and easily-accessed visas compared with countries in Europe and the United States. Therefore, South African universities have a virtually unlimited potential for receiving Chinese students. For South African education providers, particularly NMMU as the host university for the research in question, in order to render the expected education quality and to cater for the Chinese education market effectively, it is of utmost importance that the institutions have a clear understanding of Chinese students’ expectations as well as their actual academic experiences (in the broadest context) when studying at this university. The above is closely linked to the expected educational quality, the actual educational delivery as experienced by Chinese students, as well as the levels of satisfaction they experience as students at NMMU. The purpose of this research project is twofold. Firstly, it aims to construct a theoretical model showing the variables and relationships pertaining to expected and actual educational delivery as experienced by Chinese students. Having assessed the perceptions of the respondents based on the findings, another purpose is to design appropriate educational marketing strategies suitable to address the academic needs and expectations of Chinese students in the broadest context. By designing appropriate education strategies, the potential to develop the Chinese education market in South Africa will be enhanced. Given the purpose and nature of the research in question, methodological triangulation strategies were used. A Likert seven-point scale research instrument was developed and administered. Due to the limited number of respondents (n=61), the Likert scale instrument was further subjected to enrich the data by means of face-to-face interviews with 61 Chinese students (respondents), who shared their perceptions on the expectations and actual experiences of NMMU academic programme quality encounters. By following the methodological triangulation strategies, the validity of the findings is enhanced. The phenomenological dimension of the research was conducted according to guidelines as documented in secondary sources. The findings of the matched pair t-tests indicated that significant statistical differences do exist between the ‘expectations’ and ‘actual experiences’ of Chinese students’ perceived academic programme quality. Sufficient evidence is available at the 95 percent level of significance to support the hypothesis H1, namely: “There are differences between Chinese students’ ‘expected’ and ‘perceived’ academic programme quality (actual experience) of NMMU”. Besides the matched pair t-tests, further statistical analyses were performed by means of calculating Cohen’s ‘d’ values and relative percentage ratings to assess the magnitude of the “gap” between expectations and actual experiences of Chinese students studying at NMMU. The findings revealed that the Chinese students were not completely satisfied with their actual experiences when studying at NMMU. The above statistical findings were endorsed by the qualitative findings. Three sets of conclusions and recommendations were identified for this research. Firstly, conclusions emanating from secondary sources on service quality and students’ satisfaction literature were provided, such that students satisfaction is seen more as a psychological state which reveals an overall feeling of the students’ purchase and consumption experience. Secondly, the conclusions linked to the empirical findings revealed significant statistical differences between the expectations and perceptions (actual experiences) of Chinese students’ perceived academic programme quality. Finally, recommendations on relevant NMMU educational marketing objectives/ strategies can be grouped into four domains: - To build a customer-led education business which adheres to the principles of true marketing orientation with the focus on Chinese students. To achieve this objective a high level of understanding of Chinese students’ specific needs and wants when studying at NMMU is of utmost importance. The effective marketing positioning of NMMU can render leverage benefits to themselves and their clientele. - Findings from the biographic data analyses are significant to the positioning strategies and market segmentation strategies of NMMU. - The decision on a proper positioning strategy entails the choice of target market segments, which will determine where and how the education business competes and its choice of differential advantages. - The South African education providers should have appropriate educational brands to entice the Chinese students’ support.

As a Chinese filmmaker, I feel obligated to reveal a true story about Chinese international students. Through my subjects and my stories, I am planning to express the messages that both adapting to a new culture and paying the financial cost of a foreign education have never been simple, but we will never give up our dreams.

by Chris Robyn. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-194). / Abstract --- p.ix. / Notes on Romanization --- p.xii. / List of Illustrations --- p.xiii. / Acknowledgements --- p.ivx. / Introduction: Building the Bridge --- p.1 / Chapter PART ONE: --- "RONG HONG'S AMERICA: THE VISION OF AN EAST-WEST SYNTHESIS,1847-1871" / The Convergence of East and West --- p.8 / An Auspicious Association Begins --- p.10 / Monson and Yale: The Capron Connection --- p.11 / The Dream is Born --- p.14 / Chapter PART TWO: --- "OUR CELESTIAL NEIGHBORS: THE CHINESE EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION IN NEW ENGLAND," / Arrival of the Celestials --- p.18 / A New England Childhood --- p.24 / A Community Awakens --- p.26 / The Roots Take Hold --- p.31 / The Centennial Year --- p.35 / The New Year --- p.37 / """Too Muchee She""" --- p.39 / The Scholars --- p.41 / Death in a Strange Land --- p.48 / Administrativia and Matters of Great Consequence --- p.55 / The Face of Defiance --- p.58 / "The Much-Maligned ""Old Man Wu""" --- p.61 / Recall and Reassimilation --- p.65 / Chapter PART THREE: --- "DEAR PHILANTHROPIC NEW ENGLAND: REFLECTIONS ON AMERICAN-CHINESE HOSPITALITY,1882-1930" / A Rude Awakening in China --- p.72 / """Homesickness Where the Devil Is But No Women""" --- p.74 / Strange Rumors --- p.77 / New England Endures --- p.81 / The Struggles of Kuang Oizhao --- p.87 / Rong Hong's Last Years --- p.89 / Chinese Educational Mission Memories --- p.95 / Crossing the Bridge --- p.97 / Conclusion --- p.102 / Illustrations --- p.107 / Appendix A： A Note on Sources --- p.124 / Appendix B： Geographic Origins of Chinese Educational Mission Students (Group List) --- p.128 / Appendix C: Geographic Origins of Chinese Educational Mission Students (Individual List) --- p.129 / Appendix D： Age Range of Chinese Educational Mission Students upon arrival in the United States --- p.132 / Appendix E： Rong Hong's Declaration of the Chinese Educational Mission --- p.133 / "Appendix F： Joint Declaration of the Chinese Educational Mission as Issued by Rong Hong and Chen Lanbin, August, 1873" --- p.135 / "Appendix G: ""The Northern Bear."" Oration Delivered at Hartford Public High School by Liang Dunyen, April 18, 1878" --- p.137 / "Appendix H： Open Letter Issued by Wu Jiashan to The Hartford Courant, April 27, 1880" --- p.138 / "Appendix I: Description of Rong Hong's house from Hartford Daily Courant,January 1882" --- p.140 / "Appendix J： Letter from Wu Yangzeng to I.P. Bissell, Tianjin, November 30, 1881" --- p.142 / Appendix K： American Hosts of the Chinese Students --- p.144 / Appendix L： Administration of the Chinese Educational Commission --- p.149 / "Appendix M： Diagram of Rong-Kellogg gravesite, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford" --- p.150 / Appendix N： List of Primary-Secondary Educational Institutions Attended by Chinese Educational Mission Students --- p.152 / Appendix O: List of Tertiary Educational Institutions Attended by Chinese Educational Mission Students --- p.156 / Appendix P： Comparative Table of Romanization --- p.159 / Appendix Q： Glossary of Chinese Students by Detachment --- p.167 / Appendix R： LaFargue Listing of Chinese Educational Mission Students --- p.168 / Appendix S： Alphabetical Glossary of Chinese Names (pinyin) --- p.170 / End Notes --- p.171 / References --- p.188 / About the Author --- p.195

Cui, Jiaying. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 410-426). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

published_or_final_version / English Studies and Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’exploiter l’adaptation interculturelle des étudiants-sojourners chinois en France, et plus précisément en premier lieu leur parcours personnel, en second lieu leurs stratégies en face des difficultés d’adaptation dans l’apprentissage du métier d’étudiant étranger et celui du métier d’étudiant adulte. Actuellement, plus de 30.000 étudiants chinois s’inscrivent chaque année en enseignement supérieur en France. Éloignés de leur pays natal, ils doivent s'adapter à un nouvel environnement. Du fait de leurs difficultés à communiquer dans une langue étrangère, des différences culturelles et sociales et de la pression économique, une partie des étudiants chinois rencontrent des problèmes, tant sur le plan physique que psychologique pendant leur séjour en France : difficultés dans leur adaptation à un système éducatif nouveau, dans la manière d'appréhender une culture différente (barrière de la langue, mode de vie, etc..). Du point de vue théorique nous nous situons dans une perspective historico-culturelle du psychisme, avec l’idée que les processus psychiques sont dépendants du contexte dans lesquels ils se développent, la théorie des champs conceptuels proposée par Gérard Vergnaud. Du point de vue des concepts et recherches, nous utilisons notamment Culture shock de Oberg, Courbe en U de Lysgaard, Pression-adaptation-croissance dynamique de Kim et Stratégies d’acculturation de Berry ; d’autres réflexions concernent les facteurs d’influence sur l’adaptation interculturelle et favorisent notre analyses des données. Ce travail a mis en œuvre une méthode de construction des données impliquant le croisement de plusieurs techniques de recueil des données (cross-fertilisation, Acioly-Régnier, 2010) qui combine l’observation ethnographique, le récit de vie par bande-dessinées personnalisée et l’entretien d’auto-confrontation simple. Ont ainsi été abordés divers aspects de l’adaptation des étudiants : passage du projet à la venue en France, rapport à l’enseignement et à l’administration française, vie quotidienne extra universitaire, intégration sociale, projet au-delà du séjour. Les résultats de cette recherche montrent que les étudiants-sojourners chinois s’adaptent d’autant mieux qu’ils ont des véritables stratégies pour réagir à de nouveaux contextes. Il a également été confirmé que dans leur adaptation interculturelle, les étudiants-sojourners chinois étudiés pratiquent une stratégie convertible multidimensionnelle. / The objective of this research is to exploit the intercultural adaptation of the Chinese sojourners - students in France, and more exactly first of all their personal course, secondly their strategies in front of the difficulties of adaptation in the learning of the job of foreign student and that of the job of grown-up student. At present, more than 30.000 Chinese students join every year higher education in France. Taken away from their native country, they have to adapt themselves to a new environment. Because of their difficulties communicating in a foreign language, cultural and social differences and economic pressure, a part of the Chinese students meet problems, both on the plan physical and psychological during their stay in France: difficulties in their adaptation to a new education system, in the way of taking a new and different culture (language barrier, lifestyle, etc.). From the theoretical point of view we are situated in a historico-cultural prospect of the psyche, with the idea that the psychic processes are dependent on the context in which they develop (the theory of the conceptual fields was proposed by Gérard Vergnaud). From the point of view of the concepts and the searches, we use in particular Culture shock of Oberg, U Curved for Kim's dynamic Lysgaard, Pression-adaptation-croissance and Strategies of acculturation of Berry; other reflections concern the factors of influence on the intercultural adaptation and favour our data analyses. This work has implemented a method of construction of the data involving the crossing of several techniques of data collection (cross-fertilization, Acioly-Régnier, on 2010) which combines the ethnographical observation, the narrative of life by band drawn personalized and the maintenance of simple auto-confrontation. Several aspects of the adaptation of the students were approached: passage of the project in the coming in France, relationship with the education and in the French administration, the extra university everyday life, the social integration, the project beyond the stay. The results of this research show that the Chinese sojourners students adapt themselves all the better since they have real strategies to react to new contexts. It was also confirmed that in their intercultural adaptation, the Chinese sojourners students practise a multidimensional convertible strategy.

by Gu Yongqi. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 145-151.

Photocopy of typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This is a study of selected adjustment problems among Chinese students from Hong Kong and Taiwan attending two Oregon universities, Portland State University and University of Oregon,with data gathered by questionnaire, in the school year 1973-1974.