The purpose of this study was to identify reasons why Chinese graduate students chose one Canadian university in which to study and to examine the transitional issues they encountered. Based on post-positivistic epistemology as the philosophical foundation, Creswells (2002) triangulation design in mixed methods research was employed. Fifty-one Chinese graduate students registered in master or doctoral programs at the university responded to an online survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data. Excel and SPSS (18.0) were employed to analyze the quantitative data. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) were utilized to examine the participants transitional issues. Qualitative data were analyzed to develop major themes in relation to the participants reasons for choosing this university in which to study and the transitional issues. Trustworthiness of the study was discussed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The findings showed that the participants came to study at this university in Canada because of academic reasons, such as high-quality academic programs, research focus, competent faculty members, appropriate admission requirements, world-recognized degrees, and the opportunity to practice English. When studying in their academic programs, they encountered difficulties with listening, speaking, and academic writing in English. They also encountered difficulties in understanding academic readings, seeking advice, course work, and lack of resources. In their daily lives, the students encountered loneliness, isolation, lack of communication due to different cultures, financial issues, and accommodation problems.

The purpose of this study was to identify reasons why Chinese graduate students chose one Canadian university in which to study and to examine the transitional issues they encountered. Based on post-positivistic epistemology as the philosophical foundation, Creswells (2002) triangulation design in mixed methods research was employed. Fifty-one Chinese graduate students registered in master or doctoral programs at the university responded to an online survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data. Excel and SPSS (18.0) were employed to analyze the quantitative data. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) were utilized to examine the participants transitional issues. Qualitative data were analyzed to develop major themes in relation to the participants reasons for choosing this university in which to study and the transitional issues. Trustworthiness of the study was discussed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The findings showed that the participants came to study at this university in Canada because of academic reasons, such as high-quality academic programs, research focus, competent faculty members, appropriate admission requirements, world-recognized degrees, and the opportunity to practice English. When studying in their academic programs, they encountered difficulties with listening, speaking, and academic writing in English. They also encountered difficulties in understanding academic readings, seeking advice, course work, and lack of resources. In their daily lives, the students encountered loneliness, isolation, lack of communication due to different cultures, financial issues, and accommodation problems.

Mobility and migration are features of this global era. Thus, most higher education institutions are increasingly recruiting international students. Host institutions and countries benefit in many different ways from this recruitment; however, the experiences of international students are still under-researched. Although studies examining the linguistic and cultural challenges that are encountered by international students have started to emerge, little attention has been given to those who did not complete their studies, particularly doctoral students. This study sheds light on four Chinese international doctoral students and explores the reasons for their withdrawal from their studies in a Canadian context. Using a narrative methodological approach, data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews in the participants’ native language: Mandarin. Four themes and two sub-themes emerged from the interview data. The themes included: academic interactions and integration; partnership and the perception of gender roles; family of origin and the importance of education; and educational differences between China and Canada. Participants’ experiences during their doctoral studies did influence their decisions to withdraw. Specifically, the incompatibility with supervisors was one factor that directly led to the withdrawal of some research participants. However, other factors played key roles as well. The participants’ intentions and willingness to fulfil their gender roles and family obligations impacted their decisions in various ways. In addition, their past experiences in China and certain aspects of Chinese culture seem to have shaped their expectations about education and the supervisory relationship. / Graduate / 2019-08-20

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This study, entitled “Understanding the Choice of Chinese Graduate Students’ English Learning Strategies in a Canadian Context,” explores the English learning strategies employed by six graduate students from China after their arrival in Canada, and documents and analyses changes in their learning strategies. These Chinese students encountered a change of language context because when in the unilingual Chinese environment they spoke Mandarin and upon their arrival in Canada, they were obligated to use English to communicate with Canadians and other international students. These students employed different English learning strategies in the Canadian context from what they were accustomed to in China. Thus, the researcher’s central objective in this study is to discover and document those changes in learning strategies and to investigate the factors accounting for the changes. In the process, the researcher aims to fill a gap in research exploring the learning strategies of Chinese students in foreign contexts, and create valuable new knowledge to benefit prospective Chinese international students, policy makers at the international universities, and English educators in China. The theoretical framework of this research is the qualitative co-constructivism paradigm along with narrative inquiry. Semi-structured interviews were used as the primary method of collecting data in this study, beginning with individual interviews, and followed by a focus group interview. The data collected through the interviews showed that the six participants’ reliance on the memory and cognitive strategies employed in China were abandoned in favor of utilization of compensation strategies and social strategies after moving to Canada. Furthermore, these participants were more open to making mistakes and taking risks during interactions with others in English. Moreover, these participants made these changes mainly because they desired to use the English-speaking environment in Canada to improve English proficiency. An important finding of my research is that their immersion in the English-speaking environment inspired these participants to employ different English learning strategies that led to significant improvement in their English proficiency.