Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Chinese students

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Kiwi circle : a social platform connecting Chinese international students with local New Zealanders : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Yu, Liang
    In the past 25 years, international education has grown to become New Zealand’s fourth largest export industry, generating around 5.1 billion dollars to its economy (New Zealand Education, 2018). While Chinese students comprise the largest proportion of consumers within this sector, research indicates that Chinese international students in New Zealand are less satisfied than students from all other countries. This research proposes to design an online social platform to facilitate connections between these Chinese international students and local New Zealanders, in order to assist them in adjusting to studying and living in New Zealand. Furthermore, the platform would provide a channel for local New Zealanders who are interested in the Chinese culture to learn about and interact with it through contact with Chinese students. This research project aims to add value to New Zealand’s international education industry, by improving the overall quality of international students’ experience.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Chinese international students' perceptions of their learning and social experiences in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Communication Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2008) Yang, Yi
    Chinese students' participation in New Zealand educational institutions plays a critical role in the New Zealand export education industry. The significant decline in the numbers of Chinese students in New Zealand since 2003 has attracted considerable attention from New Zealand governments, educational providers and researchers. This study was conducted from July to September 2007. It adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches, involving 86 Chinese students in a student survey, 20 in individual interviews, and 21 of their parents in a parent survey. The study found that Chinese tertiary students perceived their learning and social experiences in New Zealand both positively and negatively, and their perceptions were affected by multiple factors. They generally gave positive evaluations to New Zealand tertiary education which encouraged them to be independent and critical thinkers, and developed their analytical and problem solving skills. They also gave positive ratings to academic teaching competence, university programmes and course structures, but low ratings to their lecturers' understanding their academic needs, availability to help them outside class times, and sense of responsibility for them. Significant minority of Chinese students were not happy with the quality of services provided by their tertiary institutions. Chinese students' perceptions of their learning experiences in New Zealand were also related to their difficulties in social and cultural adaptation, especially difficulties accessing employment to help them gain local work experiences. Prejudices and discrimination inside and outside their educational institutions contributed to the negative perceptions of Chinese students in their learning and social activities. Moreover, parental expectations and concerns were an important contributing factor to Chinese students' learning expectations and future plans. This study recommended that staff at New Zealand tertiary institutions develop their cultural awareness and sensitivity in order to understand Chinese students' needs, adopt better approaches to teaching, management and servicing, and provide adequate support and pastoral care to them. Also, it recommended that Chinese students need to prepare themselves better for reality when they are learning in the New Zealand context Furthermore, this study suggested that as parents are an important source of social support for Chinese international students, the better they understand their children's situations, the more likely it is that Chinese students will have better learning experiences in New Zealand.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Communication apprehension of Chinese ESL students : a thesis completed in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Mak, Barley Shuk Yin
    This study investigates the communication apprehension (CA) as defined by Horwitz et al (1986) of a group of Chinese ESL secondary students in New Zealand. The relative importance of a number of sources (educational, social, and cultural) of CA which have been identified for Chinese students of English is considered. The relationship between CA, wait time and certain in-class practices such as questioning and voluntary speaking is examined. A further aspect of the study explores the ways in which students can articulate suggestions for coping with CA. The relative importance of sources of CA is investigated by means of interviews, a ranking exercise and verbal reports. A questionnaire and "classroom" session further corroborate the sources of CA in relation to certain in-class practices and wait-time. Scenarios (hypothetical situations) are used to examine the strategies which these students considered effective for coping with CA. Results indicated that language distance between Chinese and English contributed strongly to CA among Chinese ESL students because the two languages are substantially different in terms of language structure and use. Culture also emerged as an important dimension in CA in the present study and that the students' cultural background affected their learning style, attitudes towards certain in-class practices and expectations in school. It was also found that speaking in front of the class and insufficient preparation were important sources of CA within the classroom. Students reported on both the affective and practical ways in which they attempted to cope with CA. The thesis concludes with an examination of the methodological and theoretical implications of the study. The present research has highlighted the importance of applying the case study approach to further CA studies. It has also demonstrated that language distance, preparation time and affective variables are among some of the important elements which have been neglected by previous anxiety research. A number of tentative and practical recommendations from the study are proposed together with suggestions for further research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Dialoguing with dragons. assisting Chinese students' academic achievement
    (Waikato University, 2004) Kavan, Heather; Kavan, Heather
    No abstract
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Expectations, emerging issues and change for Chinese international students in a New Zealand university : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Second Language Teaching at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) Skyrme, Gillian Ray
    This study uses a sociocultural framework to trace the experiences of 24 Chinese international undergraduate students studying business and information sciences in a New Zealand university, using community of practice perspectives recognising the university as a site of complex discourses requiring negotiation of new identities and practices. The students’ expectations, the issues that emerged and the processes of change they went through to meet their goals were investigated from retrospective and longitudinal viewpoints, using semi-structured interviews supported by schematic representations developed by the researcher and photographic representations compiled by participants were. The findings suggest that preparation before departure focused largely on expected English demands, rather than wider matters of academic culture, and this was only partially rectified during prior study in New Zealand. Students thus entered the university unfamiliar with its specific discourses and found conditions for resolving difficulties more limited than previously experienced. The anonymity and extreme time pressure pertaining in large first-year classes led to bewilderment about requirements, threats to the sense of identity as competent students which they had arrived with, and often, failure of courses. Nevertheless, the investment, personal and monetary, which this journey represented provided the incentive to persevere. Most students were resourceful in negotiating a fit between their learning preferences and the affordances of the university, resulting in very different journeys for each of them. Measures adopted included those sanctioned by the university, such as developing skills to meet the demands of academic literacies, and others less valued, such as extreme dependence on teacher consultation. Success was gained through personal agency which proved more important than the university goal of student autonomy. Beyond the academic arena, other activities such as part-time jobs were significant in contributing to a sense of identity as competent and educated adults, and to new viewpoints which contrasted with original cultural norms. They continued to identify as Chinese, but in a “third space” owing something to New Zealand influences. The study concludes that entry criteria should include a component of university preparation. It also recommends measures by which the university might enhance the experiences of such students.