International Study: China Students Issues

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Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify issues among oversea students from mainland China and come out with some corresponding solutions.

Introduction

In the Chinese competitive job market, Chinese students are needed to well equip themselves to stand out from the crowd. Thus, oversea study became a popular channel for Chinese students to success. China is ranking the top of origin for international student all around the world. Recorded by the Chinese Ministry of Education, a total of 608,400 Chinese students headed foreign for study and still witnessed a strong uptrend in this field. (Han, 2019) With majority of student study abroad for a better quality of education, followed by 20 percent of them to prepare permanent immigration, and some oversea student expected for better employment prospect and broaden their horizons. (Chu, 2016) However, as a matter of fact, not all of them were prepared for the pressure it brings. Facing the challenges of cultural difference, language barrier, and homesickness, negative feeling is commonly witnessed among international students.

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Furthermore, a substantial find is that rising number of Chinese students return home after foreign studies. (Zhou, 2018) Meanwhile, Chinese oversea students coming back are facing a lot of challenges, due to the advantage of returning students is losing among Chinese recruitment market.

Beside the academic problems, Chinese oversea student also encounter loneliness, homesickness, the feeling of disorientation and being addicted to computer games. In some cases, these issues may even develop into more serious mantel health problem, such as insomnia, anorexia, and depression. (Wang, 2016)

There is a common believe that. Oversea students will face all kind of issue been

Findings and discussion

1. Chinese international students are encountering culture shock in many aspects over their foreign life period. On education level, Chinese students universally not adapt well to the western education process. Chinese education system, which emphasizes rote learning rather than critical thinking or flexibly problem solving. Under this system, Chinese students are relatively lack of creativity and independent thinking versus western students. As success is directly linked with students’ academic scores, Chinese students are promoted to achieve an excellent test scores by conformist approach and mindless work hard. As a result, Chinese students often panic when they are asked to provide their independent perspectives, due to no longer a given standard answer in their oversea study.

Inadequate in-class participation. The learning method back in China, basically relied on memorization. Instead of recitation, Australia way of education require student to practice their critical thinking. Also students are expected to specialized, difficult terminology. Assignments in Australia are normally needed extensive reading and research, most of questions do not have sample answer, which require students to express their unique and independent views.

Not knowing where to seek extra help and advice from teachers.

There are a number of significant differences of education as well culture background between China and Western countries. Under a democratic system, western countries advocate free expression. Students are encouraged to speak out on the class. By contrast, Chinese students were brought up to believe in the saying of ‘modesty is a virtue and silence is golden’ and ‘speak more, screw up more’, these are what Chinese students were inculcated from childhood and also set root in their mind.

2. High cost for study abroad can bring enormous pressure to common Chinese family, while the reward is frustrating. Chinese families commit a significant amount of money for their children to study abroad, with substantial financial risk to the regular family. Oversea students are losing superiority in workplace in China. At the beginning of the century, which only one of ten students return to China after oversea studies, however, in 2017, the number of returnees up to 80 percent. (Zhou, 2018) Under Chinese one-child policy, students in this generation are under enormous pressure due to each youngster is given high expectation form their family. According to a Hangzhou newspaper report, a Chinese student ‘Lin’ who study at Monash University was under great pressure to succeed, due to her parents sold their home for 1.2 million Chinese yuan ($A230,000) in exchange for her university study in Australia. Before returning to China, she spent 6 years studying finance in Australia and cost 2 million yuan in total. However, she back to China and struggled to get a job which with only 5000 yuan monthly. (Needham,2017) A salary study of 150,000 Chinese overseas students indicated that, comparing with Chinese university graduates, oversea students merely make 500 yuan (A$100) more on average. (Needham,2017)

3. Mental health issue and psychological disorders. Academic pressure, no friend or no one for help are all problems that can be serious. An investigation conducted by Victoria’s Coroners Prevention Unit (CPU), due to long term depress under a language barrier and insomnia, a total 27 international students had committed suicides in Australia from 2009 to 2015. However, the number is likely to be an underestimate. (SBSNews, 2019)

Conclusion and recommendations

Talk out the problems. Do not keep everything bottled up.

Dr. Grant Blashki, a lead clinical adviser at Beyond Blue, suggest that learning to well balance the academic pressure with personal health is critical for international students to prevent mental health issues. Keeping up enough exercise, participate in enough volunteer activities and groups, which can help oversea students adapt in the new community. (Kwan, 2019)

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