"Bright Futures":A Comparative Study of Internal and International Mobility of Chinese Higher Education Students ('Euro-China UPC')
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Essex
Department Name: Sociology
Abstract
Young people moving away from home to seek "bright futures" through higher education are a major force in the urbanization of China and the internationalization of global higher education. As many as 50 million young Chinese have become urban residents or moved away from their hometowns as a result of seeking higher education, while Chinese students constitute the largest single group of international students in the richer OECD countries of the world, making up 20 percent of the total student migration to these countries. A growing proportion of these students are heading to Europe. Yet systematic research on a representative sample of these student migrants is lacking, and theoretical frameworks for migration more generally may not always apply to students moving for higher education.
This research project aims to investigate key dimensions of this educational mobility, and its imports for students and their families, through conducting exploratory interviews and survey research in China, the UK and Germany. We explore this phenomenon in two related aspects: the migration of students from the People's Republic of China to the UK and Germany for higher education, and internal migration for studies within China. This research design enables a fascinating and unusual set of comparisons, between those who stay and those who migrate, both within China and beyond its borders. We also plan to compare Chinese students in the UK and Germany with domestic students in the two countries. Differences and similarities in these groups of students will enable us to identify which types of students choose migration and how this affects their expectations about the impact of such a decision on the course of their lives. Interviews with students' parents will enable answering questions about family strategies and educational migration.
Our research will produce a valuable data set on Chinese student migrants that will be available for future researchers with new sets of questions. By generating innovative data and analytical perspectives on education as a form of migration generally and on Chinese educational migration in particular, this project will open up scholarly questions around who migrates and the effects of migration on these individuals and their families. As well as being presented at academic conferences, and circulated among networks of academic researchers focusing on education and migration, our findings will be published in a number of scholarly journal articles and monographs, in English, Chinese and German languages.
This research will benefit a range of non-academic stakeholders, allowing for more informed policy-making; university recruitment and integration of international students; and parental and student choices. We plan to produce a policy-oriented report containing a summary of our main research findings aimed at governments, tertiary institutions, think-tanks and organizations involved in providing information and support to international students. We will reach key stakeholders through targeted dissemination activities, including half-day conferences for higher education administrators, education agents and educational organizations in London, Brussels and Beijing. Our study will provide important baseline data on gaps between student expectations and experience, thus potentially providing universities in the UK and Germany with information on how better to integrate Chinese students in the future. We plan to write articles on this specific angle for publications aimed at a broad audience in the higher education sector. Some of our findings will be of broad general interest, especially to students and parents in China considering momentous migration decisions. We plan to provide media briefings for journalists who cover education in all three countries, but particularly focused on China and Hong Kong, highlighting elements of our study that address information gaps our data has identified.
This research project aims to investigate key dimensions of this educational mobility, and its imports for students and their families, through conducting exploratory interviews and survey research in China, the UK and Germany. We explore this phenomenon in two related aspects: the migration of students from the People's Republic of China to the UK and Germany for higher education, and internal migration for studies within China. This research design enables a fascinating and unusual set of comparisons, between those who stay and those who migrate, both within China and beyond its borders. We also plan to compare Chinese students in the UK and Germany with domestic students in the two countries. Differences and similarities in these groups of students will enable us to identify which types of students choose migration and how this affects their expectations about the impact of such a decision on the course of their lives. Interviews with students' parents will enable answering questions about family strategies and educational migration.
Our research will produce a valuable data set on Chinese student migrants that will be available for future researchers with new sets of questions. By generating innovative data and analytical perspectives on education as a form of migration generally and on Chinese educational migration in particular, this project will open up scholarly questions around who migrates and the effects of migration on these individuals and their families. As well as being presented at academic conferences, and circulated among networks of academic researchers focusing on education and migration, our findings will be published in a number of scholarly journal articles and monographs, in English, Chinese and German languages.
This research will benefit a range of non-academic stakeholders, allowing for more informed policy-making; university recruitment and integration of international students; and parental and student choices. We plan to produce a policy-oriented report containing a summary of our main research findings aimed at governments, tertiary institutions, think-tanks and organizations involved in providing information and support to international students. We will reach key stakeholders through targeted dissemination activities, including half-day conferences for higher education administrators, education agents and educational organizations in London, Brussels and Beijing. Our study will provide important baseline data on gaps between student expectations and experience, thus potentially providing universities in the UK and Germany with information on how better to integrate Chinese students in the future. We plan to write articles on this specific angle for publications aimed at a broad audience in the higher education sector. Some of our findings will be of broad general interest, especially to students and parents in China considering momentous migration decisions. We plan to provide media briefings for journalists who cover education in all three countries, but particularly focused on China and Hong Kong, highlighting elements of our study that address information gaps our data has identified.
Planned Impact
Our impact strategy aims to involve four groups of stakeholders at the project design stages, so that we can make full use of their contextual knowledge and feed their needs for information into the design of our survey instruments. This is particularly important since one of the main real world impacts of this project is reducing information gaps so that actors including governments, universities and students and their parents can make more appropriate choices. The initial phases of our project thus have such consultation with interested parties as a central objective, combining gathering input and gathering data.
Governments and parliaments: In all three countries, governments have a need for quality information as input into policy-making affecting educational mobility and provision of higher education to domestic and international students, as well as urbanization in the China context. Both the UK and German governments have identified increasing educational exchanges with China as an aspect of a broader programme of cultural interaction and engagement, while the Scottish government has identified increasing education links and research collaboration between Scotland and China as priority areas. Such aims are often in tension with border control policies, and our research may provide insight on dynamics of mobility and migration that could contribute to more integrated policy regarding international students. We will prepare briefings on our findings for government actors in various settings.
Higher education institutions: This research will be of interest to virtually all HEIs in the UK and Germany, as it is highly relevant to understanding and potentially improving the educational experience of the growing number of students from China they are receiving. Although this project focuses on students studying in the UK and Germany, many of its conclusions may also be relevant to academic administrators in other countries with a high volume of student migrants from China. We expect that our findings could be used by university administrators to improve measures to integrate students arriving from China, addressing specific needs and information gaps that may exist for this group.
Education agents and NGOs: A wide range of for for-profit and non-profit organizations will also benefit. These include education recruiters such as the British Council, Goethe Institute, German Academic Exchange Service and EIC Group; national and international organizations and associations concerned with higher education trends, professional matters and international student welfare; and national and regional student unions and advocacy organizations. We will also circulate our findings to national and local migration-related service and advocacy organizations in the UK and Germany. Many associations in the higher education sector have recently identified student mobility as a specific concern for their members. To reach HEIs and education agents, we plan three main approaches: half-day conferences for HEIs, education agents and organizations involved in international education; articles in specialist education media; and a downloadable policy-oriented report in the three languages of the project partners on the websites of our institutions.
Students, parents and the general public: Chinese students and their parents face a bewildering array of choices regarding higher education, and our findings can potentially provide them with feedback on the implications of different options. While our data gathering will identify specific information gaps among this group, it will also generate ideas on how to reach them with our findings. Briefings to mainstream media covering education issues in China and Hong Kong and blogs on relevant websites and dedicated forums discussing educational migration will be a useful beginning.
Governments and parliaments: In all three countries, governments have a need for quality information as input into policy-making affecting educational mobility and provision of higher education to domestic and international students, as well as urbanization in the China context. Both the UK and German governments have identified increasing educational exchanges with China as an aspect of a broader programme of cultural interaction and engagement, while the Scottish government has identified increasing education links and research collaboration between Scotland and China as priority areas. Such aims are often in tension with border control policies, and our research may provide insight on dynamics of mobility and migration that could contribute to more integrated policy regarding international students. We will prepare briefings on our findings for government actors in various settings.
Higher education institutions: This research will be of interest to virtually all HEIs in the UK and Germany, as it is highly relevant to understanding and potentially improving the educational experience of the growing number of students from China they are receiving. Although this project focuses on students studying in the UK and Germany, many of its conclusions may also be relevant to academic administrators in other countries with a high volume of student migrants from China. We expect that our findings could be used by university administrators to improve measures to integrate students arriving from China, addressing specific needs and information gaps that may exist for this group.
Education agents and NGOs: A wide range of for for-profit and non-profit organizations will also benefit. These include education recruiters such as the British Council, Goethe Institute, German Academic Exchange Service and EIC Group; national and international organizations and associations concerned with higher education trends, professional matters and international student welfare; and national and regional student unions and advocacy organizations. We will also circulate our findings to national and local migration-related service and advocacy organizations in the UK and Germany. Many associations in the higher education sector have recently identified student mobility as a specific concern for their members. To reach HEIs and education agents, we plan three main approaches: half-day conferences for HEIs, education agents and organizations involved in international education; articles in specialist education media; and a downloadable policy-oriented report in the three languages of the project partners on the websites of our institutions.
Students, parents and the general public: Chinese students and their parents face a bewildering array of choices regarding higher education, and our findings can potentially provide them with feedback on the implications of different options. While our data gathering will identify specific information gaps among this group, it will also generate ideas on how to reach them with our findings. Briefings to mainstream media covering education issues in China and Hong Kong and blogs on relevant websites and dedicated forums discussing educational migration will be a useful beginning.
Publications
Baltaru R
(2017)
Administrators in higher education: organizational expansion in a transforming institution
in Higher Education
Cebolla-Boado H
(2023)
Selectivity among educational migrants? A multi-sited investigation
in Chinese Sociological Review
Cebolla-Boado H
(2017)
Why study abroad? Sorting of Chinese students across British universities
in British Journal of Sociology of Education
Cebolla-Boado H
(2017)
Educational optimism in China: migrant selectivity or migration experience?
in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Soysal Y
(2020)
Meritocracy or Reputation? How University Rankings Matter
Soysal Y
(2021)
Institutional underpinnings, global reach, and the future of ordinal citizenship
in The British Journal of Sociology
Soysal Y
(2021)
University as the producer of knowledge, and economic and societal value: the 20th and twenty-first century transformations of the UK higher education system
in European Journal of Higher Education
Soysal Y
(2022)
Meritocracy or reputation? The role of rankings in the sorting of international students across universities
in Globalisation, Societies and Education
| Description | Bright Futures project relied on comparisons between two educational migrant flows, Chinese and Japanese higher education (HE) students, in European destinations and non-migrants at origin. On the basis of systematic comparisons of these flows, the project makes contributions in three main strands of scientific literature, with potential contributions in other areas as well. 1) Migrant Selectivity. Our results bring to the table two important and clear-cut findings: • a pattern of relative selection among Chinese and Japanese students abroad when compared with non-movers by 'observable' socio-economic characteristics; although we find that the background of international students is much more diverse than is normally expected by the scholars of international education (IE), undermining the widespread arguments in the literature that IE is in the main a middle-class strategy for elite reproduction; • no evidence of selection on the basis of 'unobservable' characteristics (i.e. individual traits such as ambition, creativity, or being a risk-taker or independent-minded); Chinese and Japanese international HE students are not different from those who have not migrated abroad for their studies. Selectivity is a crucial topic in the current migration literature and we believe that our findings have implications beyond international students and likely to apply to other highly skilled migrants as well. 2) Transnationalization of aspirations and cosmopolitan outlooks. Our project findings point to increasingly standardized orientations among HE students globally. We found convergence among European, Chinese and Japanese students, independent of whether they have migrated for their education or not, around the ideal of a HE student having broad aspirations (beyond a narrow instrumental focus, being pro-active, open (to the world and others) and aware of their individuality. Regarding commitment to global social solidarities, however, a less clear pattern transpires. While European and Japanese students in our survey study are more likely to display "cosmopolitan" orientations, in the case of Chinese students, irrespective of whether they are in Europe or China, we observe a stronger social commitment to co-nationals and the nation. This is an important finding for the expanding literature on the transnationalization of HE and its role in the shaping of individual student orientations and life-choices. Our project contributes to this new line of research by showing the importance of the timing and context within which countries' HE systems are linked with the global centers. 3) Well-being among HE students. Specifically, using a standard scale of mental wellbeing, our research revealed that levels of distress of international Chinese and Japanese students are similar to those of European home students (and higher than distress levels in China and Japan). This is an important finding for the literature on tertiary education and the social epidemiology of migration and youth: educational migrants adapt to host country populations. Our finding invites researchers interested in integration and migration to reconsider the impact of migration on the wellbeing particularly among the highly educated. |
| Exploitation Route | The comparative findings of the project on two major student flows from East Asia--Japanese (a traditionally strong student flow but recently in decline) and Chinese (a recent and rapidly increasing one)--challenge some of common assumptions about international students among actors involved in international student mobility. In the course of the project, we partnered closely with the UK Council on International Student Affairs and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), through which we were able to offer the use of our findings in their advocacy. We provided tailored, confidential reports for the universities we surveyed with sound information upon which institution-specific changes can be implemented. As for academic impact, the main contribution of the project was the production of the first ever large-scale (over a sample size of 8000), representative micro-level database on HE students from China and Japan, in origin and multiple destination countries (UK, Germany, and Japan). The dataset (Bright Futures: East Asian Student Mobilities. Technical Report. http://brightfutures-project.com/technical-report/) will enable thorough research designs for studies of theoretical questions such as migrant selectivity, transnationalization of aspirations and motivations, life course orientations and well-being among highly educated stimulating further research and theorization in the field. The dataset has been already used in three PhDs linked with the project and produced a number of publications on the topic. Furthermore, we submitted an advance copy of our policy report as evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry on International Students. Our findings were quoted in several paragraphs of the APPG's report 'A sustainable future for international students in the UK' (Nov. 2018), which highlighted points around the aspirations and expectations of Chinese international students for international experience beyond CV building, and the barriers to cross-national team work and socializing identified in our study (see pp.35-36). The report stated that our findings highlighted the need to 'get internationalisation right' by not perceiving international students in merely economic terms. These points were used to support one of the recommendations emerging from the Inquiry calling on the 'education sector to enhance internationalisation strategies through maximising the advantages and benefits of having a diverse body of international students'. One specific recommendation of this section was for the establishment of a 'good practice database' that would support effective internationalization in UK universities. |
| Sectors | Education,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | http://brightfutures-project.com/technical-report/ |
| Description | Since we began our dissemination activities in summer 2018, we have found that there is significant interest in our findings challenging some of common assumptions about Chinese international students among actors involved in international student mobility in the UK HE sector. We have consistently emphasized the importance of the fact that we have generated the first representative sample of Chinese international UG and PGT students in the UK, giving our findings a weight that analysis using other data sources lacks, and our audiences have evidently found this persuasive. Given that changing institutional practices based on commonly-held previous assumptions about Chinese international students requires complex and contextual policy measures it is difficult for us after only one year to point to specific societal or economic changes resulting from our research, so here we focus on documenting evidence of responses to our efforts to influence changes in the HE environment for Chinese (and other) international students in the future. Policy impact As described in the 'engagement' section, we submitted an advance copy of our policy report as evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry on International Students. Our findings were quoted in several paragraphs of the APPG's report 'A sustainable future for international students in the UK' (Nov. 2018), which highlighted points around the aspirations and expectations of Chinese international students for international experience beyond CV building, and the barriers to cross-national team work and socializing identified in our study (see pp.35-36). The report stated that our findings highlighted the need to 'get internationalisation right' by not perceiving international students in merely economic terms. These points were used to support one of the recommendations emerging from the Inquiry calling on the 'education sector to enhance internationalisation strategies through maximising the advantages and benefits of having a diverse body of international students'. One specific recommendation of this section was for the establishment of a 'good practice database' that would support effective internationalization in UK universities. Societal impact A principal aim of our policy report, knowledge exchange events and media dissemination (detailed in the engagement section) was to influence views of Chinese international students in the HE sector based on reliable representative data. Our events and related outreach also involved contacting people we had talked to in the early phases of our project to inform them about our findings. Our events (detailed in the engagement section) were well attended and generated significant discussions of our findings, including some surprise that these contradicted received wisdom on Chinese international students. Participants found the representativeness of the data important in shaping their views. In terms of how these findings would affect people's work, we had the hoped-for impact on challenging stereotypes that seem to be underlying existing institutional approaches and policies. As one participant at our London event put it, 'The findings will definitely impact my team in terms of how we see the Chinese students and to help break some of the preconceptions we had (especially regarding the number of students from poorer backgrounds, and the housing and 'integration' considerations mentioned).' Another said: '[The findings have] reminded me to check my "facts" and not to rely on what I believe to be the case.' Participants said they planned to share our findings with colleagues in their institutions, and in a follow up one year on, several said they had done so. We were gratified that some people with long experience in the field of international student mobility expressed very positive responses to our report, indicating that it will prove a useful resource for them in their work. Some of these are quoted below. 'I heard the event in the UK went well and my colleagues attended It's brilliant.' (Beijing-based) '[Your report] makes very interesting reading. One of the greatest values of the report is that you have been able to include UK students in the picture which makes the stats so much more meaningful. So to say that x% of Chinese students think or experience x, and then UK are the same or similar is very useful. It seems that one of the main conclusions is that Chinese students are first and foremost 'students' adjusting to university life! I have been curious about why so many students study Business in the UK and it's interesting that you highlight that it may be more to do with how we recruit students rather than them not wanting to study different subjects.' (London-based) Another pathway to impact was our provision of tailored reports to participating universities that granted us access to their students' data to carry out our survey. We provided reports with detail additional to that in our published report, as well as some comparison (where possible given the ethical limitations) of findings on students from that particular institution and the rest of our UK sample. These were sent to those involved in student surveys and administration. Some recipients said following receiving these reports: 'This will be a[n] extremely useful reference document for our university' and 'Thank you for your report. It makes interesting reading.' In one participating university, we are helping organize a meeting to discuss implications of our findings for this institution's policies and practices relating to Chinese international students. Evidently, effects of such interventions will take some time to come to fruition, and are largely internal to the universities concerned, so inherently difficult to document. We also reached out to education journalists and published various pieces on our research in education media and on blogs, as well as promoting our report via our Twitter account and on our website (detailed in engagement section). A piece in Times Higher Education covered aspects of our findings. In some cases, these articles generated additional coverage of our study, including in University World News, the South China Morning Post and global Chinese language media (e.g. Singtao Daily Europe edition and the New Zealand Herald). Challenges We had intended to carry out more engagement activities in China itself and to seek to reach a broader audience there with our findings. However, the politically tense environment in China relating to research with foreign parties meant that our collaborating university, Tsinghua, did not want to organize either academic or public engagement events about the findings of our research. We also approached Beijing offices of international agencies working on educational mobility to see if they would be willing to host or co-sponsor activities to disseminate our findings, but new government rules for international NGOs requiring that they get any activities approved by their Chinese government 'sponsor' agencies a year in advance meant that the groups we approached regretfully said they could not be of assistance, despite their strong interest in our findings. We were thus unable to run engagement activities in China or promote our findings in domestic media. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | British Academy/Leverhulme small grants ; Internationalization of Higher Education: A 'Big Data' Analysis |
| Amount | £9,940 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 09/2017 |
| Description | Global Outlooks - Mapping the Conceptual and Organizational Pathways of Internationalization in Higher Education |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Essex |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2017 |
| End | 08/2018 |
| Description | Scientists on the Move: Selectivity and Life Course Orientations among High-Skilled Migrants in the UK |
| Amount | £9,973 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | SRG1819\191311 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 12/2020 |
| Description | University of Essex, PVC seedcorn fund |
| Amount | £15,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Essex |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2015 |
| End | 07/2016 |
| Title | Bright Futures and East Asian Student Mobilities Survey |
| Description | The main empirical contribution of the Bright Futures and East Asian Mobilities projects is the production of the first ever large-scale (over a sample size of 8000), representative micro-level database on a single flow of highly educated migrants (Chinese higher education students) in origin (China) and multiple destination countries (UK, Germany, and Japan). Additionally, we surveyed Japanese international students, as a control group, in the same destinations. This survey was done using strict standards developed at the sampling stage, questionnaire drafting, and fieldwork. The dataset (Bright Futures: East Asian Student Mobilities. Technical Report. http://brightfutures-project.com/technical-report/) will enable thorough research designs for studies of theoretical questions such as migrant selectivity, transnationalization of aspirations and motivations, and life course orientations and wellbeing among the highly educated. SAMPLING: Specifically, we have developed a unique sampling frame to enable two-stage probability sampling to accurately reflect the Chinese student population in the UK. For this we produced an aggregate level dataset of the Chinese student population in UK universities using data from the Higher Education Statistical Agency and on university rankings. A similar sampling strategy was applied for the surveys in Germany and China. A quota sampling was applied in Japan. QUESTIONNAIRE: The survey questionnaire was strategically built to provide relevant indicators to answer all relevant research questions in our project. We have used different approaches in measuring our indicators through our questionnaire. 1. Most questions were developed by ourselves since our research questions are not fully developed in our literature of reference. 2. For those that were more standard we used already existing questions from key surveys such as the General Social Survey in Asia, the European Social Survey, the World Values Survey, China Family Panel Study and others. 3. Several of our questions use innovative survey methods. We used a number of survey experiments to produce answers that otherwise face a high risk of suffering from social desirability biases. These include questions on racism and xenophobia (list experiments); the respondents' position in the axis of 'cosmopolitan-national' orientation (donation game). SURVEY DATASET: The resulting survey dataset allows four-way comparisons, very rarely available in the reference research literature: • Chinese HE students who move abroad (UK, Germany, and Japan) for their degrees • Japanese HE students who move abroad (UK and Germany) for their degrees • Chinese HE students who remain and study either locally or migrate within China • UK and German home students who study in the UK and Germany (as control groups) IMPLICATIONS FOR SURVEY RESEARCH: The project has also produced a significant amount of information on how to sample students in tertiary education. On the complexity of reaching respondents in tertiary education and the challenges that multi-country sampling designs may represent for survey research, see D. Schneider, M. Mendez, H. Cebolla Boado, and Y. Nuhoglu Soysal, "Cross Cultural Implications for Survey Research: Lessons from the Bright Futures and East Asian Student Mobilities Projects," to be presented at the 2019 conference of the Comparative and International Education Society. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The dataset has been used in three PhDs linked with the project and produced a number of publications on the topic (see the publications section), as well as leading to the development of a number of other related funded projects (see the further funding section). |
| URL | http://brightfutures-project.com/technical-report/ |
| Description | UKCISA |
| Organisation | UK Council on International Student Affairs |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Two Bright Futures team members presented initial results of the survey on wellbeing of Chinese international students at UKCISA's annual conference in Edinburgh in summer 2018. UKCISA staff have stated that our results will prove useful in their advocacy work around addressing international student matters. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UKCISA has been crucial in helping us make contact with people in international offices in UK universities that we were targetting for our survey. Approaching staff who might have an interest in understanding the situation of Chinese international students in specific universities was a key means through which we encouraged universities to agree to provide us access to a sample of their students to conduct our survey. UKCISA also endorsed our research project and our survey, and we included a statement to this effect in our messages to university staff when contacting them about participation in the survey. Since most universities with substantial international student populations are UKCISA members, this endorsement and assistance in contacting specific people was very important in the success of our survey. UKCISA also co-sponsored our initial launch event in London on 10 Oct. 2018, and sent on information about it to members through social media. Staff at UKCISA also suggested key actors involved in international student matters to invite to our event, which contributed to making the event a success. UKCISA also retweeted information about our report and findings to their followers, enabling us to reach a wider audience. |
| Impact | Bright Futures survey data |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Blog post for Asia Dialogue |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We published a blog post on our research in a series by 'Asia Dialogue' on international student mobility. This site has more than 4000 subscribers, so reaches a wide audience interested in Asia-related news and information. A brief paragraph on our post, with a link to the full post, was subsequently posted on World University News, thus amplifying the audience: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20191004142840916 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://theasiadialogue.com/2019/10/01/seeking-excellence-why-chinese-students-choose-the-uk-for-hig... |
| Description | Bright Futures website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We established a website, www.brightfutures-project.com, which is a platform for dissemination of our project activities, research findings and publications, and background information on the project. We also used the website during our survey research phase as a platform for information about the survey. The website also includes our Twitter feed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019 |
| URL | http://www.brightfutures-project.com |
| Description | Contribution to Parliamentary inquiry on international students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We provided an advance copy of our report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on the move, as a submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Students for their inquiry, 'A sustainable future for international students in the UK'. Several paragraphs covered findings from our report, particularly focusing on the need for the development of 'best practice' in internationalization. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.exeduk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/APPG-Report-FINAL-WEB-1.pdf |
| Description | Conversation article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We published an article in The Conversation about the launch of our policy report, which appeared on the day of the report launch in London, 10 Oct. 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/what-chinese-students-want-from-uk-universities-new-research-104457 |
| Description | ESRC Urban Transformations public workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The workshop brought together senior researchers from the UK and China working on various aspects of urban transformations, with the goal of opening up new ways of thinking about the future city. There was strong interest in the findings of our project, particularly from the representatives from the Beijing Normal University, who were keen on engaging further discussions on how Chinese universities can develop their internationalization mission. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | FE News press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A version of our press release on the policy report was published on the FE News sites, which is widely read by higher education administrators. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/20523-stereotypes-about-chinese-international-students-are-m... |
| Description | Launch of policy-oriented report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We held a launch event for our policy-oriented report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on move, on 10 Oct. 2018 at the Great Britain China Centre (GBCC). The event was co-sponsored by GBCC and the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). Attendees included people from international offices and other departments involved with international students in various UK universities, academics researching international students, representatives from the National Union of Students, UKCISA staff and representatives of various sectoral organizations representing UK universities, such as British Universities International Liaison Association. Following our presentation of the key findings, attendees raised many interesting questions and asked for more information about our study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://brightfutures-project.com/policy-report-post/ |
| Description | Panel presentation at the EURASIA Higher Education Summit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We gave presentations on the main findings of our project and took part in the networking breakfast. Our findings stimulated lively conversations and questions, which continued at the network event attended by university managers/administrators, international recruitment agencies, educational ministry representatives, sectoral organizations representing higher education institutions from Asia, North America, and Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | http://bulten.jettsms.com/mailing/10629db9-eee1-446c-baa6-7497c2ad212e.html |
| Description | Policy report launch in Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On 24 Oct. 2018, we organized a breakfast briefing in Edinburgh on our report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on the move. We presented particular angles from the report that relate to the situation of Chinese students in Scottish universities, as well as our general findings. Attendees included staff from Scottish universities working in recruitment of and support for international students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://brightfutures-project.com/policy-report-post/ |
| Description | Presentation at conference for UKCISA members |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We gave a presentation, Well-being of Chinese international students at UK universities: report from a representative sample survey, that summarized findings from the Bright Futures survey data at the UK Council for International Student Affairs annual conference in Edinburgh in June 2018. Participants were primarily staff involved in international student recruitment and support at UK universities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Training--Events/Annual-conference/Annual-Conference-2018 |
| Description | Presentation at event on EU-China Student Mobility |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On 26 Oct. 2018, we co-organized an event with DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Brussels. The first part of the event was a presentation of our policy-oriented report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on the move. The second part was a panel on EU-China student mobility. The event was very well attended, and participants included academics studying international student mobility; staff involved in recruitment and other aspects of international student affairs in universities in the region; representatives of organizations of European universities; the responsible person from the European Commission involved in international student mobility relating to China; the head of the China mission to the EU and a number of staff from the mission; and representatives of DAAD. Our findings and the panel event stimulated lively conversations and questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.daad-brussels.eu/en/event/our-events/eu-china-student-mobility/ |
| Description | Presentation for BUILA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In October 2018, we presented findings from the report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on the move, to the China Regional Interest Group of the British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA), at their request. We were asked to present more details of findings on wellbeing and social interaction in this event. This event was attended by international officers, managers and some directors from the international departments specifically involved in recruitment of and support for Chinese international students at their UK universities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation on findings in Hong Kong |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We presented key findings from our report, In search of excellence: Chinese students on the move, in the seminar series at the Consortium for Higher Education Research in Asia at the University of Hong Kong in late November 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://chera.edu.hku.hk/seminars/ |
| Description | Press release for report launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The University of Essex issued a press release outlining the findings of our study to coincide with the launch of our policy report in Oct. 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2018/10/10/stereotypes-about-chinese-international-students-are-mistake... |
| Description | Provided advance findings to Times Higher Education |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We provided advance findings and written analysis relating to wellbeing of Chinese international students, compared with control groups, to a journalist at Times Higher Education. We also gave an interview to interpret the findings. THE published an article on these findings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/chinese-students-uk-more-distressed-peers-back-home |
| Description | Summer School on highly-skilled and student mobility |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This multidisciplinary International Summer School two-week programme focused on theoretical, methodological and thematic aspects of highly skilled and student migration, addressing the following questions: How to theorize these movements in relation to migrant selectivity? What are the directions and patterns of these movements? What are the drivers of these flows? What are the regulations, policies, and strategies of national governments, international organizations, companies, and universities regarding these movements? What are the outcomes and effects of these movements for individuals themselves, origin and destination countries? The Summer School was attended by 16 participants, including PhD and graduate students as well as junior experts in the field, such as migration lawyers and practitioners. Participants found this activity imparted valuable knowledge and skills, with 11 of 16 rating this as excellent or very good in their evaluations. Participants also said they appreciated the networking opportunities presented by the summer school, and the opportunity to interact with international experts in the field, and to get feedback on their own research projects and professional activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://miss.ku.edu.tr |
| Description | Talk at British Council event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We were invited to present at a 24 Oct. British Council regional meeting for staff in universities working on international students. We gave a presentation on wellbeing of Chinese international students that also included a summary of our overall findings. The session was attended by around 25 staff from universities, as well as British Council organizers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |