Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 10 | Page 52

JADE | 52 ARTICLE #4 Title Motivations and expectations of study abroad: evidence from a study of Chinese undergraduate students on a higher education Trans- National Education (TNE) programme Authors Tiantian Liu, Keith Walley, Paul Adkins, Geoff Pugh, Sandra Turner, & Feng Tan DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.21252/ KEELE-0000032 Contact [email protected] Keywords Trans-National Education (TNE); study abroad; motivations and expectations of study abroad; Chinese students Abstract Universities around the world are providing increased opportunities for students to participate in international education. It is important, however, that both the recipient and source universities understand the motivations and expectations of students wishing to study abroad in order that they may design Trans-National Education (TNE) programmes that meet the needs of the students as well as to inform their promotional and marketing activities. The difficulty, however, is that student motivations and expectations can and do develop and change over time and so it is necessary to conduct regular research in order to ensure that decision makers are aware of the latest trends. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to report the findings of a contemporary study that sought to generate insight into students’ motivations and expectations relating to study abroad. The study is based on a survey of Chinese students registered on a TNE programme operated by a UK university and a Chinese partner university. While this study is limited by sample size and restricted to only one TNE programme involving a Chinese partner, the findings do provide insights into the motivations and expectations of students currently engaged in TNE. The findings indicate that experience with other cultures and a desire to broaden horizons were the primary motivations for the students to consider study abroad while the main expectations were that they would develop their personal and practical skills. The findings confirm the importance of the intercultural aspects of TNE programmes and may be used by university administrators and policy makers to assist in the design of courses and promotional campaigns. Content and Objectives Since the 1970s, the number of students studying abroad has increased considerably worldwide (Altbach et al., 2009). In 2017, approximately five million HE students were enrolled in studies outside their home country (ICEF, 2017). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has estimated that the total number of international students will reach eight million by 2025 (Mok et al., 2017). In the UK, official figures (HESA, 2018a) reveal that 442,375 students, some 19% of the total number of students studying in UK universities in 2016–17, were international. Chinese students account for almost a third of the non- EU international students attending UK universities. The trend for Chinese students to study abroad has developed over several decades but recently received fresh impetus when the Chinese government adopted the Belt ARTICLE #4 | 53 MOTIVATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF STUDY ABROAD: EVIDENCE FROM A STUDY OF CHINESE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ON A HIGHER EDUCATION TRANS-NATIONAL EDUCATION (TNE) PROGRAMME and Road initiative which encourages collaboration between Chinese and foreign HE institutions (Wu, 2018). China is currently the largest exporter of international students with 15.2% of all students enrolled in HE outside their home country (Chen, 2016) and, according to Jacob et al. (2017), there is a growing trend for Chinese students to study in western countries like the UK, USA, Australia and Canada. Indeed, today 55% of Chinese students studying in the UK start their studies in a TNE program (UKCISA, 2018). In the academic year 2015–16, the number of students studying for a UK HE qualification outside of the UK reached 701,010 with 65,199 being in China (UUK, 2016). Thus, the number of Chinese students studying for a UK qualification in China increased 14.5% from the previous year, and over 80% over the past five years. This makes China the fastest growing host country of UK TNE, with 275 approved joint programmes and institutes (HESA, 2018b) possibly because the UK is the favoured overseas partners for Chinese universities wishing to deliver undergraduate TNE programmes (Wilkins, 2016). A useful working definition of TNE proposed by Blight et al. (1999) is “…the provision of a HE degree programme leading to a UK qualification for students based in a country other than the one in which the awarding institution is located”. As such, TNE may take many forms including branch campuses, distance learning, online provision, joint and dual degree programme, short courses, or mixed models (Hussain, 2007). TNE has the potential to confer advantages on the sojourner students such as, improved intercultural competences and an openness to cultural diversity, language proficiency, and personal development (Hayden et al., 2003; Morshidi, 2006; Naidoo, 2015; Sirat, 2005). TNE may, however, also benefit others including the domestic students, the teaching staff, the universities, and even countries and their governments (Adam, 2001; McBurnie and Pollock, 2000; McBurnie and Ziguras, 2001 and 2006). Indeed, according to Universities UK International (UUKI), TNE is now an important component of the UK government’s education export strategy and some 82% of UK universities now offer TNE with two thirds being at undergraduate level and the balance being postgraduate (Boe, 2018). In order that TNE provision be properly managed and promoted, various authorities on the subject (e.g. Knight, 2015; Tarrant et al., 2014; Soria and Troisi, 2014; Altbach, 2015) have recognised a need to understand student motivations and expectations. These motivations and expectations are summarised in Table 1. Although the motives to study abroad may vary from one student to another (DuFon and Churchill, 2006) key motivations include the perceived high quality of overseas education (Hernández, 2010a), and a desire to improve inter-cultural competence (Chirkov et al., 2008; DuFon