Mobile international students in China : Immersion ‘in-between’

In recent times, an increasing number of international students have chosen to study in China. While some research has investigated various issues related to this student population, for example, motivation and cross-cultural learning and adjustment experiences, few studies have investigated how international students experience learning in Chinese higher education (HE) from a more critical, sociological perspective. In this study, we contribute to this regard by drawing upon Bourdieu’s thinking tools. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 international students who studied in a Chinese university, we found that students had varied experiences of the value of Chinese HE and these were often associated with their position in relation to what we identify as two language-based ‘micro fields’ (English-mediated for international students; Chinese-mediated for domestic and some international students) that arguably exist in Chinese HE as sub-fields. These different fields potentially create an ‘in-between’ or liminal experience within which some international students with some competency in Chinese language can exercise greater agency in relation to their learning to adapt to the Chinese context, but this was not the case for most students. In this way, linguistic capital is construed as having a significant influence on international students’ learning practices and experiences in Chinese HE.