With more and more literature on international student mobility and migration (ISM), one area of focus has often been overlooked: the impacts of student visas and study permits. Examined through an institutionalist framework highlighting the influences of institutions on individuals and their agency, this study describes how visa and study permit…

Despite an extensive body of literature scrutinising international students' short-term and long-term mobility experiences, little is known about the connection between the two. To address this gap, this study looks into the perception of a group of Chinese international students on how participation in their short-term mobility (STM) experience…

Despite a large number of Sino-foreign joint education programmes, little research has examined the pre-departure academic preparations of students on these programmes. This study aims to fill the research gap by interviewing 22 Chinese students on 2 + 2 programmes studying at an Australian host university. Findings show that while more than half…

Researcher roles as insiders and outsiders are important in qualitative studies. Yet, the roles and perspectives of insider and outsider researchers working collaboratively in transnational learning contexts have received little research attention. This paper reports on a small-scale qualitative project that explored our research collaboration as…

In the current climate of global international education, overseas student integration and difficulties in adjusting into the academic life of the host country are often posited as personal failures. However, the categorization of international students is premised on them not being active subjects in the curriculum and the ways in which they can…

Australia's much-vaunted reputation as a successful egalitarian, multicultural country has substantial merit, but it also has a chequered history, and the official narrative of egalitarianism and multiculturalism is experienced differentially by vulnerable, marginalised people and communities who bear the brunt of residual and new forms of racism…

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships,…

Teacher-student relationship (TSR) is, despite its importance, an under-researched area in higher education, and this is particularly the case with TSR between international students and their teachers at the host institutions. Past research has found that social integration plays an important role in university students' academic performance and…

Objective: The needs and experiences of Chinese international students in the context of secondary education have been largely under-researched. Tertiary education research has shown international student populations are particularly susceptible to acculturative stressors, loneliness, and isolation in host cultures therefore it is important to…

This paper examines the utility of Campbell's narrative construction of 'the hero's journey' as a conceptual apparatus to understand how international students from Confucian heritage cultures navigate their experiences in Western schooling systems like Australia. The hero's journey framework was used to investigate the commonalities and…

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has been investigated as a significant factor in language performance and achievement. Increasing studies have revealed relevant factors of FLA relating to learning environments, and the study abroad context is one of them. In Australia, Chinese students consist of one of the biggest groups of international students.…

Internationalization and the concomitant flow of cultural diversity often associated with it are highly prized by universities; many tertiary institutions claim internationalization of the campus, the curriculum, research, and the student body as a major goal, a key performance indicator. However, in the current climate of global international…

Chinese universities are increasingly entering into transnational higher education partnerships with institutions in primarily English-speaking countries. With this increase in programmes, there is a growing body of research investigating both policy and practice. Our study contributes insight into how students in a China-Australia programme…

Chinese international students represent a significant social, economic and cultural force in Australian society. Research has demonstrated that Chinese students enrich Australia not only through their economic contribution, but through soft diplomacy and cultural links. Despite this, and the recent rapid growth in the number of Chinese…

This collection provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges faced by higher education institutions engaging with China. Among the issues considered are the importance of UK-China scientific research, the recruitment and integration of Chinese students, and self-censorship. The ten different contributors also cover the importance of…