International Chinese Students: Enhancing the American Learning Experience

Approximately 975,000 international students are studying in the USA of which one third are from China. Research suggests that Chinese students face unique cross-cultural challenges in addition to the routine challenges faced by non-Chinese foreign students such as language, customs and exchanges. This study identifies where international Chinese students need help adapting to the American education process as examined through a series of conversations with Chinese students using their social media tool WeChat. It is our belief that studying this issue on a qualitative basis using these conversations will provide insight into the forms of help needed along with how American educators may modify their classroom pedagogy to more fully integrate the Chinese learner into the instructor’s classroom