Authors: Jian Xu and Wai-wan Vivien Chan
Deakin University & South China University of Technology

Edition: Volume 63, Number 2, July 2023

Introduction: The article examines the experiences of Chinese PhD students
doing research in China Studies as well as the experiences of their supervisors who supervise their research in Australian universities. By conducting semi structured interviews with both PhD students and their supervisors, we aim to understand the expectations, concerns and challenges of both students and supervisors involved in the PhD journey. We found that the main concerns and challenges of students lie in the tight timeframe of scholarship, their ‘ideological dissonance’ and their relations with supervisors. The supervisors hope their Chinese students could improve academic writing skills, critical thinking skills and social skills in order to well accommodate the research culture in Australia and successfully complete their PhD research. Our findings could help Australian universities to better understand the cultural and educational challenges of Chinese PhD students and to further build up the quality for research training to attract more international research students from China and elsewhere.

Keywords: Chinese international students, Australian higher education, China studies, PhD supervision

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 63:2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.