"So how was it for you?": evaluating the transnational education experience, five years on.

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of a group of Chinese people who graduated with UK Business degrees in the late 1990s. It presents data about their perceptions of the influence of their studies on their ensuing lives and work. The paper briefly reviews literature about the changing role of education in China, commenting on developments following late twentieth century reforms. It also reflects on the practical management, teaching and learning issues inherent in transnational educational partnerships. The primary research draws on material from a longitudinal study begun in 1998/9 and ongoing. The research data is presented as excerpts from oral histories, where participants discuss their experiences in education and work and the implications of their educational choices on personal identity. The main conclusions are that: the impacts of transnational education on men and women in China may differ; graduates value aspects of the learning experience extrinsic to the subject of study more than disciplinary knowledge over time; structural issues in China affect both the motivation to study on and utility of overseas degrees after graduation; and that the transnational experience impacts on cultural and personal identity in ways that may influence graduates integration into the mainstream of Chinese society.