The role of visual resources in academic achievement in higher education: Chinese international students’ perspectives

Abstract There is limited research concerning the use of visual materials for academic learning in Chinese undergraduate international students’ experiences of studying in the United States. To help address this gap, drawing upon theoretical perspectives on multimodality and a literature review on using visual resources, this article discusses the ways in which five Chinese undergraduate international students described their experiences of using visual materials for academic learning as part of a qualitative study. Primary data sources include two semistructured interviews with each participant. Informal conversations and multiple researchers’ perspectives were also consulted to ensure trustworthiness. The findings show that the participants used visual resources for specific learning purposes, particularly understanding academic content and designing projects. This study calls attention to international students’ perspectives on using visuals to support their academic learning during their study abroad.