Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study
Purpose In 2017, international students contributed almost $32 billion to Australia’s economy, more than half of which was attributable to students from China. Despite its historical popularity as a study destination, research suggests that these students confront numerous obstacles in pursuing thei...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2221912 |
| _version_ | 1797401381895667712 |
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| author | Jian Zhao Elaine Chapman Tom O’Donoghue |
| author_facet | Jian Zhao Elaine Chapman Tom O’Donoghue |
| author_sort | Jian Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose In 2017, international students contributed almost $32 billion to Australia’s economy, more than half of which was attributable to students from China. Despite its historical popularity as a study destination, research suggests that these students confront numerous obstacles in pursuing their studies within Australia. In this study, the perspectives of these students were explored. The dominant issues raised by these students related to mental health and emotional wellbeing. Methods Nineteen students in one Australian university participated in one-on-one in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using grounded theory approaches. Three broad themes were generated in the study: psychological stress (which was linked to language barriers, shifts in pedagogy, and changes in lifestyle); perceived safety (which was linked to lack of security, safety and perceived racial discrimination); and social isolation (linked to reduced sense of belonging; lacking close personal connections; and feelings of loneliness and homesickness). Conclusions Results suggested that a tripartite model of interactive risk factors may be appropriate for exploring how international students fare emotionally with their new environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:09:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5253306bd244c069ce59a882a30d72e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-2623 1748-2631 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:09:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5253306bd244c069ce59a882a30d72e2023-12-07T15:12:03ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being1748-26231748-26312023-12-0118110.1080/17482631.2023.22219122221912Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist studyJian Zhao0Elaine Chapman1Tom O’Donoghue2The University of Western Australia (M098)The University of Western Australia (M098)The University of Western Australia (M098)Purpose In 2017, international students contributed almost $32 billion to Australia’s economy, more than half of which was attributable to students from China. Despite its historical popularity as a study destination, research suggests that these students confront numerous obstacles in pursuing their studies within Australia. In this study, the perspectives of these students were explored. The dominant issues raised by these students related to mental health and emotional wellbeing. Methods Nineteen students in one Australian university participated in one-on-one in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using grounded theory approaches. Three broad themes were generated in the study: psychological stress (which was linked to language barriers, shifts in pedagogy, and changes in lifestyle); perceived safety (which was linked to lack of security, safety and perceived racial discrimination); and social isolation (linked to reduced sense of belonging; lacking close personal connections; and feelings of loneliness and homesickness). Conclusions Results suggested that a tripartite model of interactive risk factors may be appropriate for exploring how international students fare emotionally with their new environments.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2221912mainland chinese postgraduate studentsinternational studentsaustralian higher educationmental healthwellbeing |
| spellingShingle | Jian Zhao Elaine Chapman Tom O’Donoghue Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being mainland chinese postgraduate students international students australian higher education mental health wellbeing |
| title | Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study |
| title_full | Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study |
| title_fullStr | Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study |
| title_short | Threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland Chinese students studying in Australia: an interpretivist study |
| title_sort | threats to the emotional wellbeing of mainland chinese students studying in australia an interpretivist study |
| topic | mainland chinese postgraduate students international students australian higher education mental health wellbeing |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2221912 |
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