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Chinese students’ preparedness for university studies in the United States

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Chinese students’ preparedness for university studies in the United States

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Content Running head: CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US 1
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDIES
IN THE UNITED STATES
by
Yongfei Zhao
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2018
Copyright 2018 Yongfei Zhao
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The academic journey in the past two years uplifted me to another climax of my life. I
felt fortunate to be a part of the big Trojan family and one of the members of our Global EdD C5
small family! It was an enlightening experience that led me to enter the great field of education;
it was a fruitful experience that brought me rich resources and new direction in career; and it was
a warm experience that gathered me 20 life-long friends that we shared our stories happened
around the globe simultaneously and supported each other with our whole heart whenever
needed! I would, first of all, like to thank everyone who creates this wonderful program and
makes all these to happen: Dr. Mark Robison, Dr. Rob Filback, Dr. Sabrina Chong, Ms. Robyn
Lewis, and Ms. Christa Womack.
The expensive tuition was a huge financial burden for me and my family. Thus, I am
grateful to have an extremely supportive family to share the burden and always give me their
generous love. I would like to thank my wife and love Ms. Lu Jin, my two lovely daughters: Cici
and Lori, and also my parents and in-laws, who constantly gave us ceaseless love and support for
the past years. I felt fortunate to have my family and without them I would have never
accomplished this tremendous task!
Moreover, I felt deeply indebted to Dr. Tracy Tambascia, who was “unfortunate” enough
to have me as her advisee in the entire dissertation process. I always felt guilty to send her every
draft of my writings, which I did not even want to read again myself. I hated to put her though all
the struggles of reading my draft, but I learned so much from her comments and conversations!
After all, she is the one who pushed me to the very end and achieved the final success!
In the end, I would like to thank Dr. Sabrina Chong and all other professors in the
program, whose generous help and teaching will take me a long way in the future! I would also
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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like to thank the support from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and all participated
Chinese students in the study. Without their help, I would not be able to finish the research on
time. My special thanks will be dedicated to Professor B. Guy Peters from University of
Pittsburgh and Professor D. S. Chauhan from Bowling Green State University, who were my
PhD and Master advisors respectively. They also gave me great support to continue my
education at USC and both of them are my role models of life-long learners.
Nevertheless, I will be responsible for all the errors and mistakes in this research and I
warmly welcome any further advice and suggestions from readers. I thank you in advance.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 7
List of Figures 8
Abstract 10
Chapter One: Introduction 11
International Education Context and Background of the Problem 13
Importance of an Improvement Study 13
International Education Performance Status 15
Performance Goal and Current Performance 16
Description of Stakeholders 17
Stakeholders of Focus 18
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions 18
Conceptual and Methodological Framework 19
Definitions 20
Organization of the Project 21
Chapter Two: Literature Review 22
International Study in Ancient China 22
International Study from the Last Dynasty to Pre-Communist Regime 23
International Study During the People’s Republic Era 25
International Study After 2007 27
Growth of International Schools in China 30
Challenges in Chinese Students’ International Study Experience 31
Language Barriers 32
Culture Shock 32
Mental Health Issues 33
Social Problems and Crimes 34
Lack of Preparation for Both Students and Teachers 35
International Student Transition and Persistence 37
Theoretical Framework: Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences of Chinese
International Students 39
Knowledge and Skills 40
Motivation 41
Organizational Influences 41
Conclusion 42
Chapter Three: Methodology 43
Methodological Framework 43
The Stakeholders of Focus 44
Research Population and Sample 46
Data Collection 48
Survey 48
Interview 49
Performance Goals and Gaps 49
Preliminary Scanning and Critical Observations 50
Preliminary Scanning and a Case Study 51
KMO Model and the Assumed Influences 53
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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Validation of Influences 57
Data Analysis 65
Reliability of Data 66
Role of Investigator 66
Limitations and Delimitations 66
Conclusion 67
Chapter Four: Results 68
Results and Findings for Knowledge Influences 70
Mental Health 71
Social and Disciplinary Problems 71
Language Barriers 72
Culture Shock 73
Mental Health 76
Social and Disciplinary Issues 79
Lack of Preparation 81
Results and Findings for Motivation Influences 84
Mental Health 84
Social and Disciplinary Problems 84
Language Proficiency 85
Culture Shock 86
Homesickness 88
Learning About Culture 91
Results and Findings for Organization Influences 93
Mental Health 94
Social and Disciplinary Problems 94
Language Barriers 94
Mental Health 96
Social and Disciplinary Issues 96
Lack of Preparation 99
Summary of the KMO Analysis 99
Mental Health 103
Social and Disciplinary Problems 104
Conclusion 104
Chapter Five: Conclusion 105
Examination of Assumed Influences 105
Validated and Partially Validated Influences 105
Not Validated Influences 110
Problems Caused by the KMO Gaps and Needs for Solutions 112
Summary 114
Solutions 114
History and Culture of American Higher Education 115
American Language and Culture 116
Mental Health and Ways to Protect Oneself 117
Rules, Regulations, and Ways to Seek More Help 118
Summary of Solutions 118
Implementation Plan 119
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Implementation Action Steps 119
Proposed Timeline 123
Evaluation Plan 124
Level One: Reaction 124
Level Two: Learning 125
Level Three: Transfer 125
Level Four: Results 126
Summary of Evaluation 126
Limitations and Future Research 128
Research and Analysis 128
Implementation and Evaluation 128
Conclusion 129
References 131
Appendix A: Survey Protocol 140
Appendix B: Interview Protocol 146
Appendix C: Recruitment Email 149

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Number of Chinese International Students in the United States by Education Level 26
Table 2: Knowledge Problems and Assumed Influences 54
Table 3: Motivation Problems and Assumed Influences 55
Table 4: Organization Problems and Assumed Influences 56
Table 5: Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Knowledge 58
Table 6: Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Motivation 61
Table 7: Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Organization 63
Table 8: Validation and Results for Knowledge Influences 71
Table 9: Percentage of Positive Answers from the Survey (Rated 4-6 or Answered Yes) 83
Table 10: Validation of Motivation Assumed Influences 84
Table 11: Percentage of Positive Answers (Rated 4-6 on the Likert Scale or Answered Yes) 92
Table 12: Validation of Assumed Influence for Organization Influences 93
Table 13: Combined Validation Table for KMO 100
Table 14: 21 Validated Influences 106
Table 15: Four Partially Validated Influences 107
Table 16: 11 Not Validated Influences 111
Table 17: KMO Gaps and Needs for Solution 113
Table 18: Proposed Solution and Action Steps for Book Writing 121
Table 19: Proposed Solution and Action Steps of Online Course Production 122
Table 20: Timeline for the Proposed Solutions 123
Table 21: Four Steps of Evaluation 127

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. The number of Chinese studying abroad since 1949. 11
Figure 2. The Change of Approved Student Visa (F1) Numbers Granted to Chinese Students 12
Figure 3. University science & engineering R&D funding between 1990 and 2007. 26
Figure 4. Chinese undergraduate and graduate student numbers in the United States. 27
Figure 5. Percentage change of undergraduate and graduate Chinese students studying in the
United States. 28
Figure 6. Percentage change of average household disposable income in urban regions. 29
Figure 7. University science and engineering R&D funding and rate of change. 30
Figure 8. Total number of international schools and programs in China. 31
Figure 9. The number of students studying abroad and returned to China. 39
Figure 10. The ratio between returned students and students studying abroad each year. 39
Figure 11. Main factors of KMO model. 40
Figure 12. Relationships among stakeholder groups. 45
Figure 13. The performance gap of Chinese international students at USC. 50
Figure 14. Types of Goldway Edu student services from August 2014 to August 2016. 51
Figure 15. Educational institutions of students with problems. 52
Figure 16. Participants and year/level at the university. 68
Figure 17. Participant enrollment in university schools or programs. 69
Figure 18. Participating students who attended different high school types in China. 69
Figure 19. English language examination performance. 73
Figure 20. Usefulness of ESL courses. 73
Figure 21. Having at least one American friend. 75
Figure 22. Getting along with American friend(s). 75
Figure 23. Knowledge about American culture before attending the college in the US. 76
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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Figure 24. Knowledge of psychological counseling services on campus before entering USC. 78
Figure 25. Knowledge of campus mental health services/counseling after entering USC. 78
Figure 26. Advisor’s role in helping participants’ transition. 79
Figure 27. Mental health service as a cultural taboo. 79
Figure 28. Knowledge of Academic integrity policies at USC. 80
Figure 29. Knowledge of safety issues in the US. 81
Figure 30. Difference between hearing about American academic integrity and the actual
experience at USC. 81
Figure 31. Students studies in the US before enrolling at USC. 82
Figure 32. Chinese students who used the writing center. 86
Figure 33. Difficulty making non-Chinese friends. 87
Figure 34. Intent to find American friends. 88
Figure 35. Frequency of social interactions with American friends. 88
Figure 36. Undergraduate student change in level of homesickness. 89
Figure 37. Graduate student change in level of homesickness. 90
Figure 38. Frequency of calling family members or relatives in China. 90
Figure 39. Most popular ways to obtain information about studying abroad. 92
Figure 40. Undergraduate students’ self-assessment of their language improvement. 95
Figure 41. Graduate students’ self-assessment of their language improvement. 95
Figure 42. Safety on the USC campus. 98
Figure 43. Safety in the US. 98
Figure 44. Difference between hearing about safety issues and actual experience. 99
Figure 45. The influences of high school types to TOEFL/IELTS scores. 109
Figure 46. High school types and students’ knowledge about American culture. 109

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ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, many affluent Chinese middle-class families were attracted by
the opportunities of Western education and began to send their children to study abroad. With the
Chinese international students’ age getting younger and younger, there are more and more
problems occurred among this special group of students at the US universities and colleges. The
wildly seen problems, both shown in the literature and from the observable empirical evidence,
are language barriers, culture shock, mental health issues, social and disciplinary problems, and
lack of preparation. This research examines these problems on Chinese international students,
who are currently studying at University of Southern California (USC), trying to identify the
knowledge, motivation, and organization gaps between the assumed influences and the real
situations.
The research result shows that (a) Chinese students and parents need the necessary
education on the American higher education system’s background, culture, values and logics; (b)
basic language and cultural information should be offered to graduate level students; (c) a
thorough understanding of mental health problems and how to identify and seek help from
university services shall be addressed; and (d) to teach students how to understand the logic of
rules and regulations on campus, how to comply with them, and how to look for external help
under a legal manor. Solutions, implementation and evaluation plans are provided in the
conclusion part of this research.

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
In the last two decades, many affluent Chinese middle-class families were attracted by the
opportunities of Western education and began to send their children to study abroad (Figure 1).
Although Chinese students’ journey to the West in the People’s Republic era can be traced back
to the early 1980s, after the Cultural Revolution, most of the Chinese international students
abroad were largely enrolled at the graduate level. The situation began to change in the 21st
century when younger students from high schools to undergraduates were widely seen in
classrooms in Western countries. With the marketization of higher education in the United
Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, Chinese parents and high school students grasped this
opportunity to travel to these countries for their tertiary education.

Figure 1. The number of Chinese studying abroad since 1949.
Source: The total number of Chinese students studying abroad is from Chinese Statistical Yearbook 2015,
published by Chinese Statistics Press. The total number of Chinese students studying in the US is from
Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
Note: The data before 2001 contains discrepancies between the two datasets. For example, Chinese
Statistical Bureau reports that the total number of Chinese studying abroad is 38989, whereas the Open
Doors Report indicates the number of Chinese students studying in the US in that year is 59939. Actually,
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1949
1951
1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
x 10000 Number of Students
Studying Abroad Studying in the US
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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Open Doors Report’s data before 2011 are all larger than data in the Chinese statistical report. This means
the data must be collected with different standards or methods between the two statistical reports. Since
there is no any explanation anywhere in the Chinese Statistical Bureau (CSB) about how they gather these
data and no data about students studying abroad can be found in China’s Ministry of Education website, I
suspect the data in the Chinese Statistical Yearbook only record the number of Chinese government-
financed students studying abroad and do not include self-sponsored Chinese international students prior
to 2001.

Prior to 2007, there were still very few students seeking their higher education in the
United States, mainly because of the strict US, non-immigrant visa policies, which maintained a
very low visa-granting rate in the early 2000s due to anti-terrorism policies after the 9/11
terrorist attack. The number of Chinese undergraduate students in the US started to rise sharply
after 2007. According to the Report of the Visa Office (US Department of State, 2016), the
number of student visas issued to mainland Chinese students increased over 45% between 2007
and 2008 and approximately 40% between 2008 and 2009 (Figure 2). In 2009, the total number
of Chinese international students had surpassed the number of Indian international students to
become the largest among international students in US universities (Institute of International
Education, 2015).

Figure 2. The Change of Approved Student Visa (F1) Numbers Granted to Chinese Students
Source: "Non-immigrant visa statistics". United States Department of State. Retrieved January 29, 2017

-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
% Change of F1 Visa Issued
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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International Education Context and Background of the Problem
Another important reason for the growth of high school students seeking undergraduate
studies in the US is the fast development of international education in China. There is no clear-
cut definition of “international education” under the Chinese context (Center for China and
Global, 2006). In recent years, many consulting firms tend to analyze three forms of education
institutions as international education providers in China: international schools admitting
Chinese students, international schools only for non-Chinese expats, and international programs
or branches of public school systems (Center for China and Global, 2016; Wu, 2016). These
categorizations have their problems, since they are identified neither purely by funding sources,
nor solely based on the student types, which actually indicates the complicated situations of the
international education industry in China. These complications cause the quality of China’s
international education into question (Le & Chen, 2013).
Based on Wu’s (2016) estimation, about 430,000 students choose international education
in these three types schools and programs in 2015. Although there is no official calculation of
how many undergraduate Chinese international students graduate from these international
programs, it is certain that almost all Chinese graduates from these high schools seek higher
education outside China, because they normally do not take part in the Huikao, high school
qualification examinations, which automatically disqualify them for Gaokao – Chinese college
matriculation examination.
Importance of an Improvement Study
Due to the lack of government support and financial resources, academic research in this
area in China is very weak (Song, 2013; Yan, 2017). Hence, crucial questions about the
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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differences between Chinese and Western education systems have rarely been academically
examined. These questions are:
• what should Chinese international education do to help prepare students for education
internationally,
• what should Chinese parents and students know before they decide to study abroad, and
• what are the social and academic culture that parents and students need to understand
before they begin their journey.
There is a significant gap in understanding the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
factors that affect preparation students for their academic journey to the West, and also little
understanding of the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that affect their
successful academic and emotional transition to the US .
For parents and students, it is important for them to understand the academic culture and
know what to expect in the future higher education in a foreign country so that fewer detours
they will take to achieve their education goals. For Chinese international schools and programs,
the educational goal and standards should focus on nurturing capable and integral college-ready
students, but neither on how high the scores of SAT or TOEFL are, nor on how many students
they send to the Ivy League schools. For the Chinese education businesses, shouldering social
responsibilities should always be the priority, instead of earning more profits and listing
education companies in the stock markets. For colleges and universities in the Western countries,
well prepared students will make their education outcome more significant and help achieve their
advanced educational goal.

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International Education Performance Status
So how well do these international programs prepare students for higher education
abroad? Chinese studies on international education mostly focus on curriculum design or its
impact on traditional Chinese education (Xu, 2001; Jin, 2010; Xu, 2015; Li, 2010), whereas
journalists report on problems related to the cost-benefit analysis of international schools (Gao
& Xue, 2015). According to Gao and Xue’s report (2015), several international school students
declared that “among all the students in these expensive schools that I know, after three years’
study, not a single one says it is worthwhile” (p.75).
Besides formal international education, many education-related organizations have been
established in China since 2000. Hundreds of new companies providing language training or
education consultation services open each year (CITIC, 2016). With the explosive rate of
development of education-related industry in China, problems affecting students’ international
education experience also emerged, since most of these business organizations only provide
quick test-taking skills, as opposed to learning capabilities, and even offer students dishonest
means to gain an advantage in the college application process (Bartlett & Fischier, 2011). These
profit-driven businesses seek to take advantage of this multi-billion international education
market in China (CITIC, 2016).
Despite all of these preparation services in China, there continue to be problems occur
among Chinese international students studying in foreign universities. In recent years, social and
cultural conflicts were witnessed and frequently led to educational dishonesty, cultural conflicts,
and even criminal charges (Bartlett & Fischier, 2011; Ceasar & Chang, 2016; Ove, 2015).
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on July 29, 2015, a Chinese student at University of
Pittsburgh pleaded guilty for organizing impostors to take entrance exams, such as TOEFL or
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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SAT, using faked passports for incoming Chinese students. Moreover, according to Los Angeles
Times, on January 5, 2016, three Chinese students reached a plea deal and were sentenced to 13,
10, and 6 years respectively in prison in California due to their brutal torturing of another
Chinese classmate in a San Gabriel Valley high school. In fact, as early as in 2011, New York
Times published an article entitled “The China Conundrum,” which explicitly illustrated all sorts
of problems related to international education, such as Chinese agencies forging student profiles
for admission, Chinese parents only looking for higher-ranking universities but not caring
whether those schools fit for their kids; and Chinese private international schools and the
international programs in public schools competing for economic profits but not the quality of
education.
Performance Goal and Current Performance
The goal for all international students studying abroad is straightforward: the students’
successful academic and emotional transition resulting in degree completion of their
international education in foreign countries. The key point of this goal actually lies in the
definition and the degree of the word “successful.” Most Chinese international students can
complete their international education, as long as they do not violate school regulations and are
not expelled by their schools and deported back to China. But even among those who have
completed their college study, many experience constant problems, such as cultural shocks,
language barriers, financial constraints, psychological and mental health problems, and even
breaking the laws (not reaching criminal charges or deporting levels) (Yan, 2017). Hence, the
definition of “successful” can be restricted to culturally, socially, emotionally, and mentally free
from significant distress or confusion.
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Because of lacking quantifiable measurements for these cultural, social, and mental
problems, it is difficult to collect scalable statistics among Chinese international students on
these variables. However, numerous studies indicate such problems are rather universal (Xia,
1992; Henderson et al. 1993; Timm and Wang, 1995; & Yan, 2017). Therefore, students’
academic performance at foreign universities may not be successful, which require attention in
the causes and determining factors of this performance gap. Moreover, each individual student
has one’s own level of performance in between total failure (being expelled and deported) to
complete success. As a consequence, the gap is different from one another in both the degree of
suffering and the type of problem, which will be elaborated and further discussed in Chapter
Three.
Description of Stakeholders
To understand the performance gap and to identify the knowledge, motivational and
organizational factors to help improve the situation for the sake of successful international
education, it is essential to identify and understand all the stakeholders. Around this gap, the
stakeholders are students and parents, Chinese international schools, Chinese education business
practitioners, universities and colleges in the Western countries, and education policymakers in
the relevant countries.
Education policies are determined not by students, yet, almost all the consequences are
born solely by the students. The development of international education is in the same situation.
Educators and business people determine the structure of education facilities and institutions,
although they claim they have different and promising features and characteristics (Li, 2010).
Most parents are actively, or forcefully, involving in their children’s education, to understand
and supervise the quality of international schools and to make sure their sons and daughters can
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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be admitted to a good university. Chinese policymakers, on the other hand, uphold the Socialist
authoritarian ideologies trying to control the international education, at least to the Chinese
nationals (Su, 2016; Li, 2016).
Western universities and colleges also contribute to this gap as different university
faculties and staff treat students distinctively. Racial discrimination is still a serious problem at
some colleges and universities around the globe (Bauer-Wolf, 2017; Hwang & Goto, 2008). In
April 2017, a racist flyer insulting Chinese international students at University of Texas Austin
campus was posted on social media, which caused anger from Chinese students there and
attracted media attention (Herreria, 2017). Similar cases have been frequently reported in all
different types of higher education institutions, even including the Ivy League schools, such as
Columbia University (Study International Staff, 2017).
Stakeholders of Focus
This study will focus on Chinese international students in the United States as the main
stakeholder. The purpose of choosing this group as the focus of study is because they have the
best understanding of the knowledge, motivational, and organizational needs required to prepare
future students for successful academic and social transition to US universities. Focusing on
international students in the United States is not only because of feasibility concerns, but also
because the United States has become the destination to receive the largest quantity of Chinese
students in the recent decade.
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions
The purpose of this study is to understand the assumed influences that affect the Chinese
international students’ ability to successfully integrate academically and socially after they
started their academic journey in the United States. After validating assumed influences, the
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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researcher may identify solutions that will help prepare future students and help them be
prepared for differences in the country in which they want to pursue their higher education. It is
worthnoting that the validated influences in this study reflected knowledge, motivation, and
organization information that participants reported they agreed upon to what had been stated in
the assumed influences in relation to their preparation for international education.
Hence, the research questions guiding this study are
1. What are the knowledge and motivation factors affecting preparation of Chinese
international students who intend to study in the US?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and Chinese student
knowledge and motivation in their preparation for study abroad in the US?
3. What are the recommended knowledge, motivational, and organizational solutions to
prepare Chinese students for successful academic and social transition to the US?
Conceptual and Methodological Framework
This study will utilize the gap analysis model as outlined by Clark and Estes (2008)
which provides a structure in which organizational performance can be evaluated. Although this
study does not use an organization for analysis, the gap analysis allows for detection of gaps that
exist between an organization’s measured performance and stated performance objectives. Two
qualitative research methodologies and some basic statistical analysis of the qualitative data
collected will be utilized in this study. After the pilot study and refinement of survey and
interview questions, the study will start with an online survey questionnaire, which will be
distributed to all Chinese international students either via Chinese Students and Scholars
Association listserv or with the help of Office of International Services at University of Southern
California (USC) campus.
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After the initial screening of the data collected from online survey, in-depth interviews
will be conducted to selected students who responded to the survey. The interviewees will firstly
be selected from answered survey questionnaires. Students from all academic levels and genders
will be selected, yet focus will be given to undergraduate students. If further interviews are
needed, a snowball sampling strategy will be used. The first group of interviewees will be asked
to invite his or her friends or people they know for further interviews. Around 15 to 20 students
are expected to be interviewed. Focused and structured interview questions will be asked. The
content analysis will be conducted to both survey data and interview transcripts. If data allow,
statistical methodologies will be implemented to test certain hypotheses. Using these qualitative,
as well as quantitative, methods, the study focused on the areas of knowledge, motivation,
organizational needs, and identifies the factors causing the performance gaps.
Definitions
Chinese international students: students who are born and raised in China at least for 15
years are studying at US colleges and universities. In this study, it refers to the Chinese nationals
who are studying at USC. Thus, the two conditions determining whether the survey or interview
subjects are qualified for this study are the 15-year living experience in China and Chinese
citizenship. Nevertheless, the survey and interview subjects can be Chinese undergraduate
students who receive high school education in China or anywhere else and Chinese graduate
students who receive undergraduate education in China or anywhere else.
Cultural shocks: cultural shocks refer to unfamiliar cultural related events that causing
students to feel uncomfortable and confusing, which may lead to pressure, depression, and even
mental illness.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

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International education: international education in China means schools offering various
forms of international curricula or students receive non-native language instruction in class on
subjects other than English language.
Language barriers: students encounter problems caused by the limitation of language
communication and comprehension abilities.
Mental health issues: psychological problems that cause improper dysfunctions of
physical capability and depression or confusion of daily events.
Social and legal problems: problems that raise concerns from social communities or
break domestic laws, such as speed and unsafe driving and traffic accident, cheating and
plagiarizing, and committing serious crimes.
Organization of the Project
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provided the background of the
problem, the problem’s current development, the organization of interest’s mission, and the goals
and descriptions of the stakeholder groups. The focus is on discussion about Chinese students’
preparedness for higher education in foreign countries. Chapter Two provides a survey of the
latest literature regarding the scope of this study. Topics addressed are academic, cultural and
social problems students encounter and the current state of international education in China.
Chapter Three details the knowledge, motivation and organizational structures and interactions to
be examined as well as methodology pertaining to interview and survey participants and data
collection and analysis. In Chapter Four, the data are assessed and analyzed to present results.
Chapter Five provides recommendations for practice and policy change based on the results as
well as recommendations for practical executive and implementation plan and strategy.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
One of the most important values imbedded in Chinese culture for thousands of years is
probably to learn from great scholars and well-respected teachers no matter where they are
located. Dating back over 2,500 years, Confucius taught over 3000 students from his early 20s to
his death at the age of 73 (The Scribe's Records, 94BC). Among his disciples, the 72 most
famous came from different principalities to meet and study with him. Although all principalities
belonged to the imperial rule of the Zhou Kingdom, having students traveling long distances,
such as from places within current Chinese territory, to learn was praised far and wide by
Chinese people for centuries.
International Study in Ancient China
One of the most famous and accomplished Chinese international students in ancient
history is Xuanzang, who started his pilgrimage to India in 629 A.D. and stayed there to learn
Buddhism for 13 years (Yan, 688). He traveled throughout India and returned to the Tang
Dynasty’s capital city Chang’an with 657 books on Buddhism. He spent the rest of his life
translating these classic Buddhist books from Sanskrit to Chinese. When he passed into Nirvana
in 664 A.D., he had translated and compiled 715 books and 1335 volumes (The Biography of
Master Sanzang, Yan, 688 A.D.). Xuanzang’s contribution to Buddhism and its widespread
influence in East Asian countries is significant. The translated version of the books he brought
from India, along with the biography written by his followers, still attract historians to study that
part of history. Moreover, his efforts to travel by foot to far distances and a foreign land solely
for his religious belief highlights the pursuit of knowledge and truth, which are frequently seen
among Chinese international students.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

23
International Study from the Last Dynasty to Pre-Communist Regime
From the first Chinese student to graduate from a major American college in 1854 to the
founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), thousands of Chinese youths were selected
and sent to the United States and European countries to complete their secondary and higher
education. The first large wave of students studying abroad occurred late in the Qing Dynasty
and was mostly funded either by the imperial Qing government or the Boxer Indemnity
Scholarship Program. Most of the students were highly competitive, became leaders, scholars,
and practitioners in their fields, and contributed significantly to China’s technological, political,
and economic development.
In 1909, the first Chinese student known to study at a first-class American college, Mr.
Yung Wing, published his autobiography, which recorded his secondary and tertiary academic
experience in the United States from 1847 to 1854 (Yung, 1909). This publication is helpful to
understanding early international students’ lives in the United States. Understanding the positives
and negatives of studying in the United States, Yung Wing tried to help more Chinese students
come to this young country to learn. From 1872 to 1875, four groups of 120 students traveled to
the United States with Qing government funding to support their study (Qian & Hu, 2014). The
average age of these students was 12 (Zhang, 2016). As a consequence, they were usually
referred to as “Chinese boys” (Hu, 2012). Books, documentaries, and newspaper reports about
these Chinese boys all stated they were intelligent and well-behaved during their time in the
United States (Qian & Hu, 2003).
Following Yung Wing’s footstep, several Chinese young boys pushed forward the Boxer
Indemnity Scholarship Program, which was approved by President Theodore Roosevelt to
support more Chinese students in their study in the United States (Zhang, 2016). Mr. Liang
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

24
Chen, a member in the fourth cohort of Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) program and a
graduate from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, served as the Qing Ambassador to
the US from 1903 to 1908 and worked to make this new education program possible (Yue &
Zhang, 2013). Some of the money from this scholarship program was used to create a study-
abroad preparatory school, named Tsinghua College, in 1911. The school eventually evolved
into a 4-year college and, later, to a full university with graduate programs (Fang & Zhang,
2000). Tsinghua University is now one of the best higher education institutions in China. It is
worth mentioning that the first superintendent of Tsinghua College in 1912 and the first
Tsinghua College president from 1912 to 1913 was Mr. K. O. Tong, a member of the second
cohort of CEM (Chinese Educational Mission Connections, n.d.).
From Yung Wing’s experience in the middle of the 19th century to the founding of the
PRC in 1949, over 20,000 Chinese students studied in the United States (Wu, 2013). Beginning
from the late Qing period, many parents did not want to send their children to study abroad to
places they deemed “barbarian” due to their lack of knowledge caused by the Qing’s “Close
Door” national policy. However, wealthy families in the Republic of China (ROC) era (1911-
1949) sought ways to pay their children’s tuition for more advanced education in the United
States (Yan, 2017).
During this period, the purpose of seeking education in the United States gradually
changed into “a symbol of prestige” (Yan, 2017) or “a guarantee of ascent in the social and
political structure of China” (Bourne, 1975, p. 269). From that point forward, the number of
international students studying in the United States steadily increased, the US economy and
higher education system also significantly improved, and more scholarly attention was paid to
the problems and difficulties international students encounter. The academic research on this
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

25
group of students reached its peak in the middle and late 20th century with the second wave of
Chinese international students going abroad.
International Study During the People’s Republic Era
From the beginning of communism in China to the end of the Great Proletariat Cultural
Revolution, the People’s Republic of China cut its connections to the Western world for almost
30 years. Strict central government ideological control forced universities to shut down Western-
related social science disciplines (Zhao, 2009). The situation started to alter in the late 1970s and
early 1980s, when the Reform and Opening-up Policy were promulgated as national
development strategy. Deng (1984) made a statement in a forum in March 1979:
I am not saying, of course, that there are no more questions to be studied in the political
field. For many years we have neglected the study of political science, law, sociology and
world politics, and now we must hurry to make up our deficiencies in these subjects...We
have admitted that we lag behind many countries in our study of the natural sciences.
Now we should admit that we also lag behind in our study of the social sciences, insofar
as they are comparable in China and abroad. (pp. 180-181)
With China's return to the world community and a change in policy and attitude toward
the education system (Figure 1), the number of Chinese students studying abroad grew to 2,922
in 1981, 2,900 in 1991
1
and 83,973 in 2001 (China Statistical Bureau, 2016). Before the new
millennium, although China’s economy maintained a double-digit growth for over 20 years,
annual household disposable income remained low. Per the China Statistical Yearbook (China
Statistical Bureau, 2001), at that time, the average household’s disposable income was 6279 yuan

1
The number actually grew to 4888 in 1985, but fall to the very bottom in 1991, in which the
“June Fourth Student Movement” was just ended in 1989.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

26
(approximately US $1000), and, in the richest region of Shanghai City, it was 11718 yuan
(approximately US $1500). As a consequence, common Chinese families could not afford tuition
in a foreign country. However, during the same period, the US government and other
organizations increased their investment in university research and development, which was the
primary funding source for international students seeking graduate research assistantships
(Figure 3). Therefore, most Chinese students studying in US universities between 1980 and 2007
were in graduate school (Table1).

Figure 3. University science & engineering R&D funding between 1990 and 2007.
Source: National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Data units are in
billions of constant FY 2016 dollars.

Table 1
Number of Chinese International Students in the United States by Education Level

Undergraduate Graduate
2000 8,252 48,029
2001 8,659 50,969
2002 9,484 52,235
2003 8,034 50,796
2004 8,299 49,293
2005 9,304 47,617

0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Billions of Constant Fiscal Year 2016 Dollars
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

27
Table 1, continued

Undergraduate Graduate
2006 9,988 47,968
2007 16,450 53,047
Source: Open Door Report (2016).
International Study After 2007
Friedman stated that many technological advances and paradigm changes occurred in
2007 (Friedman, 2017). This is also true for the shift in trend of Chinese students studying in the
United States. Figures 1 and 4 indicate the numbers of both undergraduate and graduate students
grew over the past decade, even after 2007. However, using the rate of change to reevaluate the
data, as shown in Figure 5, the year of 2007 marked a significant change in the undergraduate
Chinese students entering the United States for education. The number of undergraduate students
was 16,450 that year, almost double the number of the previous year, yet graduate student
numbers increased only about 10% (Institute of International Education, 2016).

Figure 4. Chinese undergraduate and graduate student numbers in the United States.
Source: Open Door Report 2016 from the Institute of International Education.

0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Undergraduate Graduate
Number of Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

28

Figure 5. Percentage change of undergraduate and graduate Chinese students studying in the
United States.
Source: Open Door Report 2016 from the Institute of International Education.
With this growing trend, the number of undergraduate students finally surpassed that of
graduate students in 2014 (Figure 4). To explain the increase, the Institute of International
Education’s senior counselor to the president, Peggy Blumenthal claimed, first, that Chinese
parents are eager to alleviate the pressure of Gaokao, Chinese college entrance examinations, for
their children. Second, affluent middle-class Chinese families have more opportunity to shop for
US higher education products, and, third, other countries tightened their policies on immigration,
which made the US universities better choices for education purposes (Mervis, 2014). Figure 6
shows the rate of change in average household disposable income in urban regions. There is a
comparison between the country’s mean and the average disposable income in several major
municipalities and provinces. In 2007, the national household disposable income rate increased
17% over the previous year, whereas the average change of all other years was about 11%.
Moreover, researchers at the American Institute for Research pointed out that easing visa
controls and application processes were key to the increase in international students, especially
from China (Yeager & Kargbo, 2007). Yeager and Kargbo (2007) noted that “in January 2007,
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
% Change of Undergraduate % Change of Graduate
% of Change of Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

29
five education, business and research organizations released a joint proposal urging legislators to
streamline visa procedures” and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice deemed the improvement
of student visa issuing process a “top priority” (Yeager & Kargbo, 2007, para. 10). In 2014, the
Obama Administration pushed the trend into higher level by extending the student visa term
from 1 to 5 years, which helps boost the US economy (Reckard et al., 2014) and helps to “save”
the American public and private schools (Weiss, 2014).

Figure 6. Percentage change of average household disposable income in urban regions.
Source: China Statistical Yearbook 2016.
Note: According to the China Statistical Bureau, the sharp changes of data from 2013 to 2015 are due to the change
of data collection methods, which are inconsistent with the previous years.

Although funding for American university science and engineering research and
development has been increasing, the rate of increase started to decline in 2001 and reached a
low point in 2007 (National Science Foundation, n.d.). In 2012, financial support from various
sources was lower than that from the previous year for the first time since 1990. Figure 7 shows
the reduction of the increase rate of university science and engineering R&D funding from the
National Science Foundation’s statistics. Starting from 2010, the increase rate of national
research funding dropped and the real funding number began to decline after 2011. The
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Country Beijing Shanghai Zhejiang Guangdong
% Change of Urban Dispensible Income
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

30
reduction in financial support has a negative impact on the recruitment of graduate students who
can only realize their education in the United States with research assistantships. It may also
have an impact on university admissions policies through recruitment of more undergraduate
students who pay more for their education.

Figure 7. University science and engineering R&D funding and rate of change.
Source: National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Data units are in
billions of constant FY 2016 dollars.

Growth of International Schools in China
The huge increase in number of China’s international programs and schools offered a
significant opportunity for Chinese students to explore international education at the secondary
and tertiary levels. According to unofficial data sources, the number of all three categories of
international programs – international programs in public schools, private international schools,
and international schools only for foreign nationals – changed from less than five in the 1980s to
more than 700 after 2015 (Wu, 2017) (see Figure 8). Although the fast expansion of these
programs did bring more opportunities for Chinese students to receive more Westernized
language and cultural preparation before they were exposed to a foreign country, problems also
-2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1990
1991
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1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Research Funding Rate of Change
% Change
Billions of Constant Fiscal Year 2016
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

31
emerged. First of all, the quality of these international programs varied significantly (Gao &
Xue, 2015). Second, the cultural conflict between Western and Chinese education erupted
between Chinese parents, who was never exposed to the new education ideology, and foreign
teachers inside the international programs. Chinese students loved their international teachers,
because they focused more on inspiring students instead of feeding knowledge. Moreover, the
international schools and programs had internal problems, such as financial constraints, low
foreign teacher retention rate, and poor management skills between Chinese administrators and
their foreign counterparts. As a consequence, there is no clear indication of how effective these
programs are able to prepare their students.

Figure 8. Total number of international schools and programs in China.
Source: Wu, Y. (2017), Development Report of Chinese International Schools 2016. Data are gather from Chinese
Ministry of Education and regional Office of Education websites.

Challenges in Chinese Students’ International Study Experience
1 1
2
5
8
31
83
212 214
14
39
111
172
294
365
3 4 5
5
40
75
103
117
125
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Pre1980 1980-1984 1985-1989 1990-1994 1995-1999 2000-2004 2005-2009 2010-2014 2015-2017
Total Number of Interntional
Schools & Programs
Public International Programs Private International Schools International Schools for Foreign Nationals
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

32
According to Ward, Bochner, and Furnham (2005), after the 1950s when US higher
education institutions began to receive large quantities of international students from all over the
world, academic attention was paid to population. Education and psychology scholars focused
primarily on the problems that international students encounter, which include language barriers,
cultural shock, and mental health problems (Cheng & Erben, 2011; Crawford 2000; Eroz, 2003;
Lacina, 2002).
Language Barriers
Eroz (2003) found that language barriers could be a major reason for international
students’ struggle and anxiety in American classes. Instead of learning from their American
classmates, they tend to speak less in order to make fewer mistakes and not lose Mianzi or
“face.” This finding echoes many scholars’ observations about American students’ impatience in
listening to or communicating with students with foreign accents, which makes their
international counterparts more fearful of speaking publicly (Crawford, 2000; Lacina, 2002).
However, this kind of problem, although it may cause certain degree of psychological tension
and stress, is very likely to fade away as students remain in the host countries (Cheng & Erben,
2011).
Culture Shock
The theoretical application of the concept of cultural shock can be traced to studies of
migrants and mental health (Zhou et al., 2008). In a comprehensive survey of theories on cultural
shock, Zhou et al. (2008) concluded there were three major theories of intercultural conflict:
stress and coping, culture learning, and social identification. In addressing these three theories,
they provided a list of intervention guidelines, which are “training people to develop stress
management skills,” “preparation orientation and culture learning, especially behavioral-based
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

33
social skill training,” and “enhancing self-esteem, overcoming barriers to inter-group
similarities” (Zhou et al., 2008, p. 66).
Zhang and Brunton (2007) discovered several types of cultural shock among Chinese
students in New Zealand. These cultural problems are, first, that language study is not easier in
New Zealand or an English-speaking country at all. Second, most Chinese students had poor
abilities to manage their finances, which caused stress and tension between students and their
parents. Third, many students felt lonely because they could not find appropriate leisure
activities in the host nation, and, fourth, things which may considered as common sense or “less
significant” in the host country could “be of primary importance for those entering that culture”
(Zhang & Brunton, 2007, p. 138).
Scholars also discovered that international students, particularly Chinese students, tended
to use media and other means to communicate with family in order to seek psychological relief
to their cultural and mental problems (Kline & Liu, 2005). Although these researchers provide
stringent research and robust outcomes, after over a decade of social and economic development,
many of their findings, such as students making international phone calls, are outdated.
Nowadays, advanced technologies significantly reduce the cost of international communication
and reshape the way international students connect to their families and friends back home. The
power of modern technology to reduce or increase international students’ problems is a topic
worth revisiting.
Mental Health Issues
Mental health issues are also a major research focus for scholars studying international
students. Mori (2000) raised concerns regarding international students’ mental health problems
in American colleges and examined their causes, which consisted of linguistic, academic,
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

34
interpersonal, financial, and intrapersonal problems. These problems make international students
vulnerable to more serious mental health problems. “For example, excessive stress induces such
physiological conditions as dysfunctions in pituitary-adrenal activities, mass discharges of the
sympathetic nervous system, impairment of immune systems, and heightened susceptibility to all
illnesses” (Winkelman, 1994, as cited in Mori, 2000, p 139).
Due to cultural taboos and barriers, international students rarely use psychological
counseling services to treat mental problems caused by cultural differences (Atkinson & Gim,
1989). To address these social and cultural barriers to using counseling, scholars suggest altering
existing facilities and approaches to make them more applicable to international students (Mori,
2000) as well as creating a more positive and supportive social experience in US universities
(Lacina, 2002).
Social Problems and Crimes
The third wave of Chinese students studying in the US is characterized by an increasing
number of undergraduate students, which significantly changed the structure of the Chinese
international student body at various American universities. The nature of the problems they
encounter also changed. The younger generations have problems rarely seen in previous
generations, and some have even committed crimes. According to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
report on July 29, 2015, a Chinese student at the University of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to
organizing impostors to take entrance exams, such as TOEFL or SAT, and using fake passports
for incoming Chinese students (Ove, 2015). Moreover, according to the Los Angeles Times, on
January 5, 2016, three Chinese students reached a plea deal and were sentenced to 13, 10, and 6
years in prison for torturing another Chinese classmate in a San Gabriel Valley high school
(Ceasar & Chang, 2016).
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

35
In fact, as early as in 2011, the New York Times illustrated several problems related to
international education, such as Chinese agencies forging student profiles for admission, Chinese
parents looking for higher-ranked universities but not caring whether those schools were a good
fit for their children, and Chinese private international schools as well as international programs
in public schools competing for economic profits but not concerned with the quality of education
(Bartlett & Fischer, 2011). Hagedorn and Zhang (2011) used survey data to examine Chinese
student use of agents to help them apply to US colleges and found correlations among variables
that make a Chinese student decide to use an agent. The authors noted,
More than two-thirds of the participants who desired a bachelor’s degree from an
institution outside of China were either using or planned to use an agent to assist them
with college applications. These students were more likely to have lower-level English
proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing; to be from a family with higher
income; and not take the Chinese College Entrance Examination. In addition, parents of
agent-assisted students were more likely to have obtained a higher level of education.
(p.198)
Echoing the New York Times’ report, the authors also identify problems of such
intermediary agent services: “unethical practice by education agents in assisting students in
application process (e.g., a study participant reported that an agent promised to write his personal
statement)” and “lack of consideration of long-term students’ needs (e.g., services end when
students arrive in the United States)” (Hagedorn & Zhang, 2011, p.199).
Lack of Preparation for Both Students and Teachers
Besides all these studies focusing on international students, other scholars shifted their
research to examine either students who are still in their home countries and their level of
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

36
preparedness for international endeavors or the host country’s education system to assess
whether they are prepared to receive students from different cultural backgrounds. Petress (1995)
provided a measurement, imagined interactions, to evaluate Chinese students’ preparation for
admission to universities in Western countries. The imagined interactions in the context of
international education mean students anticipating to study abroad
rehearse future encounters with academic advisors and teachers. Evaluate written and oral
statements made to officials at academic institutions, and construct repairs to perceived
defective or incomplete statements already constructed. These cognitive rehearsals, post
hoc evaluations, and repairs are called “imagined interactions” (Petress 1995, p. 50).
The author offered a method to examine the Chinese students’ preparation in English
learning and cultural awareness before they go to a foreign country to study. However, since this
study was conducted more than 20 years ago, the situation of Chinese students’ studying abroad
is significantly changed and their knowledge about Western countries and universities is greater
than that of their forerunners. As a consequence, updated research using this methodology is
needed under the more complex contemporary socio-political and technological conditions.
Moreover, to address the problem of previous research on multicultural education solely
focused on academic achievement and standardization test scores, Wasonga (2005) used survey
data and quantitative methodologies to examine the relationship between multicultural education
and teacher’s attitudes, knowledgebase, and levels of preparedness to teach children from diverse
backgrounds. Based on the positive relationship discovered among these variables, the author
recommended “rethink(ing) opportunities to learn how to teach children from diverse
backgrounds beyond multicultural knowledgebase” (Wasonga, 2005, p. 72). This research points
out that many problems among international students can be reduced or treated if teachers in the
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

37
host countries are better prepared, more knowledgeable about cultural differences, and possess
more positive attitudes toward their students.
International Student Transition and Persistence
It is widely accepted that social factors and individual characteristics are the deciding
forces for the acculturation process (Berry 1997). It is true to Chinese international students’
transition and acculturation to the American culture too. Based on several studies for the past few
decades, there is no clear evidence on which factor – societal or personal – plays more important
role for Chinese students to make decisions on whether to stay and adjust to local culture or to
resist and return to China (Wang, 1992 & Xu, 2006). Yan (2017) highlights that Chinese
international students acculturation experiences were full of “confusion, uncertainty, and
hastened adjustment” (p. 16). According to Wang (1992), because it is too hard to adjust and
transfer culturally, Chinese students who decided to stay after education had to be more practical
and consider more about economic factors and survivor than cultural transition.
Difficult to adjust culturally and socially might be a reason for Chinese students to
choose to return China after they finish their international education. In Figure 9, the consistent
number of students going out and returning back for the past three decades indicates that many
still choose to find a job in China upon completion of their international education. Figure 10
offers a clearer situation with ratio between the number of returned students and the students
currently studying in foreign countries. The first peak(s) of Chinese students returning to China
(as compared to the students who are studying that year) occurred around the so-called “1989
Student Movement” event. Since 2000, the return rate has been growing constantly and reaches
its peak in 2013 with 1:0.85 ratio of the current and the returned students. All the empirical and
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

38
statistical evidence points out that Chinese international students’ acculturation process is not
easy.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

39

Figure 9. The number of students studying abroad and returned to China.
Source: China statistical yearbook, 2016.

Figure 10. The ratio between returned students and students studying abroad each year.
Source: China statistical yearbook, 2016

Theoretical Framework: Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences of Chinese
International Students

The theoretical framework of this study is based on Clark and Estes’s (2008) gap analysis
model. Although Clark and Estes (2008) use this model in an organizational environment and
Rueda (2011) implemented it in the education sector, the gap analysis is an effective tool to
0
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Students Studying Abroad Retuned Students
Number of Students
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% of Change
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

40
identify the industrial gaps and to help improve the performance of stakeholders. The
knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) model is an analytical tool that creates a
framework to help collecting relevant research data. Extracted from Clark and Estes’s (2008) gap
analysis structure, Figure 11 illustrates the fundamental factors of KMO model and its theories
and roles in accumulating research information and data.

Figure 11. Main factors of KMO model.
Source: Clark and Estes (2008), Krathwohl (2002), Bandura (1997), and Gallimore and Goldenberg (1993).

Knowledge and Skills
The four types of Krathwohl’s (2002) taxonomy of knowledge – factual, conceptual,
procedural, and metacognitive – help accumulate all research related knowledge from various
angles and perspectives. In this study, factual and conceptual knowledge questions are asked to
collect basic information for each participant in order to identify necessary attributes for data
analysis. The information, such as students’ demographic features, education backgrounds, pre-
training in international education-related skills, and their language proficiencies, are crucial to
decode the success or failure of their emotional and cultural transition to the foreign education
Observed Performance
Knowledge:
Factual,
Conceptual,
Procedual,
Metacognative
Motivation:
Choice,
Persistance,
Mental Effort,
Self-efficacy
Organization:
Policies & Procedures,
Cultural-Setting &
Models
Expected Performance
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

41
environment. Besides factual, conceptual, and procedural information, metacognitive knowledge,
such as students’ own understanding of the problem and knowledge about discovering their
problems are also directly connected to their problems encountered while studying abroad.
Chinese students will also need to know how to prepare themselves, both academically and
emotionally, for a successful transition to universities in the US.
Motivation
Choices, persistence, and mental effort are three factors that stressed by Clark and Estes
(2008) regarding people’s motivational factors. Beside knowledge and skill preparations,
students would still fail if they lack motivation to take actions or to change their difficult
situation and environment. Chinese students will also need to be motivated enough to seek out
support and assistance to manage their transition, both before they depart and after they arrive in
the US. Exactly starting from 2007 and 2008, China’s “post-90s generation” – people who were
born after 1990 – began to enroll in colleges. This group of young Chinese are frequently labeled
as “out-of-control,” “behaving badly,” or even “having mental problems” by medical and social
network (Key 2009; Kisselmann n.d.; Shanghai Daily, 2010). As a consequence, their
motivational efforts and self-efficacy capabilities directly determines their actions and results
toward all the cultural, academic, emotional, and social problems.
Organizational Influences
Laws, social norms, academic regulations, classroom cultures are all organizational
environment that without careful adjustment to it, Chinese international students will be easily
trapped into social and academic challenges. In China, most high school students are under the
academic pressure from both teachers and parents. Students who plan to study abroad are
normally have another layer of “protection” from their international education counselors. As a
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

42
consequence, the independent education environment in the US universities and colleges is a
huge challenge. In recent years, there are high SAT and TOEFL scores students failing in their
first academic year, because they think they find their “freedom” after escaping from their
parents’ and teachers’ control on academic and social life. Therefore, Chinese students will need
to understand the expectations for independent and responsible academic behavior, including
following the instructions in syllabi, participating in group work and class discussions, and
honoring academic integrity and honesty, and also learn to actively socialize and make friends in
a different environment. These organizational values and cultures should also be considered as
key elements for Chinese students to prepare their future education in foreign countries.
Conclusion
Recent history of Chinese students pursuing advanced education abroad and a brief
survey of recent literature on international education problems, several issues emerge as key
elements worth examining and evaluating to see whether they lead to the questions proposed in
this study and help identify solutions. These key variables are language barriers, cultural
adjustment, mental pressure, social and criminal activity, and preparedness for international
education, which shall be tested in the following chapters. In the next chapter, the research
methodology and analytical framework are explained.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

43
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study is to understand Chinese international students’ difficulties in
their academic journey in the United States. The goal of this study is to identify the knowledge,
motivational, and organizational problems these students experience. This will enable students
and families to understand sources of these problems so that solutions can be offered to future
students as they pursue higher education abroad. The stakeholder group are Chinese international
students at USC.
Three research questions guide this study:
1. What are the knowledge and motivation factors affecting preparation of Chinese
international students who intend to study in the US?
2. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and Chinese student
knowledge and motivation in their preparation for study abroad in the US?
3. What are the recommended knowledge, motivational, and organizational solutions to
prepare Chinese students for successful academic and social transition to the US?
Methodological Framework
Based on Clark’s (2004, 2008) research, Rueda (2011) applied gap analysis and the
knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) model to the education area and used this
model to address complicated educational problems and gaps in complex personal, interpersonal,
organizational, social, as well as cultural interactions and conflicts. The gap analysis approach
identifies the goals, discovers and analyzes the gaps, proposes and implements solutions, and
evaluates the results, which consists a complete and practical analytical framework for
researchers and practitioners. Within this approach, the KMO model is a comprehensive tool to
collect internal, external, organizational, environmental, psychological, social, structural, and
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

44
cultural information regarding educational problems or gaps. Thus, this analytical approach and
model fit the demands of this research.
This research focuses on determining the knowledge, motivation and organizational
factors needed to improve Chinese students’ adjustment to the American academic culture to
improve their performance in higher education. The problem-solving model applied is the
improvement model under the Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis framework. Under this
theoretical framework, the validating process will identify the factors that impede the
stakeholders in reaching their goal of a successful, happy, and healthy college life.
Although the gap analysis and the KMO model are efficient tools to address performance
problems, they are not without analytical shortcoming, especially for this particular research.
Clark and Estes (2008), along with Rueda (2011), pointed out that gap analysis can be useful in
analyzing performance problems within an organization, and the first step of this method is to
explicitly identify an organizational performance goal or “district, school and individual
performance goals” (Rueda, 2011, p. 72). Therefore, an organization with clearly defined
boundaries and with developmental goals is the perfect unit of analysis under this model. It is
important to explicitly articulate the boundaries of the organization or industry studied in this
research and identify stakeholders who embrace distinctive performance goals and unveils clear
performance gaps. These will be explained and elaborated upon in the following two sections.
The Stakeholders of Focus
This study is about Chinese international students studying in the United States.
Therefore, this is a study about an industry as a whole and the population involved could be
students, parents, K-12 school teachers, university professors and staff, language training school
tutors, education counselors, students studying and living communities, and international
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

45
education-related policymakers. From this long list, it is, however, not hard to discover that only
the students are at the core of the industry. All other stakeholders are either providing services to
students, such as teachers, professors, staff, tutors, and counselors, or supporting and determining
students’ academic and social life, such as parents, communities, and policymakers. Thus, the
stakeholder of focus are apparently the students who are involved in the international education
experience. Figure 12 illustrates the relationship among all the stakeholders.

Figure 12. Relationships among stakeholder groups.
*Educators include K-12 teachers and university professors and staff who are in formal educational settings to teach
students and facilitate their learning.
** Nowadays, more Chinese immigrants or Westerners start education consulting services to offer Chinese
international students counselling services.
According to Yang (2016) and Yan (2017), the largest influence on students is that of
their parents, and their university professors and teachers are the most impactful while they are
away from home. However, the ability of Chinese parents to influence their sons and daughters
who are studying abroad is limited. It is not that Chinese parents consider college students as
adults and do not want to interfere their college life; it is because most Chinese parents cannot
Students
Government
Policymakers
Independent
Conselors & Tutors
Educators*
Parents
Educators*
Community
Government
Policymakers
Independent
Counselors**
Domestic
Stakeholders
International
Stakeholders
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

46
easily communicate in English and the distance is too great to insert effective control. University
faculty and staff have the best understanding of the challenges faced by Chinese international
students because they are the ones who connect most with students. Sometimes, they are the
creators of the problems their children encounter, as some less-trained teachers may not be able
to help students adjust to the academic culture in the host country (Wasonga, 2005).
Nevertheless, in this study, Chinese international students are the core stakeholders because they
can provide authoritative and first-hand accounts of the shock and conflicts they encounter to
guide help prepare future students for academic success. Therefore, Chinese students at USC are
the stakeholders of focus in this research.
Research Population and Sample
There were approximately 400,000 Chinese students studying in the US in the 2015-2016
academic year (China Statistical Bureau, 2016). With such a large number, selecting a unit of
analysis is the necessary approach to manage the scope of this research. Due feasibility and
limited resources, the 4,653 Chinese international students currently registered as having F1
student visa status at USC for the 2017-2018academic year was selected as the stakeholder group
and research population in this study. Besides the efficiency of conducting research on students
at USC, the Chinese student body at USC has features that make it representative of all Chinese
international students in the United States. First, USC hosts the second largest Chinese student
body among all American universities and the number is short only to New York University,
which has two campuses outside of US territory, making its number of international students
increase sharply. Second, USC holds a friendly policy toward admitting Chinese students. Two
USC centers established in Shanghai and Beijing and two in Hong Kong and Taipei have
important functions of attracting Chinese students, both from mainland and larger Chinese-
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

47
speaking territories (Engel, 2009). The USC International Academy also offers pre-master’s,
master’s preparation, intensive English programs, and different levels of education choices.
Nevertheless, several concerns are raised for only selecting Chinese international students
at USC. First, USC is an elite higher education institution, which has high international student
admission standards. Students need to excel in their academic study, standardized tests, and
extracurricular activities to be able to receive admission. Hence, students here are less
representative, at lease academically. However, the study is more academically representative,
because the students who were enrolled in the USC International Academy for English language
training were also included in the analysis.
Second, according to a report published by the Business Insider in February 2017, USC
ranks the eighth among the most expensive colleges list with a total tuition and living cost of
$66,631 (Martin, 2017). Although many Chinese parents do not much consider price differences
in international education, the gap of over $20,000 in tuition and living costs at some public
universities can still exclude less affluent families. To address this problem, undergraduate and
graduate students on scholarships were included. Although they were not necessarily from less
affluent backgrounds, scholarship or assistantship salaries were one of the major reasons these
students attend USC. If Chinese students who work on campus and earn money to support
themselves are also included in the study, they should be a good substitute for students from less
affluent families. But no one in this research indicated that they had on campus jobs.
Given all these considerations, the initial sampling strategy was randomized sampling,
which was achieved via emailed invitation for survey participation through the Chinese Students
and Scholars Association’s (CSSA) listserv and CSSA’s official WeChat group. After several
rounds of information dissemination, there were altogether 75 eligible survey questionnaires
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

48
collected. “Eligible survey” here means questions are answered consistently and with careful
consideration.
The first group of interview invitations was sent to those who complete the surveys. The
goal was to have students from various academic backgrounds such as science, engineering, arts,
fine arts, social sciences and humanities, from all academic levels, and those enrolled in
language programs participate in the interviews. Nevertheless, the selection of interview
participants was another sampling strategy to cover Chinese student groups who was excluded
from email surveys, such as students in language programs, in less-represented majors, or from
less-represented backgrounds.
Data Collection
Survey
Upon approval of the research methodology by University of Southern California’s
Institutional Review Board, a series of surveys was conducted and follow-up interviews were
performed. The first round of survey was sent via the Chinese international students’ WeChat
group in January 2018. The recipients in CSSA’s WeChat group were provided with a link
directing to the online survey questionnaires. Students who participate in the interviews were
eligible for a drawing for several prizes, including 60 yuan (approximately 10 dollars). They
were fully informed using both Chinese and English about the process and the researcher’s
gratitude for their participation.
Based on existing experience that online survey return rates are always low, a second
round of survey distribution was conducted in early February 2018. In this round, the researcher
received assistance from the Chinese student organizations’ top leaders to help disseminate the
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

49
survey questions, supervise students as they answer questionnaires, and collect the surveys for
evaluation.
Interview
After collecting the surveys and initial data analysis, a list of 15 to 20 students was
prepared for in-depth semi-structured interviews. Selection of interviewees was based on their
answers to the survey questions and was be random. The priority for selecting interviewees was
given to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Since the seniors had already spent several years at
USC, it was possible that they were more accustomed to the school culture and forget their pre-
international study preparation experience. Only those graduate students who had their
undergraduate studies completed in China was chosen for an interview. In addition, the students’
majors and major was also considered when selecting interview participants. The interviews was
conducted around 30 to 45 minutes and the conversations was recorded upon the consent from
the participants. The recordings was, then, transcribed for the content analysis.
Performance Goals and Gaps
Since Chinese international students at USC are stakeholders of focus in this study, USC
is naturally considered the organization of analysis. Although USC and USC’s Office of
International Services have distinct mission statements, the focus of this study is on the KMO
influence that can improve Chinese international students’ academic and social transition for
more successful degree completion and closing the gap of their performance problems.
Therefore, instead of taking USC as the organization of study, this research examines its Chinese
international student body. However, since “Chinese international student body” is a loosely-
defined organizational term, it is almost impossible to identify a clearly articulated performance
goal. While student organizations at USC host “Chinese students and scholars,” the organizations
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

50
normally do not bear the same performance improvement goal as this study and cannot be
studied as the organizations of focus. However, the educational goal for Chinese international
students is to have US education experience and obtain a degree.
With the identification of this goal, the performance gap is readily identified: from failure
to meet the academic requirements and not completing academic study to outstanding academic
performance and excellent social achievement. Figure 13 illustrates the performance gap
between the worst case to achievement of the performance goal. To close the gap, it is important
to understand the knowledge requirements, motivational forces, and organizational adjustments
that cause the gap. These topics are addressed in the following section.

Figure 13. The performance gap of Chinese international students at USC.
Preliminary Scanning and Critical Observations
From the literature analysis, five major causes of Chinese international students’
problems at Western universities might influence the performance gap. They are language
barriers, culture shock, mental health problems, social and disciplinary problems, and lack of
preparation. The gap analysis model (Clark & Estes, 2008; Rueda, 2011) serves to analyze
assumed influences on the gaps, to identify appropriate instruments to validate these influences,
to determine the causes, and to examine knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions and
processes, which are discussed in the following sections. Nevertheless, the researcher’s personal
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

51
experience for the past years can demonstrate an explicit preliminary scanning case about the
assumed influence of this study.
Preliminary Scanning and a Case Study
Catching the wave of this international education business opportunity, the Goldway
International Education Consulting Company (Goldway Edu) was established in 2015.
Previously, the founder worked for 3 years in general management at a large education
consulting company in Beijing. From late 2014 to August 2017, the company served a total
number of 37 Chinese students who sought training services for English language examinations
and consulting services for their high school and college applications. Like many of their
counterparts in the industry in China, the company started with tutoring and guiding students’
application processes. However, considering their clients’ backgrounds, they have served six
different types of students as seen in Figure 14. Among these 37 clients, 16 students (43%) have
certain kinds of problems they encountered during their study in or preparation for international
education.

Figure 14. Types of Goldway Edu student services from August 2014 to August 2016.
Source: Data from Goldway Edu
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

52
The word “problem” used to label these students is a loose term. In some cases, it
includes a wide range of serious academic and social problems such as low performance or
unsuccessful social integration. Mori (2000) pointed out that “linguistic, academic, interpersonal,
financial, and intrapersonal” problems may cause severe psychological stress for international
students (p. 137). For instance, one student who transferred to a private high school in Florida
lived with a local host family. More than a year later, he developed severe psychological
depression and could not maintain normal academic performance. Another student had trouble
with one of his US school teachers. They were antagonistic to each other, and, in the teacher’s
eyes, this Chinese student was an example of a typical bad international student. In the end, the
student dropped out of this school and returned to China to attend a Chinese international school.
Three-quarters of “problematic” students attended US education institutions, as shown in
Figure 15. The four students from China did not take the traditional path to go directly into
higher education systems. Similar to the Western concept of a gap year, these students either
worked in their family companies to gain experience or took a year-long break to focus on their
language learning in order to be more competitive in college admission.

Figure 15. Educational institutions of students with problems.
Source: Data from Goldway Edu
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

53
All 12 problematic students were studying in the US while working with Goldway Edu.
Before their first attempt to study abroad, they did not receive training or preparation for their
international academic excursion. Hence, it was difficult for them to successfully integrate
academically and socially to the local culture, since they could not set clear goals or create
effective connections with faculty and peers. This result echoes Song’s (2013) survey research
among Chinese students studying in Italy, which concluded it is difficult for overseas students to
maintain an optimistic attitude when connections to their college and society at large are weak.
Based on the above evidence, there is a problem of lack of academic, cultural, and social
preparation for international education among Chinese students aged 13 to 20 who seek high
school and undergraduate studies abroad. There are gaps between parents’ and students’
expectations of knowledge, cultural and language preparedness and the reality of education
systems in Western countries. Information regarding life and studying abroad is plentiful but
consists mostly of internet posts and articles largely created by various private companies for
marketing purposes. As a consequence, this information is low-quality, fragmented, and provides
no systematic introduction of knowledge to bridge the gaps illustrated above. For various
reasons, many Chinese parents and students make quick decisions on studying abroad. Although
a large percentage of Chinese students can overcome language, culture, and academic challenges
in a foreign country, without careful preparation, students have difficulty understanding the core
values and essence of education in Western countries.
KMO Model and the Assumed Influences
Critical observation and preliminary scanning data processes were initiated from the
researcher’s previous work experience. Among many Chinese international students, the
researcher counseled regarding their applications to American universities’ undergraduate and
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

54
graduate programs, a significant portion are having problems while studying abroad. After
scanning published research and several reports and datasets complied by various educational
consulting firms and Chinese government agencies, the knowledge, motivational and
organizational needs emerged. In combination with the literature review, the assumed
knowledge, motivation, and organizational questions are illustrated in the following tables. To
capture all necessary knowledge, motivational, and organizational problems and concerns, three
information sources are used: anecdotal evidence (AE), context-specific literature (CL), and
learning and motivation theory (LMT).
Table 2
Knowledge Problems and Assumed Influences
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Language
Barriers
Mori (2000) discovers several causes of international students’
mental problem: linguistic, academic, interpersonal, financial,
and intrapersonal problems.
CL
Do USC newly admitted Chinese international students’ have
sufficient English language skills to meet the academic
requirements?
LMT
Do their language proficiency levels improve after studying at
least one semester at USC?
LMT
What are the language challenges they face while studying at
USC?
LMT
Cultural
Shock
Do Chinese students know American culture? AE
Do Chinese students know American academic culture? AE
Do Chinese students know how to make local friends? AE
Do Chinese students have the knowledge of adjusting to local
culture?
LMT

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

55
Table 2, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Mental
Health
USC Chinese international students need to know there is a
mental health service on campus that they can seek help from.
AE
USC Chinese international students need to know their advisor
can also help them, when they have mental problems and need
help.
AE
The literature addresses that Asian culture and stigma actually
restrain Chinese students’ willingness to seek mental help.
Chinese international students must have to pass this cultural
barrier to meet their performance goal.
CL
Students need to be aware that mental illness and need to know
how and when to protect themselves when they have such
problems.
LMT
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Do Chinese students know the social and legal cultural
differences between China and the US?
AE
Do Chinese students know the seriousness of USC’s disciplinary
rules and regulations?
AE
Do Chinese students know the consequences of breaking the
university rules?
LMT
Do Chinese students know the consequences of breaking the US
laws?
LMT
Lack of
Preparation
Do Chinese students have any experience about studying in the
US before you started your study at USC?
AE
Do Chinese students feel they have enough knowledge about US
colleges before they study abroad?
LMT
Do Chinese students receive genuine and valuable information
that are useful for their international education experience?
AE

Table 3
Motivation Problems and Assumed Influences
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Language
Barriers
Do Chinese students actively learn the English language? AE
Do Chinese students actively seek help from relevant offices or
teachers when they encounter language problems?
LMT
Do Chinese students attempt to make American friends? AE
Do Chinese students actively try to attend school or local
community activities?
AE
Do Chinese students participate in any university activities or
student organizations?
AE
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

56
Table 3, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Mental
Health
The Chinese international students give up at mental health
service, although they are informed of the existence of such
service.
LMT
Because of cultural taboos and barriers, international students
rarely use psychological counseling services, since they do not
want to be considered as mentally disabled people.
CL
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
The Chinese international students need to invest mental effort
in exploring the academic and social rules and regulations at
USC.
LMT
Lack of
Preparation
Do Chinese have any motivation to prepare your future
academic study in the US? What did you do?
LMT
Chinese students do not have extra motivation to learn about the
US education systems and structures because too much external
information made them feel they knew enough.
AE
Do Chinese students have motivations to identify which
information about US college study is accurate and which is not
useful at all?
LMT

Table 4
Organization Problems and Assumed Influences
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Language
Barriers
Does USC offer English language training programs that meet
the students’ academic needs?
LMT
What are the other language assistance services that USC offers
to international students?
AE
What are the efforts that USC puts to make their language
assistance program known to international students?
LMT
Cultural
Shock
Does USC have an organizational culture of supporting
international students to adjust to local culture?
LMT

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

57
Table 4, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Source
Mental
Health
Does USC have training programs to make international students
aware about the services it provides to help reduce mental
problems?
LMT
USC needs to communicate the importance of seeking mental
health support though the culture may discourage it – is USC
actively educating students about the dangers of not addressing
mental health even if their culture tells them they should not?
Essentially, from the students’ experience, does USC recognize
the role of culture in not seeking mental health?
CL
Does USC have trained counselors who understand Chinese
international students’ needs?
LMT
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
USC’s Office of International Services has an organization goal
of supporting “international students and scholars as they strive
to achieve their educational, professional, and personal
objectives”, which indicates its mission and culture of supportive
to international students and scholars. So, the question is what
does USC OIS do to implement its mission of supporting
personal objectives as experienced by the students?
CL
Lack of
Preparation
Where do Chinese students receive information and education
about US colleges and academic life before they came to the US?
AE
Where do Chinese student consider providing the most reliable
information regarding future US education before they start their
study in the US?
AE

Validation of Influences
The assumed influences will be validated through surveys and interviews. A validated
item reflects knowledge, motivation, and organization information that participants reported they
received as part of their preparation for international education. Tables 5, 6, and 7 list the
instruments used to examine each assumed influence. The survey questionnaires and interview
protocols are attached in the appendices.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

58
Table 5
Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Knowledge
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Language
Barriers
Do USC newly admitted
Chinese international students’
have sufficient English language
skills to meet the academic
requirements?
From 1 to 6, how do you evaluate
your English language
proficiency level when you
started your first semester at
USC?

What is your range of your
TOEFL Score, please select from
the following choices?

Do their language proficiency
levels improve after studying at
least one semester at USC?
From 1 to 6, how do you evaluate
your current English language
(for sophomore or higher grades)?

How do you rate your English
courses taken to help improve
your language skills for academic
and social purposes?

What are the language
challenges they face while
studying at USC?

Please tell me what is the most
embarrassing experience you
had about the language problem
you motioned.
Cultural
Shocks
Do Chinese students know
American culture?
From 1 to 6 please rate how to
you feel your knowledge about
American culture before you
attend the college?

Do Chinese students know
American academic culture?
From I to 6 please rate how much
you know about USC, including
its academic structure, services
provided, and the way to
associate with professors, staff,
and your peer classmates?

Do Chinese students know how
to make local friends?
Do you consider that you have at
least one American friend?

Do you feel comfortable of
communicating and getting along
with your American friends?

Do Chinese students have the
knowledge of adjusting to local
culture?
From 1 to 6, please rate how
much you feel you have adjusted
to local culture?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

59
Table 5, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Mental
Health
USC Chinese international
students need to know there is a
mental health service on campus
that they can seek help from.
Do you know there is a mental
health service here on USC
campus?
Why do you not go to mental
health service when you have
these problems?
Do you know they offer free
service?
You mentioned you have used
the university or external mental
services, which service you
used? What do you feel after
using these services?
Do you know that your health
insurance covers mental health
care and psychological
counseling?

USC Chinese international
students need to know their
advisor can also help them,
when they have mental
problems and need help.
Do you seek any help from your
advisor besides academic issues?
Please recall last time you went
to see your advisor, what issue
did you discuss with him/her?
Do you think he/she is helpful or
knowledgeable?
How many times did you see your
academic advisor last semester?
Who do you turn to when you
have these problems? Why?
From 1 to 6, how do you rate your
advisor’s helpfulness?

The literature addresses that
Asian culture and stigma
actually restrain Chinese
students’ willingness to seek
mental help. Chinese
international students must have
to pass this cultural barrier to
meet their performance goal.

What is your cultural image of
people who use these services?

What do your parents or friends
say when they know you go to
see a clinical psychologist?
Students need to be aware that
mental illness and need to know
how and when to protect
themselves when they have such
problems.
Do you know that if you have
psychological problems that
affect your normal academic
performance, it is your right to
seek mental health center’s help
to alleviate your academic
burden?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

60
Table 5, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Do Chinese students know the
social and legal cultural
differences between China and
the US?
Which rule or rules do you think
are different from your previous
experience or quite shocking to
you?

Do Chinese students know the
seriousness of USC’s
disciplinary rules and
regulations?
Did you read USC student
handbook?

Do Chinese students know the
consequences of breaking the
university rules?

Do you know the consequences
of plagiarism? Do you think
such punishment is fair?
Do Chinese students know the
consequences of breaking the
US laws?

Do you know the California law
on cheating in exams, especially
in the international level exams
like SAT/GRE or TOEFL? Is it
different from what you know in
the Chinese system?

What are the oddest rules or
legal issues you have
encountered that are different
from your previous knowledge
and experience?
Lack of
Preparation
Do Chinese students have any
experience about studying in the
US before you started your
study at USC?
Had you ever studied in the US
before you entered USC?
Summer programs or transfer
experiences?
You mentioned you had
previously studied in the US
before USC, tell me how does
that experience impact your
academic life at USC? Is it
helpful? Do you consider
yourself adjust the academic
culture here better?
Do Chinese students feel they
have enough knowledge about
US colleges before they study
abroad?
Do you think you have acquired
sufficient knowledge about
studying at USC before you came
here?

Do Chinese students receive
genuine and valuable
information that are useful for
their international education
experience?

Tell me what are the knowledge
and information you received
before you came here different
the most from your real
experience?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

61
Table 6
Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Motivation
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Language
Barriers
Do Chinese students
actively learn the English
language?
Have you ever sought any
language-related assistant from
any university official services?

How often do you visit language
assistance office?

From 1 to 6 please rate how
frequently you actively talk to
your classmates?

From 1 to 6 please rate how
actively you answer questions in
class?

Do Chinese students
actively seek help from
relevant offices or teachers
when they encounter
language problems?

When you encounter English language
problems, who do you normally seek
help from?
Cultural
Shocks
Do Chinese students
attempt to make American
friends?
How many times per week you
meet or play with your American
friends?
Please tell me how do you know your
American friends? Could you please
share with me some stories between
you two?
Do Chinese students
actively try to attend
school or local community
activities?
Have you ever visited the USC
student affairs webpage?
(If visited) Tell me what is the most
interesting content you find in USC
Student Affairs webpage? Do you
think this website is helpful? Have
you taken any advantages of the
website by using the services guided
in the website? (if not visited) Why
you have never visited the website?
Without the information, do you think
you can still survive and thrive on
campus?
Do Chinese students
participate in any
university activities or
student organizations?
For the past year, how many USC
organized student social activities
you have participated in?
Have you participated any non-
Chinese (dominated by the Chinese
students or student organizations)
social activities? What was your role?
Do you have any communication
problems?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

62
Table 6, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Mental
Health
The Chinese international
students give up at mental
health service, although
they are informed of the
existence of such service.

You mentioned you know the
existence of the mental health system,
but why you did not go for help when
you encountered your problems?
Because of cultural taboos
and barriers, international
students rarely use
psychological counseling
services, since they do not
want to be considered as
mentally disabled people.
Do you think using school mental
health service will be considered
as culturally unacceptable person
by your family and friends?
Please tell me what is your cultural
perspectives toward people who use
psychological counselling services.
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
The Chinese international
students need to invest
mental effort in exploring
the academic and social
rules and regulations at
USC.
From 1 to 6 please rate how much
do you think USC provide a fair
and equal learning environment?

Lack of
Information
Do Chinese have any
motivation to prepare your
future academic study in
the US? What did you do?

Before you came to USC, what did
you do to prepare for your academic
journey? In retrospect, do you think
your efforts were useful?
Chinese students do not
have extra motivation to
learn about the US
education systems and
structures because too
much external information
made them feel they knew
enough.
Do you feel you have sufficient
knowledge about studying in the
US before you came to USC?

Do Chinese students have
motivations to identify
which information about
US college study is
accurate and which is not
useful at all?

When you read news or other
information from the sources you
mentioned, do you question its
authenticity? Or do you just accept
whatever it is written? How much do
you trust the source you mentioned?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

63
Table 7
Validation and Instruments of Assumed Influences for Organization
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Language
Barriers

Does USC offer English
language training programs
that meet the students’
academic needs?
Have you ever required to take
any English language courses
(EAL courses) at USC?

Do you think these courses meet
your academic needs after taking
them?

What are the other language
assistance services that USC
offers to international students?
Have you used any of the
following services for the past
academic year?

What are the efforts that USC
puts to make their language
assistance program known to
international students?
How do you know that USC
offers language assistance
services?

If you have visited USC language
service offices, where do you
know the information about the
office?

From 1 to 6, please rate how do
you feel USC’s effort to make
you know their language-related
services.

Cultural
Shocks
Does USC have an
organizational culture of
supporting International
students to adjust to local
culture?
For the past year, how many
times have you participated in the
USC info session about university
activities and programs?
Do you feel that you are
supported by USC? Have you
ever read emails sending out from
the international students’ office?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

64
Table 7, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Mental
Health
Does USC have training
programs to make international
students aware about the
services it provides to help
reduce mental problems?
Does the university offer
workshops or trainings about the
seriousness of mental problems in
school?

Does university offer any training
about the procedures and
processes to seek help from
mental health office?

From 1-6, how do you rate USC’s
efforts to communicate with
international students on mental
health issues?

USC needs to communicate the
importance of seeking mental
health support though the
culture may discourage it – is
USC actively educating
students about the dangers of
not addressing mental health
even if their culture tells them
they should not? Essentially,
from the students’ experience,
does USC recognize the role of
culture in not seeking mental
health?
From 1 to 6, how do you think
USC recognize the culture in not
seeking mental health support?

Does USC have trained
counselors who understand
Chinese international students’
needs?

Did you meet any counselor
whom you think know something
about Chinese culture?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

65
Table 7, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Survey Questions Interview Questions
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
USC’s Office of International
Services has an organization
goal of supporting
“international students and
scholars as they strive to
achieve their educational,
professional, and personal
objectives”, which indicates its
mission and culture of
supportive to international
students and scholars. So, the
question is what does USC OIS
do to implement its mission of
supporting personal objectives
as experienced by the
students?
From 1 to 6 please rate how much
you feel USC has done sufficient
job of providing information
regarding legal or disciplinary
issues?
Do you know that the USC OIS’s
organizational goal? Ok, the goal
goes “international students and
scholars as they strive to achieve
their educational, professional,
and personal objectives.” With
you experience so far, do you
think they do anything to you to
achieve this goal?
Do you think USC provide
enough information that makes
you aware of the on-campus rules
and regulations, as well as
important off-campus legal
knowledge?

Lack of
Preparation
Where do Chinese students
receive information and
education about US colleges
and academic life before they
came to the US?
Which of the following sources
do you normally obtain
information regarding education
in the US?

Where do Chinese student
consider providing the most
reliable information regarding
future US education before
they start their study in the US?

Tell me what is the source you
receive most reliable information
regarding education in the US.

Data Analysis
The survey data were analyzed using content analysis and basic descriptive statistics. The
analysis was used to compare with the previous literature and to evaluate whether there were
new features occurring among this generation of Chinese international students. The changes in
students’ knowledge, motivation, and culture adjustment and transition were focused on to
identify the general performance gap and what areas needed more preparation. The interview
data were transcribed, coded, and decoded to track students’ emotional and cultural transition in
great details. Basic personal attributes, such as previous and current educational background,
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

66
preparation programs, and family characteristics, were considered in the research to make sure
consistency and equality across different backgrounds.
Reliability of Data
To make sure the data were reliable and trustworthy, several procedures need to be
implemented. It was important to strictly follow the requirements of survey methodology and
IRB standards to ensure surveys were conducted anonymously and voluntarily. Interview
participants were selected based on survey answers, but at least two to three interviewees were
selected with similar answers and their interview content were cross checked for validity. Two
pilot studies were conducted before implementing survey and interview research. The feedbacks
from the pilot study were used to revise and update survey and interview questions.
Role of Investigator
The investigator of this research played an independent observant role in designing,
implementing, and analyzing the data to conduct this research. Although the investigator was a
member of the stakeholder group, personal opinions did not influence results. Nevertheless, the
investigator utilized his personal relations on campus to disseminate survey questionnaires and
recruit interviewees.
Limitations and Delimitations
As mentioned above, one of the major limitations of this study is the lack of
generalizability. As a top-ranked university, USC has high admission standards, which screen
out many more diversified Chinese international students. Thus, if the same research is
conducted on a campus with lower admission standards, the problems students encounter could
be significantly different.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

67
To address this limitation is to add more universities’ Chinese students into the
population of this study. However, it is impractical to do so with limited time and resources.
However, since USC has an international academy which only admits students with lower
academic strengths and who are still improving their English language skills. The Chinese
students in this academy provide a sample similar to students in other universities, whom were
included in the survey and interview process.
Conclusion
A carefully designed research methodology is a necessity for not only finding the
answers to proposed questions, but, more importantly, avoiding limitations of this study.
Although the diversities of student groups at USC are rather restricted, reaching out to more
students for answers of well-structured survey questionnaires that rigorously reflect the assumed
influences can, to some extent, obtain general opinions representing Chinese international
student group in the US in general. After all, besides certain academic problems, hosting one of
the largest Chinese student bodies in the United States, USC’s students are likely to meet all
emotional, academic, and cultural problems as students in any other US campuses. With sound
methodology and meticulous effort in data collection process, it is crucial to scrutinize and
examine the data, which shall be discussed in the following chapter.

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68
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
The survey was sent out in January and February 2018 to USC students in two USC
Chinese student WeChat groups, which contained about 499 and 216 users respectively.
Altogether there were 75 survey questionnaires collected, among which were 30 undergraduate
respondents (including four non-degree language learners and one incomplete and considered
invalid respondent), and 45 graduate respondents. During the second week of February 2018, 15
in-depth interviews were conducted on the USC campus. Ten undergraduate and five graduate
students participated in the interviews. Participants in the surveys and interviews represent a
sizable and variable range, from years in their programs, their affiliated schools and colleges, as
well as their high school types (See Figure 16, 17 and 18). Figure 17 and 18 show that most
graduate students who participated in the survey were from the engineering program and
attended traditional public high schools in China. However, the students’ majors are not a main
consideration in this study.

Figure 16. Participants and year/level at the university.
20.00%
8.00%
4.00%
2.67%
60.00%
5.33%
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate
Non-degree
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

69

Figure 17. Participant enrollment in university schools or programs.

Figure 18. Participating students who attended different high school types in China.
In the Chapter Three, the validation and instruments of assumed influences are based on
Clark & Estes’s (2008) knowledge, motivation, and organization model. Data revealed that five
assumed influences affect international student transition to colleges in the United States:
45.33%
8.00%
24.00%
4.00%
4.00%
2.67%
2.67%
2.67%
1.33%
5.33%
Engineering
Business
Arts and Sciences
Architecture
Communication
Accounting
Education
Gerontology
Law
International Academy
62.67%
17.33%
6.67%
13.33%
Traditional public high school
(Gaokao Track);
International program at a
public high school,
International school
(private/bilingual),
High school not in China,
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

70
language barriers, culture shock, mental health, social and disciplinary problems, and lack of
preparation. The knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps of all these five problems are
then examined based on the coded survey responses and interview transcriptions. The analysis of
the survey results involved a coding and decoding process. Some survey questions used a Likert
Scale style and other questions were coded with numbers so that they could be visualized in
figures as evidence for validation or non-validation of assumed influences. Moreover, after the
survey data were visualized, the results were compared to the interview data to examine whether
they were mutually supportive. The analysis found no contradictory answers identified across
survey and interview data.
It is important to clarify here that the validated influences reflect knowledge, motivation,
and organization information that participants reported they received as part of their preparation
for international education. Most of the assumed influences in knowledge and motivation were
validated: 81% of the assumed influences in the knowledge section were validated and 64% in
motivation section were validated. However, 67% of assumed influences in the organization
section were not validated. The detailed analysis and explanation of these validation process will
be discussed in the following sections.
Results and Findings for Knowledge Influences
Over 80% assumed influences were validated. There was a significant difference between
Chinese graduate students and undergraduate students at USC on the knowledge they possessed
about studying abroad. The assumed influence on mental health issues was not validated, which
means the conventional wisdom of cultural taboos on mental health issues was challenged (Table
8).
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

71
Table 8
Validation and Results for Knowledge Influences

Assumed Influence Validated Not Validated
Language
Barriers
USC Chinese international students have
sufficient English language skills.
X Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
The students’ language proficiency
levels improve after studying at least one
semester at USC.
X
Culture
Shock
Know American culture
X Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Know academic culture X
Know how to make local friends
X Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Have the knowledge of adjusting to local
culture
X Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Mental
Health

Knowledge about the mental health
service on campus
X
Knowledge about their advisor’s role
when they have mental problems
X
Asian culture and stigma actually
restrain Chinese students’ willingness to
seek mental help
X
Be aware that mental illness and need to
know how and when to protect
themselves
X
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Know the social and legal cultural
differences between China and the US
X
Know the seriousness of USC’s
disciplinary rules and regulations.
X
Know the consequences of breaking the
university rules.
X
Lack of
Preparation
Have experience about studying in the
US before you started your study at USC
X
Having enough knowledge about US
colleges before studying abroad
X
Receive genuine and valuable
information that are useful for their
international education experience.
X

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

72
Language Barriers
Survey data show that USC’s undergraduate Chinese international students have a much
stronger language proficiency than their graduate counterparts (Figure 19), which may indicate
that undergraduate Chinese students may have fewer problems adjusting to American culture and
daily life. This coincided with one interview participant’s observation, who confirmed that the
graduate Chinese students at USC encountered more problems if they do not have sufficient pre-
exposure to Western culture or language before leaving China. The interview participant said,
It is exactly because the graduate admission at USC has much lower language
requirements, especially in engineering and science programs that many students come
straightly (sic) from China all encountered various problems. The most serious problem
(sic) even includes suicide attempt.
Moreover, for students who were either required or chose to take English as Second Language
(ESL) classes, both graduate and undergraduate Chinese students felt the courses are somewhat
useful (Figure 20). One interview participant who had studied in USC’s Master Preparation
program offered by the American Language Institute before starting his formal graduate course
pointed out that the better way to learn English was not from those courses, but from making
native speaker friends. Hence, the assumed influences of Chinese students’ English language
skills was validated on the undergraduate student side, but not validated on the graduate student
side. Overall, the assumed influence of the improvement of language proficiency level was not
validated.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

73

Figure 19. English language examination performance.
Note: x-axis shows the number of students.

Figure 20. Usefulness of ESL courses.
2

Note: x-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest. Y-axis represents the
number of students.

Culture Shock

2
The comparison data, between undergraduate and graduate students, utilized in the visualization of the figures
were in real terms. They were calculated by deviding each category with the total number. The percentile rate made
data in two different population size comparable.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Above 110/Above 8 (1)
From 105 to 109/7.5 (2)
From 100 to 104/7 (3)
From 95 to 99/6.5 (4)
From 90 to 94/6 (5)
Below 89/Below 5.5 (6)
I did not take TOEFL/IELTS test. (7)
Graduate Students Undergraduate Students
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 2 3 4 5 6
Undergraduate Students (5) Graduate Students (18)
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

74
Questions related to culture shock on the survey were focused on exposure to American
culture before leaving China, and students’ willingness to make American friends.
Undergraduate students were more confident in finding American friends than their graduate
counterparts, most of whom indicated “No” on questions about their capabilities of finding
American friends (Figure 21 & 22). Graduate students shared similar views as the
undergraduates about their knowledge toward American culture before they came to the US
(Figure 23). At the knowledge level, the undergraduate Chinese students are generally better
equipped with language capabilities.
One sophomore transfer participant stated in the interview that even before he
transferred, he had lived with foreign classmates in dorms and made several native speaker
friends. This participant studied in an international program in a public high school in China and
went to an American high school for summer sport program. A graduate participant who was
studying in a program dominated by international students admitted that she did not work hard to
improve her English language skills when still an undergraduate student in China. But she did
acquire information regarding American university rules and program structures. Besides
language, she did not feel particularly unprepared academically. Since there were not too many
native English-speaking students in her class, she usually spent time with her Chinese peers did
not feel comfortable having class discussions with foreign classmates as she was too shy to speak
out.
With all this evidence, all assumed influences in culture shock were validated for
undergraduate students, yet none were validated for the graduate students, except for knowledge
of academic culture.

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75

Figure 21. Having at least one American friend
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Figure 22. Getting along with American friends
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.
86.21%
13.79%
44.44%
55.56%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
75.86%
24.14%
46.67%
53.33%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

76

Figure 23. Knowledge about American culture before attending the college in the US
Note: X-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest.

Mental Health
Undergraduate USC Chinese students knew more about mental health problems and
support systems than the graduate students before and after they entered USC (Figure 24 and 25).
One undergraduate participant said she tried to use counseling services not long after she started
her program at USC. She acknowledged that she knew about such services in high school and
wanted to take the advantage of it to assist her academic success. Undergraduates student also
knew more about the role of advisors in helping them address academic and mental health
problems than the graduate Chinese students at USC (Figure 26). But almost all interview
participants were dissatisfied with interactions with advisors, feeling that their role was no more
than a class registration checker. There was little sense that the advisors were prepared to
understand or help with the variety of issues these Chinese students were facing emotionally or
socially. One participant said, “There [the academic advisor] functions are really limited. We
never notice their existence until we have a problem. For most of the time, we only see them in
the beginning of the semester.” One graduate student said,
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
1 2 3 4 5 6
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

77
The academic advisor here is nothing like our Chinese undergraduate instructor. Totally
different. The [Chinese] instructor almost lives with us on campus and we see him all the
time. Unlike here, we don’t even have one designated advisor. When needed, we just go
to visit their office and find one on duty to ask questions.
The unique finding in this section was that almost all the participants in the interviews
mentioned that the cultural stigma and bias toward students seeking mental health were no longer
an issue (Figure 27). Some even said they discussed their mental health concerns with their
parents and friends. But they also indicated that their knowledge of necessary procedures to
discover and treat mental illnesses was unclear. When asking whether they had or had seen
people around them who needed such mental help, 90% of the responses were “no, I have not
seen such situations happen around my friends.” Apparently, they did not have adequate
knowledge on how to recognize and help those in need.
As a result, the assumed influences on students’ knowledge on mental health services and
their advisors’ role were validated, whereas the cultural bias and the knowledge of how to
recognize and help those with mental health needs were not validated. Indeed, there is a lot to be
done in educating students about what one should do in terms of addressing mental health needs.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

78

Figure 24. Knowledge of psychological counseling services on campus before entering USC
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Figure 25. Knowledge of campus mental health services/counseling after entering USC Note:
Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

62.07%
37.93%
42.22%
57.78%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
93.10%
6.90%
71.11%
28.89%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

79

Figure 26. Advisor’s role in helping participants’ transition
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Figure 27. Mental health service as a cultural taboo
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Social and Disciplinary Issues
Undergraduate Chinese students at USC were slightly better informed about policies than
graduate Chinese students, especially those concerning academic honesty (Figure 28) and safety
(Figure 29) issues. Most of the students, both graduate and undergraduate, indicated that there
62.07%
42.22%
37.93%
57.78%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
Yes No
72.41%
27.59%
77.78%
22.22%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

80
were very few or even no differences comparing to their knowledge regarding academic honesty
and safety issues before and after they joined the USC (Figure 30). Very few students thought
their experiences were very different from their perceptions before leaving China.
As the geographic distance of the globe become shortened by modern transportation and
advanced technologies, Chinese students were well informed about the legal and social
differences between China and the US. In interviews, 85% of participants mentioned that they
fully recognized and respected the social and legal system differences and they were all very
cautiously trying to follow the rules and regulations in the US and at USC. All the participants
indicated that they were fully aware of the university plagiarism policy and knew the serious
consequences. All assumed influences were validated.

Figure 28. Knowledge of Academic integrity policies at USC
Note: x-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest.

0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
1 2 3 4 5 6
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

81

Figure 29. Knowledge of safety issues in the US
Note: X-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest.

Figure 30. Difference between hearing about American academic integrity and the actual
experience at USC.

Lack of Preparation
Undergraduate Chinese students at USC had more knowledge and were better prepared
overall than the graduate students, especially in areas such as knowledge of academic life, social
life, as well as the role of role of academic advisors (Table 9). Large numbers of both
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
1 2 3 4 5 6
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
3.45%
48.28%
41.38%
6.90% 6.67%
48.89%
44.44%
0.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Yes, totally different.Somewhat different. No, it is exact the
same as what I have
heard before I came
here.
Choose not to
answer.
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

82
undergraduate and graduate Chinese students traveled to the US before they started their formal
education at USC (Figure 31).
More than 60% interview participants stated that they traveled abroad, either to study or
for fun, prior to their entrance to USC. For those who had international education experiences
before USC, their understanding and preparation about American academics was better. One
interview participant stated that previous study abroad experiences allowed her to understand
more about the differences between the higher education systems, so that she experienced less
shock when doing her graduate study at USC. All three assumed influences were validated in this
section.

Figure 31. Students studies in the US before enrolling at USC
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

22.22%
77.78%
37.93%
62.07%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
No Yes
Graduate Undergradaute
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Table 9
Percentage of Positive Answers from the Survey (Rated 4-6 or Answered Yes)
Questions Undergraduate students Graduate students
Knowledge about academic life (about
academic facilities, courses information,
academic burden)
76% 53%
Knowledge about social life (student clubs,
organizations, and other non-academic
activities)
59% 42%
Know about academic advisors 62% 38%

To sum up, the USC’s undergraduate Chinese students had significantly more knowledge
in all aspects than their graduate student counterparts. Most graduate students who participated in
the survey and interviews completed their undergraduate studies at Chinese universities. As
explicitly stated in the interviews, the Chinese universities usually do not offer knowledge
training and preparation work for students planning to study abroad for their graduate studies.
Since the Chinese higher education system and culture are entirely different from those in the
United States, students at Chinese universities had to find other means to acquire necessary
knowledge to prepare for their international academic endeavor. One interview participant shared
her story of joining her university-sponsored international student organization, and spending her
sophomore year summer break as an English language tutor in Egypt. This was her attempt to get
to know the world. Some Chinese universities offered international education opportunities,
similar to American universities’ “study abroad” programs. One participant indicated that she
had attended her school’s program to transfer to University of Hawaii, but “it’s more of an East-
West cultural exchange program.”
Many of the undergraduate USC Chinese students attended various types of international
schools or programs that tailored the curriculum to prepare students for international education.
This could explain why they had better knowledge, in all aspects, than the graduate students. The
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

84
relationship between high school type and other international education preparedness variables
will be further examined in the second part of this chapter.
Results and Findings for Motivation Influences
Over 63% of the assumed influences were validated in the motivation section. Besides
cultural taboos that prohibited students from seeking mental health help, neither language
influence was validated.
Table 10
Validation of Motivation Assumed Influences
Cause Assumed Influence Validated Not Validated
Language
Barriers
Chinese students actively learn the English
language.
X
Chinese students actively seek help from relevant
offices or teachers.
X
Culture
Shock
Attempt to make American friends X
Actively try to attend school or local community
activities
X
Participate in university activities or student
organizations
X
Mental
Health

Do not seek help from mental health service,
although they are informed of the existence of
such service
X
Because of cultural taboos and barriers,
international students rarely use psychological
counseling services.
X
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Invest mental effort in exploring the academic
and social rules and regulations at USC.
X

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

85
Table 10, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Validated Not Validated
Lack of
Preparation
Have motivation to prepare your future academic
study in the US
X
Chinese students do not have extra motivation to
learn about the US education systems and
structures because too much external information
made them feel they knew enough.
X
Have motivations to identify which information
about US college study is accurate and which is
not useful at all
X

Language Proficiency
USC’s Chinese international students were not highly motivated to learn English, at least
not in the university required language classes or programs. Less than half of undergraduate
students in the survey have visited the writing center, whereas less than 9% of graduate students
sought free English writing assistance service, offered by USC’s Dornsife College (Figure 32).
When asking why students were reluctant to use this service in interviews, the responses were
that the center had certain rules that were not easy that made it difficult to use, such as only a
limited time for each student every time they visited. Gradually, students lost their motivation to
visit the center again and “I just want to pass the required English courses to start my formal
program.” Therefore, neither assumed influences in language barriers was validated.
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86

Figure 32. Chinese students who used the writing center
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Culture Shock
During the interview conversations, it was clear that the graduate students, though they
had weaker English language skills, were much more mature than the undergraduate students.
They expressed their desire to find and unrealistic confidence in finding American friends. One
said, “I thought I could find American friends for sure and I heard we could go to the church.
People there were all nice and they were willing to talk to us.” Unfortunately, their dreams were
quickly torn apart by reality. Some admitted that their language skill was the biggest obstacle for
them to smoothly communicate with American classmates, while others pointed out that their
graduate schools had few American classmates. One graduate student said in the interview,
our program requires a lot of social time. Our program’s Student Club hosts such events
almost every week. I quickly get bored with these activities and they usually choose to go
from 10 pm to 2 am, which are my regular bed time. So, I begin to avoid such activities
and friends.
41.38%
58.62%
8.89%
91.11%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Graduate
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

87
Although the graduate Chinese student participants had strong intentions for finding
American friends (Figure 33 and Figure 34), the undergraduate Chinese participants reported that
they socialized with their American friends more often (Figure 35) and had a strong motivation
to find American friends as opposed to the graduate students. Two participants said that they met
very friendly roommates in university dormitories and “we naturally became good friends and it
is not hard at all.” As for participating university activities, more than 80% of the interviewed
participants claimed that they attended at least one university student activity or club. Several
students even worked as volunteers to do charitable work related to their majors:
I am working to help those who cannot afford a formal accounting and tax service. I have
been working in the group for a year. The work does not take much of my time and
energy and still makes me feel fulfilling.
With all the above evidence, all three assumed influences were validated.

Figure 33. Difficulty making non-Chinese friends
Note: X-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest.

0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
1 2 3 4 5 6
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

88

Figure 34. Intent to find American friends
Note: X-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting and 6 the highest.

Figure 35. Frequency of social interactions with American friends.

Homesickness
There was no significant pattern of Chinese students’ behavior related to homesickness
for the duration of their study time in the US. After studying for a while at USC, 86% of
undergraduate students reduced or maintained the same level of homesickness, though a small
number of students felt more homesick (14%). The situation is similar for graduate students with
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
1 2 3 4 5
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Never Once Twice More than three
times
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

89
only 18% feeling more homesick after stayed in the US for a semester or more (Figure 36 & 37).
In examining the students who experienced more homesickness students, there were no
significant features that differentiated them from the rest of the population, and further analysis
was needed. From survey data, it is clear that more undergraduate students made phone calls to
home or relatives regularly to release their academic and life pressures and reduce homesickness.
Graduate students also called home regularly (Figure 38). According to several interview
participants, calling home was the best way to “comfort” themselves.

Figure 36. Undergraduate student change in level of homesickness
Note: X-axis is the assigned number of participants; y-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting
and 6 the highest.

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Please rate how homesick you felt the first semester at USC.
Please rate how much do you feel homesick now at USC.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

90

Figure 37. Graduate student change in level of homesickness
Note: X-axis is the assigned number of participants; y-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting
and 6 the highest.

Figure 38. Frequency of calling family members or relatives in China.

From the interview, the graduate students demonstrated more mental maturity in facing
these changes. One of the interview participants pointed out that although sometimes the changes
were abrupt, they just considered this within their range of acceptance. For example, one said,
before we came out, we heard so many pieces of scary news about the safety issues of
USC campus, but it turned out to be not that bad. I guess those news writers just want to
attract eyeballs to exaggerate those stories.
However, graduate students reported higher levels of homesickness. This was echoed in the
interviews, in which many graduate students indicated that even though they knew there were
0
2
4
6
8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445
Please rate how homesick you felt the first semester at USC.
Please rate how much do you feel homesick now at USC.
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Never Less than four
times a month
Once every
week
Twice to five
times every
week
More than six
times every
week
Not applicable
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

91
counseling services offered by the university, they felt reluctant to use such services. The major
reason for such a decision was the language barrier. They would feel “embarrassed,” “confused,”
or “troubled,” when considering going to a counseling office, and having to use a foreign
language for psychological treatment. This language barrier actually caused their situation to
deteriorate. One graduate interview participant told his personal story, and that he was too scared
to go to the hospital when he was ill, so he took some medicine by himself. After laying on his
couch for almost two days, he went to the hospital and was informed that his disease could have
been fatal if he had delayed his trip to the hospital any longer. The situation was similar to the
undergraduate students, even though they might have better language proficiency. Moreover, one
undergraduate student said that she tried to use the mental health services once, but she did not
think the doctor or medial practitioner knew what she was trying to explain. Some did admit in
the interview that “I would rather call my parents for consoling and comforting, which is much
easier [than seeking help from mental health services on campus].” Therefore, the assumed
influences on students would not seek mental health services was validated.
Learning About Culture
Data from the surveys and interviews showed that the participants were not very
motivated in trying to understand the American education culture. Most participants obtained
information about American education from their education counselors or agents, peers, and
online media. During the interview, participants frequently expressed that it was very easy for
them to obtain information regarding studying abroad issues, because of the development and
widespread use of online information platforms, such as WeChat or Weibo (Figure 39). It is
because of this ease in obtaining quick and fragmented information that students tend to have
less motivation to discover and examine the truthfulness of academic and social knowledge
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

92
about US universities. When asked how they verified the information posted online, students
tended to say, “asking my counselors or friends who have been studying in the US.” Both
undergraduate and graduate participants had great motivation for learning new things and
believed that they were academically and emotionally prepared to study at USC before they
came to the US (Table 11). Therefore, except for actively trying to identify the accuracy and
authenticity of information regarding studying abroad, all other assumed influences in this
section were validated.

Figure 39. Most popular ways to obtain information about studying abroad.
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Table 11
Percentage of Positive Answers (Rated 4-6 on the Likert Scale or Answered Yes)
Survey Questions Undergraduate students Graduate students
Academically and emotionally prepared to
study at USC before came
72% 64%
Interested in learning more about the
different academic expectations
86% 71%
Difference between education experience in
the US and what being told
69% 49%

31.58%
23.16%
17.89%
14.74%
8.42%
4.21%
29.41%
22.06%
8.82%
23.53%
5.88%
10.29%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
Education…
WeChat Posts
Peers/Other Chinese…
News reports
Parents
Weibo posts
Graduate Undergraduate
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

93
In summary, both graduate and undergraduate students expressed little motivation to use
university services to improve their English. Since there were no significant difference between
answers from graduate and undergraduate students, there was no comparison between the two
groups in this section. The language barrier was exacerbating graduate students’ motivation to
seek external help, which further affected their mental health, cultural barriers, and social and
disciplinary problems. Cultural taboos were not a reason to discourage students’ motivation to
seek mental health assistance. Students did not have a strong will to verify the accuracy of
information regarding the American colleges, since they had private counselors and easy news
posts to acquire massive information. Apart from these facts, Chinese international students were
motivated in preparing for future academic and social life before they left their home country.
Results and Findings for Organization Influences
Five out of the nine assumed influences were validated. From the validated assumed
influences, it was evident that USC tried to communicate information to international students
and provided a positive language learning environment on campus. However, it appeared the
information and services USC provided did not consider the cultural and linguistic diversity of
international students. Once again, due to no significant difference between graudate students
and undergraduate, there was no comparison between the two groups in this section.
Table 12
Validation of Assumed Influence for Organization Influences
Cause Assumed Influence Validated Not Validated
Language
Barriers
USC offers English language training programs
that meet the students’ academic needs.
X
Other language assistance services that USC
offers to international students.
X
USC puts more effort to make their language
assistance program known to international
students.
X
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

94

Table 12, continued
Cause Assumed Influence Validated Not Validated
Culture
Shock
USC has an organizational culture of
supporting International students to adjust to
local culture.
X
Mental
Health
USC has training programs to make
international students aware about the
services.
X
USC actively educating students about the
dangers of not addressing mental health even
if their culture tells them they should not.
X
USC has trained counselors who understand
Chinese international students’ needs.
X
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
USC’s OIS implements its mission of
supporting personal objectives as
experienced by the students.
X
Lack of
Preparation
Students receive information and education
about US colleges and academic life from
reliable sources in China.
X

Language Barriers
Most of the graduate and undergraduate students stated that their language proficiency
was either retained or improved (93% positive rate among undergraduate students and 98%
positive rate from graduate students) since they first arrived at the university, which indicated
that USC provided Chinese international students with an effective language learning
environment (Figure 40 and 41). However, USC’s writing center’s services was ineffective and
no user-unfriendly. One interview participant highlighted that “I tried to use the Writing Center
once, but they cut me out in less than an hour before even helping me check for 10 pages.”
Moreover, because of the university admission policies and facts, the admission data showed that
in 2016, the enrolled undergraduate international student ratio was 15% out of total
undergraduate students and the graduate international student ratio was 39% (USC, 2016).
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

95
Therefore, with this academic climate or culture, the undergraduate Chinese students have many
more English-native speaking classmates to interact with and a longer time to study on campus.
As a result, they have richer resources than their graduate schoolmates in terms of better
adjusting to the academic culture at USC. Thus, the assumed influence of a university provide
environment that helped with language and cultural adjustment was validated.

Figure 40. Undergraduate students’ self-assessment of their language improvement
Note: X-axis is the assigned number of participants; y-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting
and 6 the highest.

Figure 41. Graduate students’ self-assessment of their language improvement
Note: X-axis is the assigned number of participants; y-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting
and 6 the highest.

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
How would you rate your English language
proficiency level when you started your first semester at USC?
How do you rate your current English language
proficiency?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45
How would you rate your English language
proficiency level when you started your first semester at USC?
How do you rate your current English language
proficiency?
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

96
Mental Health
Similar to the writing center, the university offered clear information regarding their
services to help international students with both academic and mental health issues. Over 90% of
interview participants indicated that they heard in different ways about the existence of mental
health services. But when the interview participants were asked about whether they received
formal training to acquire this information, only two participants identified explicitly that the saw
the flyers or heard from some training programs. There was only one participant who admitted
that she had used the mental service once, and it was not a satisfactory experience. Most of the
participants stated that that they had not received any information from the university about this
service. All they knew was that there was only counseling available in English, but no cultural
specific trainings or counselors were provided for Chinese international students. Two of the
assumed influences were not validated.
Social and Disciplinary Issues
Interview participants all said that they were well informed about major disciplinary
regulations and other issues relating to the success of “their educational, professional, and
personal objectives,” as indicated in USC OIS’s mission statement. One of the most important
issues that many Chinese students mentioned in both surveys and interviews was safety on and
off campus.
When asked what the oddest school rules or regulations that they encountered that were
unexpected, some mentioned that they would love to have more freedom in the number of
courses they could choose, or the extended time period they could eventually decide to drop a
class. However, generally they were very much satisfied with university policies. Students all
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

97
understood the importance of more serious problems, such as academic dishonesty, but they
could not tell specific punishment one would receive if breaking the rules. One participant said,
We would be told about what the plagiarism was on the first day on campus and what
kind of punishment we would get, including how many percentage of the similarity of
our homework. These would all be considered as plagiarism.
Over 86% of undergraduate Chinese students and 84% graduate students felt safe living
on USC campus (Figure 42). Participants mentioned USC’s campus security services made them
feel safe and they were all fully aware that it was dangerous to expose oneself to an unsafe
environment, such as walking at night alone or traveling to unfamiliar locations. “We heard too
many warnings about safety issues on and off campus,” said one participant. Although students
all felt very safe on campus, they did not have such a strong feeling about the country in general.
Only 52% undergraduate and 44% graduate students felt safe in the US (Figure 43). During the
interview, most students shared their stories about “the most dangerous experience” they had in
the US. Apparently, they did not feel it was as safe as living in their home country, but some still
said, “These situations would not stop me from coming here to study. At least, it is quite safe
living on campus” (Figure 44).
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

98

Figure 42. Safety on the USC campus
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Figure 43. Safety in the US
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

86.21%
13.79%
84.44%
15.56%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
51.72%
48.28%
44.44%
55.56%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Yes No
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

99

Figure 44. Difference between hearing about safety issues and actual experience.
Note: Numbers are in real terms, see note 2 in page 73.

Lack of Preparation
In China side, there is no authoritative organization or agency, such as university research
institutes or government agencies, to verify the information provided by massive online media or
to publish useful and verified information. As a consequence, many participants expressed their
surprises at academic, social, and life experiences after they arrived and started their academic
journey at USC (such as Figure 44). The assumed influence of students receive reliable
information regarding their international education was not validated.
Summary of the KMO Analysis
Except for four partially validated influences, 65% of the assumed influences were
validated (Table 13). Several key takeaways can be concluded from the analyses. Throughout the
validation process, the survey data and interview data highlighted the fact that undergraduate
students were better prepared than the graduate Chinese students at USC, both academically and
socially. The reason for this difference was largely due to different education paths prior to their
admission to USC. Most of the undergraduate students participated in this study went through
10.34%
55.17%
31.03%
3.45%
11.11%
64.44%
17.78%
6.67%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Yes, totally different.Somewhat different. No, it is exact the
same as what I have
heard before I came
here.
Choose not to
answer.
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

100
high schools that were tailored toward international education, or they graduated from high
schools in the US. On the contrary, most of the graduate students completed their undergraduate
study at Chinese universities. This will be further discussed in Chapter Five.
Second, although USC provided many effort to help inform international students, there
was a lack of culturally and linguistically diversified means to better assist students with real
needs. It was students’ own responsibility to obtain this information as most of them were
already adults when starting their college life. However, most of the support and assistance that
international students required were beyond their English language communication and
comprehensive capabilities, which, at the best, served only the purposes of admission and basic
academic needs.
Third, there has been a significant expansion of information about education abroad in
China. A great deal of useful and accurate information and knowledge is offered among fake and
unverified news articles and internet posts. Although USC tried to reach out to many Chinese
families and students, there was no significant means for USC to publicize and spread its
authenticated and official announcements to Chinese audiences. Hence, too much information
negatively affected students’ motivations and incentives to clarify the genuine information.
Table 13
Combined Validation Table for KMO
KMO Issues Assumed Influence Validated
Not
Validated
Knowledge
Language
Barriers
USC Chinese international
students have sufficient English
language skills.
X
Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
The students’ language
proficiency levels improve after
studying at least one semester
at USC.
X
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

101
Culture
Shock
Know American culture
X
Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Know academic culture X
Know how to make local
friends
X
Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Have the knowledge of
adjusting to local culture
X
Undergraduate
Students
X Graduate
Students
Mental
Health

Knowledge about the mental
health service on campus
X
Knowledge about their
advisor’s role when they have
mental problems
X
Asian culture and stigma
actually restrain Chinese
students’ willingness to seek
mental help
X
Be aware that mental illness
and need to know how and
when to protect themselves
X

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

102
Table 13, continued
KMO Issues Assumed Influence Validated
Not
Validated
Knowledge
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Know the social and legal
cultural differences between
China and the US
X
Know the seriousness of USC’s
disciplinary rules and
regulations.
X
Know the consequences of
breaking the university rules.
X
Lack of
Preparation
Have experience about
studying in the US before you
started your study at USC
X
Having enough knowledge
about US colleges before
studying abroad
X
Receive genuine and valuable
information that are useful for
their international education
experience.
X
Motivation
Language
Barriers
Chinese students actively learn
the English language.
X
Chinese students actively seek
help from relevant offices or
teachers.
X
Culture
Shocks
Attempt to make American
friends
X
Actively try to attend school or
local community activities
X
Participate in university
activities or student
organizations
X
Mental
Health

Give up at mental health
service, although they are
informed of the existence of
such service
X
Because of cultural taboos and
barriers, international students
rarely use psychological
counseling services.
X

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

103
Table 13, continued
KMO Issues Assumed Influence Validated
Not
Validated
Motivation
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Invest mental effort in
exploring the academic and
social rules and regulations at
USC.
X
Lack of
Preparation
Have motivation to prepare
your future academic study in
the US
X
Chinese students do not have
extra motivation to learn about
the US education systems and
structures because too much
external information made
them feel they knew enough.
X
Have motivations to identify
which information about US
college study is accurate and
which is not useful at all
X
Organization
Language
Barriers
USC offer English language
training programs that meet the
students’ academic needs.
X
Other language assistance
services that USC offers to
international students.
X
USC puts more efforts to make
their language assistance
program known to international
students.
X
Culture
Shocks
USC has an organizational
culture of supporting
International students to adjust
to local culture.
X
Mental
Health
USC has training programs to
make international students
aware about the services.
X
USC actively educating
students about the dangers of
not addressing mental health
even if their culture tells them
they should not.
X
USC has trained counselors
who understand Chinese
international students’ needs.
X

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

104
Table 13 continued
Organization
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
USC’s OIS implements its
mission of supporting personal
objectives as experienced by
the students.
X
Lack of
Preparation
Students receive information
and education about US
colleges and academic life from
reliable sources in China.
X

Conclusion
The KMO analysis results in this chapter demonstrate that there is a gap between what
students did to prepare for study abroad, and what they should do to better adjust to life in the
US. Some assumed influences may seem unconventional, such as seeking mental health
information from an advisor on campus. But it is apparent that there is a need for such a service
among Chinese international students. The following chapter will discuss the suggested solutions
to address the gap, implications, and evaluation of the solutions.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

105
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
The purpose of this chapter is to address the knowledge, motivation, and organization
gaps identified in the previous chapter and provide evidence-based solutions to help close the
gap and better prepare Chinese international students for their education abroad. To achieve this
goal, this chapter starts with a thorough examination of the assumed influences section. From the
analysis of validated and not validated influences, several key influences will be identified. The
following section will discuss solutions that is addressing the KMO gaps identified from the key
influences with data and evidence. The third section offers an implementation plan for the
proposed solution, in which action steps and a timeline will be drafted. The fourth section will
evaluate the solution and its implementation plan. Using Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four
evaluation steps, the short-term and long-term assessment of the propose solution will be
conducted. In the conclusion section, the limitations and future research directions will be
discussed.
Examination of Assumed Influences
Among the 36 assumed influences, 21 were validated, 11 not validated, and four partially
validated. Influences that were validated reflected knowledge, motivation, and organization
information that participants reported they were aware of as part of their preparation for
international education. Further examination of these influences helps clarify the strengths and
weakness of current situation and the real needs for future improvement, which is the goal of this
research.
Validated and Partially Validated Influences
Table 14 shows all the 21 validated influences and Table 15 presents four partially
validated influences, of which only undergraduate students verified their influences. Several
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

106
implications can be derived from these tables. First of all, nine out of 16 assumed influences in
the knowledge gap were validated and four were partially validated, which indicated that
Chinese international students, especially the undergraduate students, understood the knowledge
differences between the two countries. As mentioned in Chapter Four, with the advancement of
modern technology, parents and students had numerous channels to learn American social,
cultural, and academic facts. Therefore, the knowledge about basic information regarding
studying abroad was widely available before the participants studied abroad, and will not be an
issues discussed at length in the solution section.
Table 14
21 Validated Influences
Assumed Influence Issues KMO
Other language assistance services that USC offers to
international students.
Language Barriers Organization
USC puts more efforts to make their language assistance
program known to international students.
Language Barriers Organization
Know academic culture Culture Shock Knowledge
Attempt to make American friends Culture Shock Motivation
Actively try to attend school or local community activities Culture Shock Motivation
Participate in university activities or student organizations Culture Shock Motivation
USC has an organizational culture of supporting
International students to adjust to local culture.
Culture Shock Organization
Knowledge about the mental health service on campus Mental Health Knowledge
Knowledge about their advisor’s role when they have
mental problems
Mental Health Knowledge
Do not seek help from mental health service, although they
are informed of the existence of such service
Mental Health Motivation
USC has training programs to make international students
aware about the services.
Mental Health Organization
Know the social and legal cultural differences between
China and the US
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Knowledge
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

107
Know the seriousness of USC’s disciplinary rules and
regulations.
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Knowledge
Table 14, continued
Assumed Influence Issues KMO
Know the consequences of breaking the university rules.
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Knowledge
Invest mental effort in exploring the academic and social
rules and regulations at USC.
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Motivation
USC’s OIS implements its mission of supporting personal
objectives as experienced by the students.
Social and
Disciplinary
Problems
Organization
Have experience about studying in the US before you
started your study at USC
Lack of
Preparation
Knowledge
Having enough knowledge about US colleges before
studying abroad
Lack of
Preparation
Knowledge
Receive genuine and valuable information that are useful
for their international education experience.
Lack of
Preparation
Knowledge
Have motivation to prepare your future academic study in
the US
Lack of
Preparation
Motivation
Chinese students do not have extra motivation to learn
about the US education systems and structures because too
much external information made them feel they knew
enough.
Lack of
Preparation
Motivation

Table 15
Four Partially Validated Influences
Assumed Influence Issues KMO
USC Chinese international students have sufficient English
language skills.
Language Barriers Knowledge
Know American culture Culture Shock Knowledge
Know how to make local friends Culture Shock Knowledge
Have the knowledge of adjusting to local culture Culture Shock Knowledge

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

108
All assumed influences under the culture shock issues were either validated by all
participants or only by undergraduate students. This means that, at least to all the undergraduate
participants, culture shock was no longer an issue to worry about and they were fully prepared
for embracing the Western culture. One possible reason, at least for undergraduate participants at
USC, is because more and more determined high school students who planned to study abroad
all went to international high schools or programs specially tailored for transition to Western
universities. These international schools or programs offered IB, AP, IGCSE, or other
international curriculum courses, which were culturally tied to Western educational values and
systems.
Figure 45 showed the influence of participants’ high school types to their TOEFL/IELTS
score levels, from which the students studying in international high schools or even schools out
of China received higher English language proficiency test scores. Figure 46 demonstrated the
students’ self-reflection of their knowledge about American culture before they entered USC.
Students from Chinese traditional public high school had much lower self-rating about their
knowledge of American culture than students from other types of schools or programs. As a
consequence, the information regarding cross-culture differences will also not be a focus in the
solution section, at least to undergraduate students. Certain knowledge about language and
culture preparation and adjusted to local community will be introduced to graduate students in
the solution part to meet the needs from the partial validated influences.
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Figure 45. The influences of high school types to TOEFL/IELTS scores.
Legend: In X-Axis, 1=Traditional public high schools (Gaokao Track); 2=International Branches
of Public Schools; 3=International School; 4=Schools not in China.
In Y-Axis, 1=TOEFL below 89/IELTS below 5.5; 2=TOEFL from 90-94/IELTS 6; 3=TOEFL
95-99/IELTS 6.5; 4=TOEFL 100-104/IELTS 7; 5=TOEFL 105-109/IELTS 7.5; 6=TOEFL above
110/IELTS above 7.5.

Figure 46. High school types and students’ knowledge about American culture
Note: X-axis is the assigned number of participants; y-axis shows the student ratings with 1 being the lowest ranting
and 6 the highest.

Third, the motivation related assumed influences unveiled several problems, which
should be highlighted and stressed in the solution section. Students had motivation to try to make
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 1 2 3 4 5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2 3 5 6 7 8 13 14 19 9 12 15 16 18 23 24 25 11 20 26 27 29 1 4 10 17 21 22 28
Knowledge of American culture before you started at USC.
Traditional public high
schools
(Gaokao Track)
International
Branches of Public
Schools
International
School
Schools not in
China
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110
American friends and to join in local community activities, but they did not want to seek mental
health services, even if they were fully aware of such services. Although students were eager to
learn more to prepare for their future academic success in China, they lacked incentives to
distinguish the fake or unauthenticated information from the genuine ones. Students ruled out the
factor of the cultural discriminatory values toward those who needed mental health assistance.
Thus, the only reason left for them to lack motivation to seek necessary help became the service
itself that did not friendly enough for students to easily get access, which shall be addressed in
the solution part. Also, the methodologies to enable students to distinguish the fake news should
be an important skill offered in the solution.
Not Validated Influences
Four implications can be concluded from Table 16’s 11 not validated influences. First of
all, for the language barrier issues, it seemed that (a) Chinese students did not improve their
language skill even after studying at USC for over a semester; (b) Chinese student did not have
strong motivation in learning and seeking assistance from USC to improve their language; and
(c) USC’s language assistant programs, such as the writing center, did not really effectively help
students in need. All these three observations pointed to one direction that they all occurred in or
related to USC’s service provided. Hence, the problems that should be addressed in the solution
part are why students were not fully capable of understanding how to utilize these services or
what improvements USC should make to help students improve their language skills.
Second, there was an ignorance about the mental illness among Chinese students.
Although USC spend certain efforts to educate students, there was a huge problem of lacking
communication or lost in translation, which prohibited effective use of university services
provided to students. No participants in the interview or survey acknowledged the existence of
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111
an advisor’s or counselor’s role, who understood cultural differences and spoke the language that
Chinese students could comprehend. The students should receive more education about all these
difficulties at their international education preparation stage and learn the communication skills
and knowledge about mental health issues before they go to study abroad.
Third, once again, the not-validated influences in the “lack of preparation” section
rejected the claim that Chinese students had their own motivation to identify the correct
information about studying abroad and the resources students acquiring this information were
reliable. To distinguish the correctness of a piece of information requires basic research skills
and sufficient knowledge about the background and logic of that information. This is a key skill
that Chinese international students should master.
Last, the stress on cultural taboos or stigma to prevent students from seeking mental
health was rejected as not-validated influences. Again, this generation of Chinese students had
already emerged in a more inclusive culture. “After all, it is just another disease that needs
medical attention,” said one of the interview participants.
Table 16
11 Not Validated Influences
Assumed Influence Issues KMO
The students’ language proficiency levels improve after
studying at least one semester at USC.
Language Barriers Knowledge
Chinese students actively learn the English language. Language Barriers Motivation
Chinese students actively seek help from relevant offices or
teachers.
Language Barriers Motivation
USC offer English language training programs that meet
the students’ academic needs.
Language Barriers Organization
Asian culture and stigma actually restrain Chinese students’
willingness to seek mental help
Mental Health Knowledge
Be aware that mental illness and need to know how and
when to protect themselves
Mental Health Knowledge
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Table 16, continued
Assumed Influence Issues KMO
Because of cultural taboos and barriers, international
students rarely use psychological counseling services.
Mental Health Motivation
USC actively educating students about the dangers of not
addressing mental health even if their culture tells them
they should not.
Mental Health Organization
USC has trained counselors who understand Chinese
international students’ needs.
Mental Health Organization
Have motivations to identify which information about US
college study is accurate and which is not useful at all
Lack of
Preparation
Motivation
Students receive information and education about US
colleges and academic life from reliable sources in China.
Lack of
Preparation
Organization

Problems Caused by the KMO Gaps and Needs for Solutions
A further synthesis of the examination of assumed influences unveiled the KMO gaps
and identified the problems for Chinese students to fully prepare for their international education.
The gaps fell into the following four aspects, which led to four needs for the solution (Table 17).
First, knowledge for language preparation, culture shock, and other social and cultural related
norms and customs, though rather sufficient for undergraduate students, were still demanded for
graduate students, who did their undergraduate studies at Chinese universities, where only
limited training about studying abroad were available. Hence, there was a huge need for graduate
students to learn these basic knowledge, just like what students learned in international high
schools or programs.
The second gap was the students’ lack of motivation to take the advantage the language
assistance services provided by the university. The reason for the gap was the strict regulations to
limit the access to these services, which made these services very user-unfriendly. Therefore,
there was a need for students to understand the rules and regulations about these services. Then,
besides taking the advantage of them, they should also know other ways to help them external
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help to improve their language. It was stated in Chapter Four that USC actually provided a very
friendly language learning environment, such as the American and international students ratio,
student dormitory facilities, and many other student organizations and clubs to help international
students to communicate and blended in. However, the Chinese international students should
possess some basic language communication skills at their preparation stage.
Third, the reason for the lack of motivation to seek mental health assistance was either
because students did not know what to say to the psychiatrist, or because they do not know how
and when to find the doctors. Either way, a thorough explanation about the mental health
problems and knowledge were necessary to teach students before they even started their journey
to the West.
The last, but the most important, gap was the students’ lack of knowledge and motivation
to discover and differentiate the valuable information from massive internet posts and messages
from all other modern or traditional media channels. Therefore, it was crucial to teach students
the correct methods to accomplish this goal. However, in order to teach students such methods, a
systematic understanding of the background, values, and logic of American higher education
system is needed.
Table 17
KMO Gaps and Needs for Solution
KMO Gaps Needs for Solution
Knowledge for culture shock and other social
and cultural norms and customs
Needed for graduate students, who did their
undergraduate studies in China
Lack motivation to take the advantage of the
language assistance services provided by the
university
Need to understand the rules about the
services and other possible methods to get
access for language assistance.
Lack motivation to seek mental health
assistance
Need deeper knowledge about the seriousness
of mental health problems and how to seek
help at the university

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Table 17, continued
KMO Gaps Needs for Solution
Knowledge, motivation, and method to help
students find genuine information about
studying abroad
Need basic research skills and sufficient
knowledge about the background and logic of
American higher education system

Summary
To close the KMO gaps, several needs must be met to help Chinese students prepare for
their future academic success. First of all, it is important to start with the education of the
American higher education system’s background, culture, values and logic, for it will set a solid
foundation for all other parts of knowledge and information. Without knowing John Dewey
(2004) and his philosophy on democracy and diversity of education, for instance, it would be
hard to explain why American universities offer so many opportunities and services to
international students. Second, basic language and cultural information should be offered to
graduate level students. Then, a thorough understanding of mental health problems and how to
identify and seek help from university services shall be addressed. The last step is to teach
students how to understand the logic of rules and regulations on campus, how to comply with
them, and how to look for external help under a legal manor.
Solutions
The needs to close the gaps are all knowledge-based information that is required for
Chinese students to understand and grasp before they fly out to their foreign destinations. Hence,
the easiest and most effective solution is to collect and compile the needed knowledge and
information and disseminate them to the students and parents who are preparing for the
international education. Given the large amount of information, it will require a book length
research and reasoning to address all the needs mentioned above. Thus, an evidence-based
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research book will provide audiences with solid and sufficient knowledge on how to prepare for
their future international education.
Moreover, in the information age, the online media is a more effective tool to help spread
information. If the knowledge and information in the book can be produced into online training
courses, the younger generation will be educated in a much easier and more efficient way.
Therefore, writing a book and producing an online training course based on the book will be two
popular means to spread the necessary message out to the largest audiences. Four parts must be
included in the book and online courses: (a) the history and culture of American higher
education, (b) what students and parents need to know about American language and culture, (c)
mental health and how to protect yourself, and (d) follow the rules and know where to find more
help.
History and Culture of American Higher Education
From the previous analysis, Chinese international students normally do not know how
and why the American universities and colleges are established and developed to today’s format.
This is the reason students cannot distinguish the quality of massive information regarding their
future universities and academic programs. Nevertheless, most of their parents also do not know
anything about the history and culture of American higher education. They think American
colleges and universities are like those in China. Nowadays, there are still parents believing that
as long as their kids pass all the standardized tests with exceptional scores, the students will
automatically go to Ivy League schools. But with the efforts from hundreds and thousands of
education counselors in China, more parents and students become aware that besides scores,
there are many other things they need to prepare long before the deadline of applications.
However, many parents still want to manipulate the college application process to take the
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advantage of the system. They mistakenly believe college applications are procedural and
manageable from the parents’ and education counselors’ sides, instead of from the students’ hard
work.
It is apparent that there is no “big picture” of Western higher education in parents’,
students’, and even many education counselors’ minds, so they make college application
manageable in a way deviating from the original goal and mission of American higher education
itself. Therefore, a clear background of how American higher education system evolves, what to
expect from the system, and where the best fit is becomes the cornerstone of all the other
knowledge and information about preparing for higher education in the US.
In the first part of the book, a comprehensive survey of literature regarding the history
and development of American universities and colleges needs to be reviewed. The aim of this
literature review is to identify the vision and mission of the development of American
universities. The evolvement of the logic of the establishment of the higher education system in
the US. The different education goals of different types of schools: research universities,
teaching universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges; or public universities vs.
private ones; or traditional schools vs. online colleges. An analysis of the US News and World
Report university ranking system is also appropriate to examine how and what parents and
student should interpret and utilize this tool, but not obsessed by it.
American Language and Culture
Language cramming schools are still useful in terms of getting familiar with the exams
and understand the logic behind the questions and formats. It cannot replace the communicative
language learning environment. If the decision can be made earlier in the student’s educational
path, choosing an international or independent school or an international program affiliated to a
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public school will better prepare the student’s language capabilities, especially at the daily and
academic communication level. The basic comparison of international curriculum programs and
schools are examined and compared here. The goal is to offer students and parents a better
understanding of the academic and curriculum differences across many popular international
education programs offered in Chinese independent schools. Examples of reputable summer
programs for undergraduate and graduate students will be analyzed and recommended here.
If there is no such luxury and the decision is made abruptly, there are still ways for
students to better prepare for international education. Short-term transfer or participation in
academic summer programs to experience the Western education and language environment
should be an ideal choice. There will be programs and recommendations provided in the book
and the training course to guide students’ and parents’ choices. This should be especially
beneficial for students who are studying at Chinese colleges and universities.
It is also important to introduce the details about the university academic culture in the
US. This is different from the university history and development discussed in the first part. It is
a section to introduce the procedural issues and academic as well as administrative processes that
a new student should know. However, this is the most difficult part of the book and the training
course because for many different school cultures, it is very hard to verbalize and explain. The
students will have to experience these cultures before they can understand and remember the
nuances. Therefore, specific case analyses in the book and the real situation simulations in online
teaching will be offered.
Mental Health and Ways to Protect Oneself
Although many participants indicated that mental health was not a cultural taboo any
longer in China, it is still difficult for a Chinese parent to admit his or her child has learning
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disabilities. But it is true that more and more parents are willing to face these issues and actively
cooperate with schools to work on their kids’ problems. However, there is still a problem of
information deficiency. Normally, Chinese families would never think that the mental health
problems will occur to their children. Hence, the motivation for seeking information regarding
mental health issues is limited. Therefore, it is essential to carefully explain to parents and
students what the mental health problems are and how to face them positively. In this part,
several key forms of mental health problems will be discussed. Methods to prevent, identify, and
actively treat these problems will be explained. Several case studies will be presented and
analyzed.
Rules, Regulations, and Ways to Seek More Help
Many of the knowledge and practices trained in this section are common sense
information, such as how to use a library, and only generic skills universally applied in most
colleges and universities can be trained. In this case, there might still be gaps between what
students learn and the reality, when students discovered the nuances of their schools from what
has been told in the book or online course. Hence, one of the key pedagogies is to enable
students by helping them understand the logic behind the design and setup of university policies
and facilities. This requires a thorough understanding of the structure and management of an
American university. A significant effort in studying and researching a university is required.
Summary of Solutions
With these four parts, a solution – a carefully researched book and produced online
course – will provide students with entry knowledge to be ready for the international education.
Moreover, the best outcome cannot be achieved without the relevant change in the American
university side. Students, regardless of language proficiency levels and familiarity of the Western
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119
culture, will still encounter all sorts of problems in and out of the university campus. The
university could still maintain a fixed attitude toward the fast-changing environment and not give
more consideration for the needs of international students, but the consequence would be simple:
the learning environment is getting more and more unfriendly to international students and fewer
would choose to study at this school.
The opposite attitude toward the gradually worsening environment is to coop with
international students’ real needs, providing with language translation facilities and staff
members, communicating more effectively with students and parents about the development and
difficulties of the university. It is understandable that the official language at a US university
should still be English, at least academically and socially. But for medical and health purposes, if
linguistically more diversified doctors and nurses are provided, more mentally and language-
related issues would be addressed, and more potential problems would be strangled at the very
early stage.
Implementation Plan
The most efficient way to implement the solutions is to make it available both in
publication and online. A high-quality book with detailed cases and academic level research is
the first step to introduce the issue to the audiences. The four-part training course contains a huge
amount of information and it has to be accurate and precise. Thus, a carefully designed
implementation action plan is listed below.
Implementation Action Steps
Research and write a book. Since the four parts of the book require unique research
angles and specialties respectively, the entire research process needs to separate into four steps.
First step is to conduct research on the history and development of American higher education
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120
system. This step is mostly literature review and synthesis. Major books and articles about
American higher education history, philosophy, and values are needed for the research. Several
key questions need to be address in this step: what were the major turning points of the
evolvement and change of American higher education system? What were the philosophies to
drive the change? What were the major values that higher education administrators and
practitioners held in each development stage? How did the values change and why they change?
After answering these questions, Chinese parents and students will have a clear picture of why
and how American universities and colleges are developed into today’s situation and what the
values and moralities that these institutions follow. Then, it will establish a foundation for
students to better prepare themselves to be qualified college students. One important value shift
was the inception of the university or college ranking system created by Robert Morse at US
News and World Report. This ranking system has huge impact to influence Chinese students’
and parents’ college selection, which needs further discussion and comparison to the
contemporary higher education values.
The second step would touch upon the American language and culture features. Of
course, each topic in this title deserves a collection of books to study. However, this is not the
purpose of this research. In this book, the focus will be granted only to the international student
related language preparation and cultural knowledge, such as standardized language proficiency
tests and popular American college culture, to help Chinese students better blend into the
American college life. An initial collection of language and culture features will be consulted
and gathered from current Chinese international students studying at US universities. Then, a
survey to more current Chinese college students at US will be conducted to identify 10 most
popular features as the points of analysis in this book.
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The third step shifts attention to the mental health issues with a focus on the Chinese
international students’ frequently encountered problems when studying abroad. Since this is an
entirely different research angle and it requires more medical information, mental health data
collected from university hospitals are desired besides the literature review in this part.
The last step is to introduce the school policies and rules and to explain the rationale
behind the setting of these rules. One private, one public university, and one liberal arts college
will be selected as examples to illustrate and rationalize the rules and regulations. It is not
difficult to seek external assistance for academic related problems. The book will teach students
how to identify and differentiate useful and legal means of external assistance outside of the
universities. Table 18 shows the proposed solution and action steps.
Table 18
Proposed Solution and Action Steps for Book Writing
Proposed
Solution
Action Steps Specific Steps
Research and
write a book
Conduct research on the history
and development of American
higher education system
Find and read literature
Answer research questions
Address ranking issue
Touch upon the American
language and culture features
Collect of language and culture features
from current Chinese international
students studying at US universities
A survey to identify 10 most popular
features
Mental health issues with a focus
on the Chinese international
students’ frequently encountered
problems
Collect mental health data from
American university hospitals
Read and synthesize literature on this
topic
Introduce the school policies and
rules and to explain the rationale
One private, one public university, and
one liberal arts college selected as
examples
Explain how to identify and differentiate
useful and legal means of external
assistance

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Produce an online course. Accordingly, there are also four steps for the online course to
be produced. The first step is to demonstrate the development history of American higher
education. One or two lectures should be dedicated to this section and a documentary style
production is preferred. The second step is about the language and culture in relation to Chinese
international students. In these two lectures, each one will focus on one topic and two guest
lecturers will be invited, who are experts in language studies and American popular culture. The
third step preferably can be produced inside a university hospital with a psychiatrist. More
professional experiences and knowledge can be shared with students. The last two lectures are
planned to be taught with an Office of International Services officer or a high-level officer who
oversees the international student affairs, because these high-ranking officers can share inside
knowledge and more in-depth understandings of university policies and regulations. Table 19
illustrates the proposed solution and action steps of online course production.
Table 19
Proposed Solution and Action Steps of Online Course Production
Proposed Solution Action Steps
Produce an online course
Documentary production of history and development of
American higher education system part
Two guest lecturers are invited in two separate lectures
discussing about language and culture issues
Produced inside a university hospital with a psychiatrist to
talk about international students’ mental problems.
Teach together with a higher-ranking university
international services officer about the university policies
and the background

After the final online course being made and uploaded, other promotional marketing
activities will be implemented to make the future parents and students aware of the source to find
the information.
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Proposed Timeline
Table 20 lists the timeline for the proposed solutions. The book writing will start right
after the end of the Global Education Doctoral program in the end of July 2018 and it is expected
to be finished in six months. The online course production will begin in February 2019 and
scheduled to complete in July 2019, which will serve the needs of the class of 2023
undergraduate students and the class of 2021 graduate students. Several of the action steps will
be implemented simultaneously due to the time or resource availability.
Table 20
Timeline for the Proposed Solutions
Proposed Solution Specific Steps Timeframe
Research and write
a book
Find and read literature
July 20, 2018 to August 20,
2018
Answer research questions
August 21, 2018 to September
1, 2018
Address ranking issue
September 2, 2018 to
September 15, 2018
Collect of language and culture features
from current Chinese international
students studying at US universities
August 1, 2018 to August 20,
2018
A survey to identify 10 most popular
features
August 28, 2018 to September
15, 2018
Collect mental health data from
American university hospitals
September 16, 2018 to
October 14, 2018
Read and synthesize literature on this
topic
September 16, 2018 to
October 14, 2018
One private, one public university, and
one liberal arts college selected as
examples
October 15, 2018
Explain how to identify and differentiate
useful and legal means of external
assistance
October 16, 2018 to
November 15, 2018
Write up the book
November 16, 2018 to
January 31, 2019

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Table 20, continued
Proposed Solution Specific Steps Timeframe
Produce an online
course
Documentary production of history and
development of American higher
education system part
February 10, 2019 to March
31, 2019
Two guest lecturers are invited in two
separate lectures discussing about
language and culture issues
April 1, 2019 to April 20,
2019
Produced inside a university hospital
with a psychiatrist to talk about
international students’ mental problems.
April 21, 2019 to May 31,
2019
Teach together with a higher-ranking
university international services officer
about the university policies and the
background
April 21, 2019 to May 31,
2019
Complete edit and production section
work
June 1, 2019 to July 15, 2019

Evaluation Plan
After reading the book or taking the designed online course, students and parents are
expected to have relevant and sufficient knowledge about what they should expect and encounter
in their future education abroad. In order to know whether the training program is efficient and
effective, it is important to conduct a formal evaluation (Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2006) identify four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning,
behavior, and results/impact (p.26). These comprehensive levels of evaluation can accurately
help understand the functions and effectiveness of the proposed online training course or the
book. Hence, an evaluation plan is proposed in this section.
Level One: Reaction
At the first level, all of the students and parents, who have taken the training programs,
will be asked to fill out an evaluation survey form at the end of each course. At this stage, their
immediate feelings about the training program will be discovered with the analysis of all the
collected survey results. However, the survey can only demonstrate their short-term feelings
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125
about the classes they have just taken. There is no indication of what they understand and learn
from the program in the long-run. That is the reason why we need to know how much they have
learned.
Level Two: Learning
The second level of evaluation is to measure how much and what the students and parents
have learned from the book or the training course. If the online course is offered as a regular or
extracurricular course in high schools, the second evaluation step will be easy to achieve.
Regular class quizzes and final exams can effectively examine how well they have learned the
knowledge, concepts, and living skills taught in the online course. However, if this is a public
course offered to parents, it is impractical to conduct a quiz or exam at the end of each session.
Hence, one of the effective ways to evaluate how much do parents learn after a training program
is to design some group games or reality simulation cases for parents to practice the knowledge
they have just learned. In these games or simulations, parents are placed in their children’s
positions in a foreign education environment. Their reactions and knowledge used to address
issues and solve problems can be used as means to test how much they have learned from the
courses.
Level Three: Transfer
Both of the above evaluations are conducted almost immediately after the training
programs. However, in order to know whether the training is helpful in solving international
education problems, it is necessary to know how much parents and students bring the knowledge
learned back to make changes of their actions toward preparing for their future education
overseas. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2006) do not recommend conducting a repetitive survey
because the self-report mechanism is not objective and reliable. Nevertheless, it is almost
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126
impossible to observe each student’s performance since they are very likely to scatter all over the
world. However, the parents’ and students’ behavioral changes can normally reflect on their deep
understanding of the American education culture and their thorough comprehension of the
education means and goals. Hence, it should be easily observable about their changes on
perspectives of university application outcomes, as well as their choices for future education.
Instead of purely chasing for rankings and using inappropriate methods to obtain university
admissions, students and parents should focus more on selecting best fit schools to their
education needs and learning the most out from that school. Therefore, an observation and
evaluation of their university application behavior might indicate how much they know about the
education culture in the Western countries.
Level Four: Results
The last, but most important, step is to assess the long-term impact of the book or the
online course. This evaluation should be relatively easy because the long-term goal of this course
– to eliminate the academic, social, mental and behavior problems while studying abroad – is
observable. In the long-run, it is expected to see the significant drop of data regarding Chinese
international students’ problems encountered at the beginning semester studying in the US. Since
it is unlikely that all students studying abroad would take the training course or read the book, a
comparison analysis between students who take the training courses and who do not can offer a
more stringent evaluation on the effectiveness of this training program.
Summary of Evaluation
With all four levels of evaluation of my proposed training program (also see Table 21),
an assessment report on how effective my training program is, where the program needs to make
improvement, and how to do it will be produced. The role of evaluation is crucial in terms of
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127
making sure that the research book and the online course is pertinent to the problems addressed.
Students will learn sufficient knowledge and will be able to practice it after they go to the US to
study. Students who take the training classes will be fully confident about their future education
abroad!
Table 21
Four Steps of Evaluation
Solution
proposed
How you will
assess Satisfaction,
engagement with
your intervention
(Level 1)
How you will
assess learning,
commitment,
confidence
(Level 2)
How you will assess
behavior change,
application of
learning
(Level 3)
How you will assess
impact
(Level 4)
Write a book
and produce an
online video
course, either
free to
audiences or
charge only a
small amount of
maintenance fee
to cover the
cost.
• The electronic
“smile” forms
at the end of
each training
session are
necessary
• The students
and parents
who have
taken the
training course
will be asked
about their
understanding
and takeaway.
• The training
course requires
email or cell
phone
registration, so
the information
parents or
students
provided can
be utilized as a
communication
channel for this
evaluation.
• Moreover,
some group
games or
reality
simulation
cases will be
designed for
parents to
practice the
knowledge
they have just
learned.
Students might
feel interested
in this game,
but parents’
reactions are
yet to be
tested.
• It should be
easily
observable the
changes on
perspectives of
university
application
outcomes as
well as the
choices of their
future
education.
• An observation
and evaluation
of university
application
behavior will
indicate how
much they
know about the
education
culture in the
Western
countries.
• Conduct an
online survey to
the trainees
about their final
decisions on
applying and
selecting
universities.
• A significant drop
of Chinese
international
students’ mental,
social, and
behavioral
problems
encountered at
the beginning
semester studying
in the US should
be observed.
• The long-term
impact will be
assessed by
obtaining
comparative data
from universities
in the US to
evaluate the
performance
between students
who take our
course and who
does not after
studying in the
US for a few
semesters.

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

128
Limitations and Future Research
Research and Analysis
For the entire research, the limitation is obviously the small sample size collected from
the survey and the interview. As a consequence, the data may not significantly represent the
entire population. Moreover, the data and research were done at USC, which is considered as one
of the elite research university by the US News and World Report University Ranking Report.
Thus, there is no comparison between this kind of elite private universities to other large public
universities, where a large number of Chinese international students are studying and residing at
and might encounter some unique problems and challenges. If one public university can be
selected and the same research can be repeated there, the comparative research and data will
provide a full picture and make this research more robust.
Implementation and Evaluation
The largest problem for the implementation and evaluation stages lies in the limited time
and financial resources. It is preferable to find donors or to join in a university’s research
program to secure enough fund for the book research and the online course production.
Nevertheless, this entire book research and writing and online course production processes
require a team of full-time staff to fully engaged in the work in order to make high-quality
products. Moreover, marketing and promoting of the book and online course to a broader
audience also require professional teams to manage.
If all four steps of evaluation results are satisfactory, future research should focus more
on how to make this training course more effective and sustainable. The life cycle of this kind of
training courses is short, because of the rapidly educational environment. It should be regularly
updated to help keep the pace of the change.
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

129
Conclusion
In this study, gap analysis was utilized to identify the knowledge, motivation and
organization (KMO) influences that affect Chinese international students’ preparedness for
education in the US. The improvement model was utilized to determine gaps in the knowledge,
motivation and organization domains that make it challenging for Chinese students to be well
prepared for their academic success abroad.
Surveys and interviews were conducted to collect, analyze, and evaluate data related to
assumed influences regarding the students’ language barriers, culture adjustment, mental health,
social and disciplinary understanding, and their preparation before studying abroad.
With the growth of the Chinese economy, it is very likely that more Chinese middle-class
families will be sending their children to study or immigrate to Western countries. Among all the
developed nations, the US will likely continue to be the largest destination for Chinese families.
No parent wants their children to struggle in another country, and all of them want to see their
kids thrive and realize their American dream. As a result, the demand for more accurate and
authentic information in preparing Chinese students to succeed in the US will also increase.
With the assistance of technology today, information about studying abroad and
preparation is not scarce, but actually too abundant. News reports, WeChat posts, blogs, personal
videos, and stories, all discuss the industry. The information is sometimes too large, reaching the
limit of people’s “bounded rationality,” which means people cannot make the best choice based
on all the knowledge in the entire industry. People end up only making decisions based on the
information that they could or choose to reach and comprehend (Simon, 1991).
Among all the information channels, there is a lack of authentic and authoritative,
evidence-based information that provides Chinese parents and students with not only the
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

130
knowledge on how to prepare for their international education journey, but, more importantly,
that educates them on how to understand Western educational ideologies and rationalities – and
presented in Chinese. With the knowledge and skills offered in the book and online-training
courses, Chinese parents and students will be able to easily identify the best resources to prepare
for study in the US.

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131
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APPENDIX A
Survey Protocol
Demographic Information

1. Which USC School/College are you in?

2. What is your major?

3. Are you a:
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate Student
Non-degree Language Program Student

4. What was your high school type:
a traditional public high school (Gaokao Track);
an international program at a public high school,
an international school (private/bilingual),
a high school not in China,
other, please specify: _____________________

5. For Graduate Student, where did you do your undergraduate study?
Mainland China
US
All other places

6. Where do you live in China?
Urban region
Rural region

Language Proficiency

1. How would you rate your English language proficiency level when you started your first
semester at USC?

Very Poor Somewhat OK Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 6

2. What is the range of your TOEFL Score? Please select from the following choices.
A. Above 110
B. From 105 to 109
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C. From 100 to 104
D. From 95 to 99
E. From 90 to 94
F. Below 90

3. How do you rate your current English language proficiency?

Very Poor Somewhat OK Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 6

4. How would you rate the English courses (both academic courses and examination
preparation trainings) you took in China to help your academic and social transition at
USC?

Least helpful Somewhat Very Helpful
1 2 3 4 5 6

5. Before you came to USC, do you ever know that you can receive language help in both
academic courses and writing support services?
A. Yes
B. No

6. Have you ever required to take any English language courses (EAL courses) at USC?
A. Yes
B. No

7. If yes, how would you rate the EAL courses you have taken at USC help improve your
language skills for academic and social purposes?

Least helpful Somewhat Very Helpful
1 2 3 4 5 6 I have not taken any English Courses.

8. Have you ever sought any English language-related assistance from the Writing Center at
USC Dornsife College?
A. Yes
B. No

9. If yes, how often do you visit the Writing Center?
A. Never
B. Less than once a month
C. Once a month
D. Twice to four times a month
E. More than four times a month
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Cultural Adjustment and Social Transition

1. Please rate your knowledge of American culture before you started at USC.

Very Poor Somewhat OK Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 6

2. Had you ever studied in the US before you entered USC? This includes summer
programs, study in a high school, study abroad or study at another US university.
A. Yes
B. No

3. Which of the following sources did you use to obtain information regarding education in
the US before you start your study at USC (maximum three choices)?
A. WeChat Posts
B. Weibo posts
C. News reports
D. Education Counslors/Agents
E. Peers/Other Chinese students
F. Parents
G. Other, please specify: ________________

4. Before you came to the US, how easy did you think you can make new non-Chinese
friends?
Very Difficult Somewhat OK Very Easy
1 2 3 4 5 6

5. How much do you want to make local friends before you came to USC?
A. I really want to make American friends so that I can make my life here more
interesting.
B. I am OK with making local friends here. If I can, that’s good. If I cannot, it is not
a big deal.
C. I do not want to make American friends. I know it will be hard for me.
D. I never thought of that.
E. Other, please specify______________________________

6. Do you have at least one friend who is American (American Citizens or Green Card
Holders)?
A. Yes
B. No

7. Do you feel comfortable getting along with your American friend(s)?
A. Yes
B. No
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8. How many times per week you meet or socialize (hanging out, eating outside student
cafeteries, engaging in non-academic conversations, doing sports or shopping together
and etc.) with your American friend(s)?
A. Never
B. Once
C. Twice
D. More than three times

9. How often do you call your family members or relatives in China?
A. Never
B. Less than four times a month
C. Once every week
D. Twice to five times every week
E. More than six times every week

10. Please rate how homesick you felt the first semester at USC.

Not Homesick at all Somewhat Miss Family Members Very Homesic
1 2 3 4 5 6

11. Please rate how much do you feel homesick now at USC.

Not Homesick at all Somewhat Miss Family Members Very Homesic
1 2 3 4 5 6

12. If there is a difference of homesickness between the first semester and now, what
contribute to the change (select up to 3)?
A. Make American friends
B. Make Chinese friends
C. Take part in student clubs and activities
D. Get used to life at USC
E. Academic work is too busy and no more time to homesick
F. Other, please specify______________________________

Health and Safety

1. Before you came to the US, did you know there is free psychological counseling on
campus for students?
A. Yes
B. No

2. As a student here, do you know there are mental health services/counseling on the USC
campus?
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144
C. Yes
D. No

3. Do you think using school mental health service will be considered as culturally
acceptable person by your family and friends in China?
A. Yes
B. No

4. Rate how much do you think you know about the safety issues in the US before you
came.

I knew nothing. I knew some information but not accurate I knew everything.
1 2 3 4 5 6

5. Is there any difference between what you have heard about safety issues in the US and
what you have experienced at USC?
A. Yes, totally different.
B. Somewhat different.
C. No, it is exact the same as what I have heard before I came here.
D. Choose not to answer.

6. Do you feel safe on the USC campus?
A. Yes
B. No

7. Do you feel safe living in the US?
A. Yes
B. No

Academic and Social Behaviors

1. Before you came to the US, did you think did you know that there were academic
advisors who help students with understanding university policy and transitioning to
college?”
A. Yes
B. No

2. Before you came to the US, how did you rate your knowledge about the importance of
the USC Student Handbook?

I knew nothing. I knew some information but not accurate. I knew everything.
1 2 3 4 5 6

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145
3. Before you came to the US, how much did you know about academic integrity at USC,
such as plagiarism or academic misconduct.

I knew nothing. I knew some information but not accurate I knew everything.
1 2 3 4 5 6

4. Is there any difference between what you have heard about American academic intergrity
and what you have experienced at USC?
A. Yes, totally different.
B. Somewhat different.
C. No, it is exact the same as what I have heard before I came here.
D. Choose not to answer.

5. Please rate how much knowledge about academic life (about academic facilities, courses
information, academic burden) in the US before you came to USC?

Very Limited Somewhat OK A Lot Of
1 2 3 4 5 6

6. Please rate how much knowledge about social life (student clubs, orgnaizations, and other
non-academic activities) in the US before you came to USC?

Very Limited Somewhat OK A Lot Of
1 2 3 4 5 6

7. Once you arrived at USC, were you interested in learning more about the different
academic expectations?
Not Very Intersted Somewhat OK Very Much Interested
1 2 3 4 5 6

8. Were you academically and emotionally prepared to study at USC before you came here?
A. Yes
B. No

9. Rate how different you experience about education in the US is as oppsed to what you
have been told by your teachers, couselors, and university application agents?

Totally Different Somewhat different Exactly as what I have been told
1 2 3 4 5 6
I do not have teachers, counselors or agents to tell me these.

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APPENDIX B
Interview Protocol
Demographic Information
1. In your demographic information, you mentioned you graudated from X type of high
school. Could you please tell me what was your experience about the school’s
preparedness for your international education?
Language Proficiency
1. When you encounter English language problems, who do you normally seek help from?
2. What do you think is the most efficient way to improve communicative/academic
language skills?
3. What do you think about your language learning experience before you came to USC?
Cultural Adjustment and Social Transition
1. Before you came to USC, did you think about the kinds of friends that you might make at USC?
Did anyway talk with you about the social life on campus?
2. Before you came to the US, did you know about all of the different sports, clubs and other
activities that are available on campus? If not, what do you think would be important for Chinese
students to know about these activities before they arrive?
3. You mentioned you had previously studied in the US before USC, tell me how does that
experience impact your academic life at USC? Is it helpful? Do you consider yourself
adjust the academic culture here better?
4. Could you please think of one piece of information that you heard of before you start
your academic life at USC being totally different from what you truly experience here in
the US? It can be about academic, social, and any other experience.
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5. Could you please tell me why you have such a homesick experience? What could you do
better to improve the situation?
Health and Safety
1. Before you came to the US, did you know there was free counseling services on campus?
If yes, how did you know?
2. Before you came to USC did you know that students in the US freely seek out counseling
to get help for stress or depression? Is that something your teachers, family or counselors
talked about in China before you came here?
3. Have you ever feel that you are in a dangerous/unsafe situation in the US? Share with me
the story please. What are the differences between you heard about the safety issues in
China and you personal experience here?
Academic and Social Behaviors
1. Before you came to USC, did you think about the kinds of friends that you might make at
USC? Did anyway talk with you about the social life on campus?
2. Please recall last time you went to see your advisor, what issue did you discuss with
him/her? Do you think he/she is helpful or knowledgeable?
3. Do you know the consequences of plagiarism? Comparing to your knowledge about
plagiarism in your culture, do you think such punishment is fair?
4. What are the oddest school rules or regulations you have encountered that are different
from your perspectives or what you think it should be?
5. Have you participated any non-Chinese (dominated by the Chinese students or student
organizations) social activities? What was your role? Do you have any communication
problems?
CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

148
6. Before you came to USC, what did you do to prepare for your academic journey? In
retrospect, do you think your efforts were useful?

CHINESE STUDENTS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR STUDY IN THE US

149
APPENDIX C
Recruitment Email
Dear Students,
This is a survey conducted by Mr. Yongfei Zhao, a student in the Global Ed. D.
program in the Rossier School of Education at University of Southern California. The goal of
this survey is to discover the concerns and problems as an international student you have
experienced so far at USC. The survey will take about 20-30 minutes and no personal
identification will be collected except your email address for our gratitude lucky draws and
following-up communications. After the successful completion of this survey, you will have a
chance to win $50 (two), $20 (five), and $10 (ten) Amazon shopping card.
The survey protocol has been approved by the Internal Review Board at USC. We
thank you for your time to take part in this survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated and
it is absolutely voluntary. To begin the survey, please use the following link. Thank you so
much!

Abstract (if available)

Abstract In the last two decades, many affluent Chinese middle-class families were attracted by the opportunities of Western education and began to send their children to study abroad. With the Chinese international students’ age getting younger and younger, there are more and more problems occurred among this special group of students at the US universities and colleges. The wildly seen problems, both shown in the literature and from the observable empirical evidence, are language barriers, culture shock, mental health issues, social and disciplinary problems, and lack of preparation. This research examines these problems on Chinese international students, who are currently studying at University of Southern California (USC), trying to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organization gaps between the assumed influences and the real situations. ❧ The research result shows that (a) Chinese students and parents need the necessary education on the American higher education system’s background, culture, values and logics

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Asset Metadata

Creator Zhao, Yongfei (author)

Core Title Chinese students’ preparedness for university studies in the United States

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Global Executive

Publication Date 08/03/2018

Defense Date 07/17/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag education counseling,Higher education,international students,Mental Health,OAI-PMH Harvest,preparedness,study abroad

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tambascia, Tracy Poon (committee chair), Krop, Cathy (committee member), Picus, Lawrence O. (committee member)

Creator Email feiworld@gmail.com,zhaoyongfei@goldwayedu.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-49292

Unique identifier UC11670817

Identifier etd-ZhaoYongfe-6618.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-49292 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-ZhaoYongfe-6618.pdf

Dmrecord 49292

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Zhao, Yongfei

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA