The experience of Mainland Chinese students in pursuing a social work qualification from New Zealand tertiary institutions

Abstract

It is noticeable that more and more Chinese students from Mainland China and migrants in New Zealand are interested in studying social work. However, a paucity of published studies suggests little research has been conducted on their social work learning experiences within New Zealand. A considerable body of literature can be found about Chinese students’ overseas learning experiences but most focus on general educational and pedagogical areas. My own experience of studying social work in New Zealand as a migrant from Mainland China motived me to conduct this research in order to help future Chinese social work students. The overall aim of this research was to investigate what Mainland Chinese students have experienced while studying social work and what needs to be done to improve their learning outcomes. Qualitative research methods have been employed in this study to interview five current Chinese social work students and five graduates from Mainland China in New Zealand either as international students or as migrants. In order to gain the wider perspectives of Chinese students’ learning experiences, five social work educators from different tertiary institutions in the Auckland region were interviewed. The findings from this research indicate that Chinese students’ learning experiences in general are challenging but are also rewarding. Several themes have emerged which indicate that, while many factors contributed to their difficulties, the gap between what Chinese students expected of social work study and what is required from social work study is huge. This study reports also suggestions from both educators and students about how to improve the current situation. A greater understanding of Chinese students’ struggles would enable the schools of social work, the educators and Chinese students to work collaboratively to ensure that Chinese students enjoy the learning and to achieve better learning outcomes from social work study.