Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Motivations, expectations, and experiences of expatriate academic staff on an international branch campus in China

Cai, Li; Hall, Chris

Motivations, expectations, and experiences of expatriate academic staff on an international branch campus in China Thumbnail


Authors

CHAN LI chan.li@nottingham.ac.uk
Research Fellow

Chris Hall



Abstract

This article explores the experiences of non-Chinese academic staff working on an international branch campus in China. The article presents findings from an interview study that explored the expectations of expatriate staff and what motivated them to want to work abroad. The second part of the article reports on whether and how these expectations and motivations were fulfilled. The findings suggest that, although staff found many benefits from working on the international branch campus, they were insufficiently prepared for the structural and cultural differences inherent in working as an academic in China. The authors argue that more of the academics’ initial expectations and motivations could have been realized if better staff induction and ongoing collective professional development had been in place. In particular, university-level discourse communicated through policy and marketing texts, which promoted the vision of one inclusive and diverse international university community, militated against attention being paid to the structural, political, and cultural differences inherent in working as an academic in China. The authors argue that professional development that acknowledges the differences, difficulties, and disjunctions that staff are likely to encounter in their work is important in building successful international branch campuses both at the level of the organization and of the individual.

Citation

Cai, L., & Hall, C. (2016). Motivations, expectations, and experiences of expatriate academic staff on an international branch campus in China. Journal of Studies in International Education, 20(3), https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315315623055

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Dec 27, 2015
Publication Date Jul 1, 2016
Deposit Date Mar 8, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Studies in International Education
Print ISSN 1028-3153
Electronic ISSN 1028-3153
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 20
Issue 3
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315315623055
Keywords internationalization of higher education (IHE), international branch campus (IBC),
international academic staff (IAS), staff development
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/791923
Publisher URL http://jsi.sagepub.com/content/20/3/207

Files





You might also like



Downloadable Citations