Exploring Chinese postgraduate students' academic adjustment experiences in Australia

From 1990 to 2003, Australia’s share of the global market in cross-border degrees grew from 1% to 9%. Full-fee paying international students now constitute one quarter of enrolments and China has become Australia’s largest source of international students. Against this backdrop, this paper seeks to provide insights into the academic adjustment experiences of a group of Chinese postgraduate students in Australia. To capture the richness of individual cultural and learning experiences for these students, a qualitative approach in gathering data was adopted. Using interviews with 10 postgraduate coursework students from Mainland China, this study investigates a range of academic adjustment issues confronting Chinese postgraduate students in Australian universities. These issues include English language proficiency, learner responsibility, participation in class, assessment and academic conventions. The paper concludes with recommendations for supporting and facilitating the effective adaptation process for international students.