Limited English proficiency challenges Chinese students in UK: report

By Minh Nga   December 16, 2024 | 03:13 pm PT
Limited English proficiency challenges Chinese students in UK: report
Graduates gather outside Senate House after their graduation ceremony at Cambridge University in eastern England, Oct. 23, 2010. Photo by Reuters
U.K. universities need to reform admission processes and enhance language support as they face an influx of Chinese students with inadequate English skills, a report has said.

The report, published by British think tank Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) and consultancy Uoffer Global last week, highlights that Chinese students will continue to be an important group for the future of U.K. higher education institutions and argues that U.K. universities should do more to help Chinese students integrate into the U.K. while they study.

There are currently over 154,000 Chinese students at British higher education institutions, accounting for over 25% of international students, the largest ethnic group.

Within a decade between 2011 and 2021 their numbers increased from less than 79,000 to over 150,000.

While concerns persist about U.K. universities' heavy reliance on Chinese students, the report emphasizes that addressing their integration challenges should be intensified rather than scaled back.

It would be a mistake for universities to be complacent about the enrollment numbers of Chinese students, it warns.

"If U.K. universities do not manage their recruitment of Chinese students carefully, the number of Chinese applicants may drop sharply rather than gradually decline, leaving a hole that other countries do not fill."

To prove this point, it cites the case of Australia, which suffered a 39% drop in the number of Chinese students between 2019 and 2022.

It quotes Maddalaine Ansell, director of education at the British Council, as saying, "There are no other countries that offer the same volume of high-quality students as China."

She warns that "seeking to recruit international students from elsewhere will not provide an easy answer to financial sustainability."

U.K. universities are highly reliant on Chinese students for financial stability.

An article by British magazine Times Higher Education earlier this year said Russell Group universities earned approximately £8.8 billion (US$10.9 billion) in tuition during the 2021-22 school year, with £2.3 billion (26%) of it coming from Chinese students.

But there is a risk that the U.K. will become less popular among Chinese students, with recent data showing a negative trend is already underway.

A 2023 report by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which provides educational support services in the U.K., revealed that the number of Chinese applicants had declined for the first time in a decade, falling 4% to 27,710.

As such, effort and investment in Chinese students "should be ramped up rather than reduced," the Hepi report suggests.

A fundamental part of this is putting resources behind enabling the smooth transition of Chinese students from China to the U.K. and supporting their integration once they have arrived, it says.

Data shows that Chinese students’ English language proficiency is markedly lower compared to peers from other nations like India and Malaysia.

Critics argue that standardized tests such as IELTS may fail to accurately reflect their real-world language abilities.

The Chinese education system's emphasis on intensive tutoring and rote learning allows students to pass English exams but leaves them struggling with fluency and confidence, especially in spoken English, upon arriving in the U.K.

Surveys conducted for the report found that around one-third of Chinese postgraduates rated their English language skills below university-required levels.

Jolleen, who went on to study at the University of Exeter, says the two years she spent preparing for IELTS were "not effective."

The exam "did not prepare [her] for life in the U.K.," she explains.

Despite spending two years and over £6,400 on IELTS, she only managed to score 6 out of 9 in IELTS and had to re-sit the exam. Yet when she arrived in the U.K. to start her postgraduate degree, her English was "limited."

IELTS is widely seen as the preferred testing tool globally and is the top choice among Chinese students, with 500,000 of them taking it annually.

However, the test has systemic weaknesses, and Alison Standring, deputy director of the Language Center at the London School of Economics, explains: "Studying for IELTS can sometimes do a disservice to students ... and is not an authentic assessment of the way they are going to perform at university."

Jinying, a graduate of LSE, says IELTS testing is preferred over other options as it is easier to prepare for, but the test is "very general" and only assesses "basic language skills."

With limited English, social isolation becomes another challenge for Chinese students, with 21.4% of students having only Chinese friends and another 10.7% having limited connections with Britons.

Other contributing factors include restricted accommodation options, often resulting in Chinese-only lodging and limited access to information.

After graduation Chinese students reportedly have more difficulty securing employment in the U.K. compared to peers from other nations, compounding their concerns.

The research for the report engaged over 100 participants, most of whom were undergraduate and postgraduate students from across mainland China and who were undertaking a range of different courses at universities in the U.K.

The report’s author, Pippa Ebel, says many Chinese students feel their relationship with U.K. universities is purely transactional, and lament the lack of support and understanding they get.

It is therefore in the interest of U.K. universities to improve how connected their Chinese students feel during their time on campus, she says.

"My research revealed that some Chinese students feel that U.K. higher education institutes see them as a revenue stream rather than important social and academic contributors to the university."

The report recommends alternatives to the IELTS exam, such as video interviews to assess speaking skills and a greater focus on non-academic competencies during admissions.

It also suggests offering free weekly language and cultural classes to help Chinese students integrate more effectively.

Engaging with agents in China to diversify the distribution of students across institutions and improving accommodation support to promote mixed-cultural housing are also advised.

 
 
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