China is the top sending country of international students to Western universities. Chinese students can benefit a country's economy and aid in internationalizing campuses, providing opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, as the number of Chinese students is increasing, so is the awareness of their difficulties in acculturating to the Western system of higher education. The literature attributes some of these difficulties to cultural, academic, and social factors. Filling a gap in the research, this cross-level study compares the preparation programs of four different types of secondary institutions. Results of surveys and interviews were correlated between faculty and alumni evaluating satisfaction and effectiveness of university preparation. The students generally were satisfied with their preparation training as compared to the faculty at the secondary schools. Results of this study will help bridge the gap of eradicating the difficulties Chinese students face in the Western higher education system.
","abstract_html":"<p>China is the top sending country of international students to Western universities. Chinese students can benefit a country's economy and aid in internationalizing campuses, providing opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, as the number of Chinese students is increasing, so is the awareness of their difficulties in acculturating to the Western system of higher education. The literature attributes some of these difficulties to cultural, academic, and social factors. Filling a gap in the research, this cross-level study compares the preparation programs of four different types of secondary institutions. Results of surveys and interviews were correlated between faculty and alumni evaluating satisfaction and effectiveness of university preparation. The students generally were satisfied with their preparation training as compared to the faculty at the secondary schools. Results of this study will help bridge the gap of eradicating the difficulties Chinese students face in the Western higher education system.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mills, Bonnie K."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted","degree_discipline":"International Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Chris Cartwright"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:36:09Z","subjects":["Bilingual education","English as a Second Language","International Relations","Social sciences","Education","Chinese students","Cultural adjustment","Intercultural relations","Preparation program","University transition","International and Area Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9781303591266"],"render_values":[{"text":"9781303591266","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/254","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Chris Cartwright"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mills, Bonnie K."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-06-29T09:06:38Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["International Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Bilingual education","English as a Second Language","International Relations","Social sciences","Education","Chinese students","Cultural adjustment","Intercultural relations","Preparation program","University transition","International and Area Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9781303591266","https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/254"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["China is the top sending country of international students to Western universities. Chinese students can benefit a country's economy and aid in internationalizing campuses, providing opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, as the number of Chinese students is increasing, so is the awareness of their difficulties in acculturating to the Western system of higher education. The literature attributes some of these difficulties to cultural, academic, and social factors. Filling a gap in the research, this cross-level study compares the preparation programs of four different types of secondary institutions. Results of surveys and interviews were correlated between faculty and alumni evaluating satisfaction and effectiveness of university preparation. The students generally were satisfied with their preparation training as compared to the faculty at the secondary schools. Results of this study will help bridge the gap of eradicating the difficulties Chinese students face in the Western higher education system.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["148"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Intercultural and academic transitions: A study of the gap between Chinese secondary schools and western universities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Chris Cartwright"],"dc:creator":["Mills, Bonnie K."],"dc:date.available":["2018-06-29T09:06:38Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["China is the top sending country of international students to Western universities. Chinese students can benefit a country's economy and aid in internationalizing campuses, providing opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, as the number of Chinese students is increasing, so is the awareness of their difficulties in acculturating to the Western system of higher education. The literature attributes some of these difficulties to cultural, academic, and social factors. Filling a gap in the research, this cross-level study compares the preparation programs of four different types of secondary institutions. Results of surveys and interviews were correlated between faculty and alumni evaluating satisfaction and effectiveness of university preparation. The students generally were satisfied with their preparation training as compared to the faculty at the secondary schools. Results of this study will help bridge the gap of eradicating the difficulties Chinese students face in the Western higher education system.
"],"dc:identifier":["9781303591266","https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/254"],"dc:rights":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:source":["148"],"dc:subject":["Bilingual education","English as a Second Language","International Relations","Social sciences","Education","Chinese students","Cultural adjustment","Intercultural relations","Preparation program","University transition","International and Area Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Intercultural and academic transitions: A study of the gap between Chinese secondary schools and western universities"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["International Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:36:09Z"}