Cultural Perspectives on Photography Education: An Inquiry into Pedagogy and Student Experiences in Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and University of Wales Trinity Saint David

This doctoral research examines photography education through a cross-cultural lens, centring on Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA) as a primary case study, with comparative reference to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in the UK. Drawing on the author’s experiences in China and the UK, it investigates how cultural and institutional differences shape course organization, implementation, and students’ professional identity formation. Existing Chinese research typically offers one-way introductions to Western experiences, lacking empirical cross-cultural comparisons; Western literature typically reviews disciplinary histories but rarely addresses Chinese contexts. This research attempts to break this one-way flow of knowledge, taking GAFA as the core object and UWTSD as the reference, replacing one-way importation of Western models with bidirectional comparison. The research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires with final-year students, semi-structured interviews with graduates, educators, and industry professionals, and comparative analysis of course documents and literature, using tripartite triangulation (student–educator–industry) for multidimensional insights. The comparison aims not to judge superiority or inferiority but to reveal taken-for-granted local practices to inform potential advancements. Key findings: At GAFA, 44% of photography students entered through major adjustment, starting with limited disciplinary identity; they prioritized aesthetic literacy (47% ranked it paramount) but faced technical anxiety and gaps in soft skills like communication and collaboration. At UWTSD, small cohorts and greater programme autonomy embed writing and theory throughout the creative process, supporting earlier formation of a personal voice, though students face stronger pressure at professional entry. Differences manifest in professional identity paths, aesthetic–technical contradictions, and theory’s curricular role. The research recommends that photography education at Chinese art academies like GAFA leverage strengths in visual literacy and aesthetic judgment by clarifying developmental priorities, adjusting first-year foundations through differentiated instruction for students from diverse backgrounds, and embedding practice-based writing as a process through topic selection, research, production, and reflection to guide interdisciplinary self-positioning. Through empirical bidirectional comparison, this research avoids limitations of one-way importation, proposing operable local adjustments. For Global South institutions with resource disparities, this approach is more practical than adopting ‘international models’, advancing cross-cultural dialogue and localized innovation in photography education.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

dprof

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Sun, Meng

• LB2300 Addysg Uwch
• LB2361 Cwricwlwm
• TR Ffotograffiaeth

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4279