The research project upon which this article is based aimed to give a voice to the experiences of unaccompanied Chinese mainland students undertaking the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) in an Australian high school. Eleven students aged 18—20 participated. All students completed a written questionnaire (in either English or Mandarin), and six participated in individual interviews. All students described initial difficulty and dissonance in coming to terms with the demands and expectations of the IBDP. Successful students overcame these difficulties by developing new strategies to make sense of the new learning environment, adapting existing learning strategies and maintaining a positive attitude.
Allan, M. ( 2002) ‘Cultural borderlands: a case study of cultural dissonance in an international school’. Journal of Research in International Education1(1): 63-90.
2.
Australian Education International (2007) ‘Market data snapshot: People’s Republic of China’ . Available at: http://www.aei.gov.au/AEI/PublicationsAndResearch/MarketDataSnapshots/MDS_No16_China_pdf.htm (accessed 15 March 2009).
3.
Biggs, J. ( 1994) ‘Asian learners through western eyes: an astigmatic paradox’. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Vocational Educational Research2(2): 40-63.
4.
Biggs, J. ( 1996) ‘Western misconceptions of the Confucian-heritage learning culture’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 45-68. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
5.
Biggs, J. AND Watkins, D. ( 1996) ‘The Chinese learner in retrospect’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 269-85. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
6.
Biggs, J. AND Watkins, D. ( 2001) ‘The paradox of the Chinese learner and beyond’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, pp. 3-26. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
7.
Borden, J. ( 2003) Confucius Meets Piaget - An Educational Perspective on Ethnic Korean Children and their Parents, 2nd edn. Seoul: Seoul Foreign School .
8.
*Brown, R. ( 2002) ‘Cultural dimensions of national and international educational assessment’, in M. Hayden , J. Thompson and G. Walker (eds) International Education in Practice, pp. 66-82. London: Kogan Page .
9.
Chan, C. ( 2001) ‘Promoting learning and understanding through constructivist approaches for Chinese learners’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, pp. 181-203. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
10.
Chan, S. ( 1999) ‘The Chinese learner - a question of style’ . Education and Training41(6/7): 294-304.
11.
Clarke, R. AND Gieve, S. ( 2006) ‘On the discursive construction of the "Chinese learner"’. Language, Culture and Curriculum19(1): 54-73.
12.
Duff, P.A. ( 2005) ‘ESL in secondary schools: programs, problematics and possibilities’, in E. Hinkel (ed.) Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning, pp. 45-64. London : Routledge.
13.
Egege, S. AND Kutieleh, S. ( 2004) ‘Critical thinking: teaching foreign notions to foreign students’. International Education Journal4(4): 75-85.
14.
Fox, E. ( 1985) ‘International schools and the International Baccalaureate’ . Harvard Educational Review5(1): 53-66.
15.
Glaser, B. AND Strauss, A. ( 1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
16.
Hayden, M. AND Wong, C.S.D. ( 1997) ‘The International Baccalaureate: international education and cultural preservation’. Educational Studies23(3): 349-61.
17.
Hofstede, G. ( 1986) ‘Cultural differences in teaching and learning’ . International Journal of Intercultural Relations10: 301-19.
18.
Hu, G. ( 2005) ‘"CLT is best for China" - an untenable absolutist claim’. ELT Journal59(1): 65-8.
19.
IBO (1998) The Extended Essay Guide. Geneva: IBO.
20.
IBO (2009a) ‘Mission statement’ . Available at: http://www.ibo.org/mission/ (accessed 14 March 2009).
21.
IBO (2009b) Diploma Programme Curriculum. Available at: http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum (accessed 14 March 2009).
22.
Jin, L. AND Cortazzi, M. ( 2001) ‘Large classes in China: "Good" teachers and interaction’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, pp. 115-134. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
23.
Kirby, J., Woodhouse, R. AND Ma, Y. ( 1996) ‘Studying in a second language: the experiences of Chinese students in Canada’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences , pp. 141-58. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
24.
Lee, W. ( 1996) ‘The cultural context for Chinese learners: conceptions of learning in the Confucian tradition’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 25-42. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
25.
Li, K. ( 2003) ‘Chinese’, in J. Lo Bianco and C. Crozet (eds) Teaching Culture as Shown Through Language, pp. 53-99. Melbourne : Language Australia Ltd.
26.
Marton, F., Dall’Alba, G. AND Tse, L. ( 1996) ‘Memorising and understanding: the keys to the paradox?’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 69-84. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
27.
McKillop-Ostrom, A. ( 2000) ‘Student mobility and the international curriculum’ , in M. Hayden and J. Thompson (eds) International Schools and International Education, pp. 73-84. London: Kogan Page .
28.
Merriam, S.B. ( 2002) Qualitative Research in Practice: Examples for Discussion and Analysis. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
29.
Mok, I., Chik, P.M., Ko, P.Y., Lo, M.L., Marton, F., Ng, D.F.P. (et al.) (2001) ‘Solving the paradox of the Chinese teacher?’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, pp. 161-81. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
30.
Munro, J. ( 2002) ‘The influence of students’ learning characteristics on progress through the Extended Essay: a component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme’. Journal of Research in International Education2(1): 5-24.
31.
Peterson, A. ( 1972) The International Baccalaureate: An Experiment in International Education. London: George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd.
32.
Pollock, D. AND Van Reken, R. ( 2002) Third Culture Kids: the Experience of Growing up Among Worlds. Maine: Intercultural Press Inc.
33.
Ryan, R. AND Louie, K. ( 2007) ‘Dichotomy or complexity: problematising concepts of scholarship and learning’. Educational Philosophy and Theory39(4): 404-17.
34.
Sahili, F. ( 2001) ‘Teacher-student interaction: attributional implications and effectiveness of teachers’ evaluative feedback’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) Teaching the Chinese Learner: Psychological and Pedagogical Perspectives, pp. 77-98. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
35.
Sawir, E. ( 2005) ‘Language difficulties of international students in Australia: the effects of prior learning experience’. International Education Journal6(5): 567-80.
36.
Shi, L. ( 2006) ‘The successors to Confucianism or a new generation? a questionnaire study on Chinese students’ culture of learning English’. Language, Culture and Curriculum19(1): 122-47.
37.
Strauss, J. AND Corbin, J. ( 1990) ‘Grounded theory research: procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria’. Qualitative Sociology13(1): 3-21.
38.
Tang, C. AND Biggs, J. ( 1996) ‘How Hong Kong students cope with assessment’ , in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 159-82. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
39.
Tsolidis, G. ( 2001) ‘New cultures, new classrooms: international education and the possibility of radical pedagogies’. Pedagogy, Culture and Society9(1): 97-110.
40.
Volet, S. AND Renshaw, P. ( 1996) ‘Chinese students at an Australian university: adaptability and continuity’, in J. Biggs and D. Watkins (eds) The Chinese Learner: Cultural, Psychological and Contextual Influences, pp. 205-20. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.
41.
Webb, G. ( 2005) ‘Internationalisation of the curriculum: an institutional approach’, in J. Carroll and J. Ryan (eds) Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All, pp. 109-18. London : Routledge Falmer.
42.
Xinhua. (2005) ‘China accelerates curriculum reform of elementary education’. Available at: http://www.english.peopledaily.com.cn/200510/06/eng20051006_212654.html (accessed 16 March 2009).
