Higher Education for International Students in China: A Review of Policy From 1978 to 2020

• Published in: ECNU Review of Education Vol. 4; no. 4; pp. 873 - 889
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yuting, Liao, Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2021; 华东师范大学; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Achievement Tests; Capacity Building; Charities; College English; College Students; Educational History; Educational Policy; Educational Quality; Evidence; Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Globalization; Higher Education; Human Capital; Idealism; Ideology; International Education; Management Information Systems; Pandemics; Policy Analysis; Public policy; Quality Assurance; Quality Control; Reputation; Student Mobility; Student Recruitment; Study abroad; Text analysis; Training; Web Sites; Canada; United Kingdom > UK; Australia; China; qualitative text analysis; policy review; Higher education for international students
• ISSN: 2096-5311; 2632-1742; 2632-1742
• DOI: 10.1177/2096531120974382

Purpose: By reviewing policies on higher education for international students, this article aims to investigate the change of social–historical context, policy issue, and policy solution and provide implications for policymaking. Design/Approach/Methods: The study used qualitative text analysis. One hundred and twelve policy papers were collected from the PKULAW database and the Ministry of Education official website. Deductive categories were constructed under themes like social–historical context, policy issue, and policy solution separately. Findings: Four stages have emerged from the text analysis. The policy focus witnessed a shift from openness to expansion and then to quality. The policies made by the central government changed a lot accordingly. China is increasingly active in higher education internationalization and eager to make the education for international students an attractive brand with high quality. To realize this target, policies should be made based on different types of international students. Additionally, it is necessary that policies provide detailed guidance and accelerate capacity building in all majors. Originality/Value: This study contributes to existing knowledge of higher education for international students in China by providing qualitative policy text analysis, and the insights gained from this study may be of assistance to policymaking in the future.