Smiles and challenges: an ethnographically-oriented study into the experiences of a particular group of Thai post-graduate students in UK higher education

Cleary, Angela Mary (2018). Smiles and challenges: an ethnographically-oriented study into the experiences of a particular group of Thai post-graduate students in UK higher education. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This ethnographically-oriented study was initiated when Thai post-graduate scholarship students reported a variety of academic, medical and social problems to staff working at an education office which monitors the welfare of Thai students studying in the UK. This study is particularly timely as there was little existing research into the experiences of Thai students studying outside Thailand.
Drawing on Holliday’s (1999) notion of ‘small cultures’, the study highlights challenges faced by a group of Thai students as they study for a one-year Master’s degree in the UK during 2011-2012. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and classroom observations carried out, with four Thai scholarship Master’s students studying at different UK universities. To expand the breadth of the study, a questionnaire survey of sixty-four Thai scholarship Master’s students studying at universities across the UK was administered. Additional background data were obtained from university teachers by means of semi-structured interviews.
A picture emerges of the complex challenges and pressures faced by overseas students on a one-year degree programme as they seek to adapt to norms and expectations in the UK. The study highlights the individuality of international students, and resists generalisations about national groups. The study proposes implications for the support of international students at universities in the UK.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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