What Subjects Do Chinese Students Choose to Study in the UK and Why - Essay Example

?Qualitative Research & Case Study Research Dear Dave, I am forwarding this letter in order to inform you that I need your valuable support and help.I believe that you would not be busy in the days to come. I think it is immensely beneficial for both of us. Coming to the point, I have a proposal for you that shall contribute towards creating unique experience as well as enhancing your knowledge. Notably, at the beginning of this month the marketing department of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) offered me a proposal to undertake a research project on their behalf. I duly accepted their proposal and I was excited and looking forward to complete the assigned research project. Additionally, I have already planned the strategy for successfully undertaking the research project. Unfortunately, an incident has erupted in the meanwhile that has resulted in creating certain obstacles for me to move away from my work and curtail the research project in between. Literally speaking, I shall not be able to continue the case study. Thus, I would like you to kindly continue the research project on my behalf. In order to assist you with the research project, I have tried to clearly state the outline for the research project. The letter will make you familiar with the plans and strategies that I have prepared for carrying out the research project. Furthermore, I believe that this plan will assist and guide you throughout the entire research project. Additionally, the proposed question that I have framed for the research study includes ‘what subjects do Chinese students choose to study in the UK and why?’ SOAS has already approved the research question and they were positively willing to fund the research project so that they could bring necessary changes in their marketing strategies in China. It will be worth mentioning to you that the primary reason behind the selection of this research question underlies with my field research that I have undertaken while I was gain invaluable knowledge in university in the United Kingdom. During that time, I spoke to a number of Chinese students about their preferences for studying particular subjects in the UK universities. The findings revealed that Chinese students were more willing to acquire knowledge about Management, Economics and Finance in the UK universities. Nonetheless, the reasons that were obtained from them were not similar rather they possessed varying reasons behind their preferences. My further analysis revealed that People's Republic of China (PRC) is among the highest students’ sender countries to European Union (EU). The statistics postulated that the number of Chinese students coming to the shores of the EU has been in constant rise. Accordingly, during the year 2010-11, the number of Chinese students who migrated to EU countries was ascertained to be 67,325 while their numbers had increased to 78,715 during the year 2011-12 (UK Council for International Student Affairs, 2013). I was eager to identify the reasons behind, why so much of students are interested to arrive and relocate to the UK to study Management, Economics and Finance. More importantly, I believe that this research project shall duly assist in identifying the primary reasons behind the preferences of particular subjects by Chinese fellow students. Furthermore, the study shall also contribute in identifying the drawbacks of marketing strategies in China and additionally it shall assist universities in China to frame strategies that shall immensely help them to attract Chinese students from migrating to other countries particularly to the UK. Thus, the contents of the letter shall assist you to successfully carry out the research project provided that you duly follow the prepared plan. I believe that this study shall prove significantly beneficial for SOAS. Moreover, your hard work shall also be duly appreciated by SOAS and certainly by me. I firmly believe that the detailed plan articulated in this letter shall be sufficient and adequately shall assist you throughout your investigation. Essentially, if you have any doubt or question related with the research project feel free to contact me. I shall be looking ahead to see your research results. The Activity I have already mentioned in the letter above about the primary purpose of the research. Additionally, I would like to re-state that the purpose of the project is to prepare a report for the marketing department of SOAS related with identifying the major subjects that Chinese students are interested in studying in the UK as well as determining the primary reasons behind choosing particular subjects by Chinese students for studying in the UK universities. I am familiar that you do not have any previous experiences or knowledge about such kind of research project. Owing to this issue, I am forwarding you a research plan that shall assist you while conducting research and reaching desired results. The emphasis of your report shall duly be on identifying reasons behind determining the subjects that the Chinese students are interested in studying in the UK universities as well as ascertaining reliable reasons behind their preferences for the particular subjects. The successful completion of the research shall facilitate in deciphering valuable insights to SOAS as well as other universities operating in the UK and China. It is believed that if universities identify the reasons behind the preferences of Chinese students towards studying particular subjects in the UK universities, the other universities will be able to frame their marketing strategies in the best possible manner that shall lead towards attracting more and more Chinese students to their respective universities. Moreover, I believe the research project will require about 8 weeks for completion out of which I have consumed 2 weeks for planning the research activities. Hence, 6 weeks shall be available for you to complete the research project. Essentially, during this course of preparation you shall be required to spend considerable time on compiling qualitative as well as quantitative data. These data shall aid you to ascertain reliable information for drawing inferences and reaching conclusion for the research undertaken. List of Activities According to my knowledge, the most important task related with this research project is the arrangement of appropriate questions while preparing questionnaire and interview (Malhotra, 2013). Owing to the fact that we both have very little knowledge about the preparation of research project, thus, exploratory kind of research shall be undertaken. Furthermore, in order to logically structure the research report and reach a reliable conclusion deductive reasoning shall be applied in the research project (SAGE Publications, 2013). In order to ascertain sufficient information for determining valuable conclusion, it would be suggested to prepare at least twenty questions. Earlier in my plan, I had decided to visit 6 universities in England, Scotland and Wales. This is just to determine whether there exist any differences in the selection of particular subjects or not. Furthermore, it is suggested that questions that are arranged for questionnaire and interviews are simple and short. This will facilitate you to interpret the findings from the questionnaire and interviews more easily. It is advisable that you should duly contact the presidents of Chinese societies prior to making a visit to the universities. This is due to the reason that universities are located in geographically dispersed places in England, Scotland and Wales. It is equally important that you should undertake pilot testing in order to ensure that questions that are incorporated in the questionnaire and the interview questions are reliable enough to obtain valuable information for the research project. Moreover, such testing will also enable you to identify the reactions of the students during the interview session. It will also facilitate you to examine your performance prior to actual session and give you space to improve your performance. I would like to suggest you to ask the questions prepared to at least five Chinese students during the pilot testing session in order to roughly ascertain the quality of interview and questionnaire prepared. Moreover, it is suggested to make at least 100 copies of the questionnaire for each university intended to visit. During the course of your arrival to universities, it is suggested that you should distribute the questionnaire prepared among the Chinese students and make sure that you collect at least 75 of the total questionnaire distributed from each of the universities visited. I believe that gathering at least 75 questionnaire duly filled shall facilitate in providing sufficient data in order to analyse and interpret successfully. It is also advisable for you to remain present near the students while they are filling questionnaires. In order to undertake the interview, it would be advisable to reserve a room that can accommodate at least 25 students. Once the data are successfully collected from the source, your task would be to analyse the data along with identifying pivotal findings. These findings will serve as the primary information for reaching reliable conclusion. Furthermore, the results of the study incorporating relevant findings should be structured in a report format and it should further be sent to the SOAS marketing department. Preliminary Hypotheses It has been recognised that many Chinese students in the UK prefer to study Management, Economics and Finance. However, there are many small but more profound reasons that may be apparent behind the selection of these subjects. I believe that primary reason behind the selection of aforesaid subjects by Chinese students for studying in the UK can be related with high quality education system in the UK followed by suitable opportunity to establish career in the business world. When compared to other subjects, the career opportunities are limited. Moreover, acquiring prestigious degree from the UK in the subject areas of Management, Economics and Finance provides Chinese students with ample scope for establishing their careers in ever-expanding business field within the national boundary of China as well as in the international context. Another vital reason behind the selection of these subjects can be related with rapid integration of Chinese economy with global economy. The Chinese students studying Management, Economics and Finance are immensely lured by the career opportunity provided by the rapidly flourishing Chinese economy. A hypothesis that I have realised is that number of Chinese people perceives acquiring education in the Management, Economics and Finance from the British university as prestigious and an excellent opportunity to establish their career in the business world. It has also been identified that Chinese culture and beliefs are also crucial factors in determining their choices for subjects. Accordingly, it can be believed that those Chinese people studying Management, Economics and Finance in abroad are considered to be of high social status and valuable from the Chinese perspective (Edwards & Ran, 2006). The hypothesis reveals that Chinese students select the aforesaid subjects’ area due to the ample scope for establishing career in the global business world as well as to secure their future. It is worth mentioning that Chinese students study in different parts of the UK and undertake dissimilar subject areas. Thus, it is essential to identify whether there exists a correlation between their selection of the subjects and career opportunities in rapidly flourishing Chinese economy. It has often been observed that the trend for the selection of the aforesaid subjects have increased with the growth in the Chinese economy over the period of times. In the recent times, the Chinese people have significantly related themselves with the business sectors. Additionally, a conversation with a Chinese student revealed that they often avoid talking with strangers’ particularly the people from West. Furthermore, they have the perception that people from the West do not have good perception towards China and its people. Thus, it is suggested that while framing questions for questionnaire and interviews make sure that the questions are not ambiguous and too personal. This may guarantee the reliability of data obtained from the source as well as any sort of biasness in answering the questions by the Chinese students shall be duly eliminated thereby ensuring the successful completion of the research and valuable determination of the research result. Approximate Timeline 1. It is advisable to conduct literature review in order to gain valuable insights and understanding about the concerned matter. Thus, spend three days on the collection of relevant literature and their analysis. 2. Prepare questions for both interviews and questionnaire and print 100 copies of questionnaire for each university to be visited. Assume two days for this task. 3. Conduct a pilot testing for the questionnaire prepared and take interview of at least five candidates. Consider 1 day for this pilot testing. 4. Establish a contact with Chinese Society presidents before visiting universities and reserve a room that can accommodate at least 25 students for the interview purpose. Duly make travel and stay arrangements during the time of visiting the universities. For this purpose, consider at least 1 day duration. 5. It is advisable to visit universities one after another in order to ensure that sufficient time is available for analysing data obtained from the sources. It is further advisable for you to keep a book containing time schedule for every activity. More specifically consider 15 days for visiting universities in England, Scotland and Wales including three days of each location. 6. After collecting all the data, you should move ahead with interpreting research results. Consider six days for interpreting results. 7. Once, the results are interpreted, carefully analyse the findings which should not consume more than two days. 8. Finally, prepare a report for SOAS which would not consume more than 12 days. I firmly believe that a few of these tasks are quite tough to perform single handed. Thus, I would make a suggestion to hire helpers for your assistance. However, helpers you hire should be properly briefed about the purposes and objectives of the research project in order to omit any sort of carelessness as well as for ensuring greater reliability of the research results. It is also advisable that you should codify the research findings according to date and university’s name so that it would be easy for you to locate data while preparing research report for SOAS. Another simple way in which coding can be used could be on the basis of grouping similar answer that is being gathered from different universities. It is equally important that the questions that have been prepared for the questionnaire and interview purpose are simple and easy to be understood by the respondents. Nonetheless, these questions should also focus on varying aspects related with the research project. An example of question framed for the purpose of attaining quantitative answer is being illustrated below: ‘Tick’ (v) mark the most appropriate answer: Does a parent play a crucial role in deciding the subjects to be undertaken by their children studying in the UK? Yes No Notably, the qualitative and quantitative questions differ largely. An example of qualitative question is also being presented below: What is the primary reason that has attracted you to choose particular subjects for studying in the UK universities? It is worth mentioning that the both the questions illustrated above immensely vary from one another. In the former question, the students are required to choose and tick the most relevant answer for the question while in the later question the students are required to make their own reasons for the questioned prepared. Thus, it is quite difficult for you to codify these different answers. In other words, the system of coding at times causes problems when the answer provided by the students is based on personal perception rather than general. Research Costs Determining the research costs is often a very difficult task as the processes involved in the research projects are subjected to change depending on the certain specific situations. For instance, travel costs may be more than the estimated one due to certain problems that may occur unexpectedly which may be around ?400. At the same time, accommodation charges may also vary from place to place which may cost ?50 for an overnight stay. Additionally, renting a room for the interview purpose may also cost you around ?400 for a day. Similarly, printing of questionnaire may amount to 5p for each questionnaire. Furthermore, if you wish to hire helper, it would cost a maximum of ?100 a day which needs to be paid for 8 days. Thus, the total cost for the research project can be estimated as ?2450. Literature Review Literature review is often ascertained to be an important aspect while conducting research projects. Literally speaking, literature review consists of evaluating the work of other academicians which have been studied by other persons on the similar topics. I shall provide you with a brief outline about the literature review section that would help you to critically make research regarding the concerned matter of the research topic. Notably, you can find relevant data on the UK Council for International Students Affairs website. The website will be helpful for you to compile data related with the research topic. Moreover, these data shall aid you to prepare questions for your questionnaire and interview purpose (UK Council for International Student Affairs, 2013). An article named ‘Chinese Students Abroad: Why They Choose the UK and How They See Their Future’ will highly be helpful for you in determining the perception possessed by Chinese students towards their career development. Essentially, this article describes why Chinese students decide to pursue their education in the UK and take particular subject areas while attending in the UK universities. This article will further aid you to extract valuable information about the Chinese students and their perceptions (Gale, Cengage Learning, 2011). Another article, ‘The International Journal of Management Education’ shall help you to determine the factors that play a crucial role in decision making of Chinese students. Furthermore, this journal will also facilitate you to understand the influence of culture on their decision making process. Undoubtedly, this journal will provide you with valuable insights for your research projects (Rudd & et. al., 2012). Conclusion I firmly believe that this letter will greatly acquaint you with the details of the research project and guide you throughout the course of the project completion. However, there is not much work done on this subject which may limit your research work. Consequently, you have to face certain problems while preparing questions for questionnaire and interview purpose. In spite of this fact, I am quite certain that you will be able to undertake this research project well and further I hope you will give your best to reach a reliable conclusion. I will look forward for your cooperation. Once again, feel free to ask me anything related with research project. Best of Luck. Yours Sincerely, References Edwards, V. & Ran, A., 2006. Meeting the Needs of Chinese Students in British Higher Education. The University Of Reading, pp. 1-18. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2011. Chinese Students Abroad: Why They Choose the UK and How They See Their Future. Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Chinese-students-abroad-why-they/252192366.html [Accessed April 10, 2013]. Malhotra, N. K., 2013. Questionnaire Design and Scale Development. Georgia Institute of Technology, pp. 176-202. Rudd, B. & et. al., 2012. Chinese Students' Decision-Making Process: A case of a Business School in the UK. The International Journal of Management Education, Vol. 10, Iss. 2 pp. 129-138. SAGE Publications, 2013. An Invitation to Qualitative Research. Qualitative Practice, pp. 1-14. UK Council for International Student Affairs, 2013. International Students in UK Higher Education: Key Statistics. Statistics. [Online] Available at: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/about/statistics_he.php#table6 [Accessed April 10, 2013]. Read More