Author: Tong MENG

International Education in Transition: Perceptions of Expatriate Leadership at a Chinese School Delivering an Australian Curriculum

Cutri, J., Bunnell, T., & Poole, A. (2024). International education in transition: perceptions of expatriate leadership at a Chinese school delivering an Australian curriculum. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 1-18.

In recent years, private ‘non-traditional’ English-medium international schooling has grown significantly, particularly in mainland China, which has housed the most international schools since 2019. Most international schools (52%) offer a UK-based curriculum, driven by demand from a ‘new rich’ entrepreneurial class seeking ‘flexible citizenship’ and ‘positional advantages’ in the global higher education and labour market (Young, 2018; Ma & Wright, 2023; Wright, 2024). This shift marks a transition from a Western-led, values-inspired dimension focused on global peace to a globalist approach characterised by international standards and imagined futures in the Global West (Cambridge & Thompson, 2004). However, the dynamics between expatriate and host country cultures within this evolving landscape remain unexplored (Gibson & Bailey, 2023). ISC Research recently highlighted that a third of all international schools are bilingual, offering an English-speaking curriculum alongside a host nation-based curriculum.

In China, the rapid emergence of bilingual international schools catering to local students has led to 32% offering British-based Advanced Level, 15% American-oriented Advanced Placement, and 27% the IB Diploma Programme (Probert, 2022). These schools, constituting 66% of all international schools in China, provide an alternative pathway to international education for local students without overseas passports, though parental motivations remain underexplored (Keeling, 2019; Wright et al., 2022; Wu & Koh, 2023). Unofficially termed ‘Chinese Internationalised Schools’ (CIS), these institutions are reshaping the international school sector in China through local processes (Wu & Koh, 2022).

Set within this context, this article focuses on a Chinese senior school offering an Australian-accredited curriculum, the Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE), to Chinese children, offering a direct pathway to Australian universities. Interviews with the expatriate Australian leadership team based in China demonstrate how a pragmatic model has emerged that offers an alternative, high-quality, branded pathway for Chinese children to enter Higher Education beyond China (mainly in Australia) yet is delivered within the cultural/social/political boundaries that the Chinese state will accept. The arrangement is strictly overseen and regulated and open to sudden, unanticipated changes. We speculate that this might be a model that other nation-states might follow as more local parents/children buy into private ‘non-traditional’ international schooling. Furthermore, the expatriate leadership are crucial in managing and expanding the VCE program in China, ensuring that it aligns with Australian educational standards and Chinese cultural expectations. Our paper extends this metaphor through the example of the VCE program, accredited by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority and delivered in Chinese schools under the supervision of Australian partner schools.

The VCE-in-China program, overseen by Chinese and Australian leadership, allows Chinese students to complete an Australian curriculum and enter foreign universities. This initiative represents China importing international education rather than exporting a foreign model. The Australian school facilitates the operation of its curriculum within a Chinese setting, adhering to Chinese regulations and cultural norms. This model, not widely discussed in international education scholarship, exemplifies ‘Sinicisation’—aligning foreign education with Chinese socialist market models to support economic development (Wang, 2015). The power of the Chinese state in providing alternative pathways for local students is evident, with new regulations introduced in 2021 further shaping this landscape (Wu & Koh, 2023).   

The study delves into the perceptions of expatriate leadership at the Sino-Australian Academy (SAA), a Chinese school delivering the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) curriculum. This initiative is set against the backdrop of China’s post-2001 market reforms and the increasing internationalisation of education. The expatriate leadership team faced significant challenges reconciling their leadership norms with the realities of the Chinese educational context. The VCE brand, associated with a prestigious Australian private school, highly appeals to Chinese parents, offering a pathway to higher education in Australia and beyond. This appeal aligns with the trend of non-traditional international schools providing perceived distinction and positional advantage.

The study revealed five major themes: Chinese educational culture, bilateral educational partnership, agency and identity, transnational aspirations, and Australian academic adjustments. This reflexive and interpretative process aimed to preserve participants’ voices and faithfully represent their stories. The study highlights the complexities of leadership dynamics in Sino-foreign educational ventures, emphasising the importance of cultural sensitivity, effective branding, and regulatory compliance.

The research highlights the complexities of operating within the Chinese regulatory framework, emphasising the need for cultural sensitivity. Expatriate leaders must balance upholding educational standards with adhering to local regulations under the oversight of the Chinese Executive Principal (CEP), who ensures compliance with national sovereignty and cultural values. This study is significant in international education as it reveals the unique challenges expatriate leaders face and their influence on students’ educational experiences in a cross-cultural context. It contributes to understanding leadership in international schools, particularly in non-Western settings, and offers insights into the evolution of international education in a globalised world.

The findings suggest that the pragmatic model of international education provides a reliable pathway for Chinese students to access higher education abroad while retaining their national identity.  The study provides valuable insights into the leadership dynamics, regulatory challenges, and cultural adaptations of delivering an Australian curriculum in a Chinese school, emphasising the importance of a localised approach to international education. It highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of how Western educational systems operate in non-Western settings. Hence, the research challenges Western-centric notions, advocating for models that respect international aspirations and local cultural norms and calls for further investigation into the long-term outcomes and adaptability of such educational models in China. This model represents a shift in international education, advocating for models that respect international aspirations and local cultural norms.

References

Cambridge, J., & J. Thompson. (2004). “Internationalism and Globalization as Contexts for International Education.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 34 (2): 161–175.

Gibson, M. T., & L. Bailey. (2023). “Constructing International Schools as Postcolonial Sites.” Globalisation, Societies & Education 21 (3): 405–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2022. 2045909. 

Liu, S. (2018). “Neoliberal Global Assemblages: The Emergence of ‘Public’ International High-School Curriculum Programs in China.” Curriculum Inquiry 48 (2): 203–219. https://doi.org/10. 1080/03626784.2018.1435977217.

Ma, Y., & E. Wright. (2023). “Expanding Flexible Citizenship: Chinese International School Students and Global Mobilities for Higher Education.” Social Transformations in Chinese Societies 19 (2): 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1108/STICS-05-2022-0010 .

Keeling, A. (2019). “Education in China – A Growing Market.” International Teacher Magazine, April.

Probert, S. (2022). “China: The Under-Researched Nexus of Activity.” Journal of Research in International Education 21 (3): 228–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409221140627 .

Tan, C. (2019). “Neoliberalism as Exception: The New High-Quality School Project in Shanghai.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 40 (4): 443–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 01596306.2017.1349736 .

Wright, E. (2024). “The Proliferation of International Schools: Implications for Educational Stratification.” Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education 1–20. https:// doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2024.2322647 .

Wright, E., Y. Ma, & E. Auld. (2022). “Experiments in Being Global: The Cosmopolitan Nationalism of International Schooling in China.” Globalisation, Societies & Education 20 (2): 236–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2021.1882293 .

Wang, N. (2015). “Globalisation as Glocalisation in China: A New Perspective.” Third World Quarterly 36 (11): 2059–2071. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2015.1068113 .

Wu, W., and A. Koh. 2022. “Being ‘International’ Differently: A Comparative Study of Transnational Approaches to International Schooling in China.” Educational Review 74 (1): 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.1887819 .

Wu, W., and A. Koh. 2023. “Reigning in the International: How State and Society Localised International Schooling in China.” British Journal of Educational Studies 71 (2): 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2022.2048630 .

Young, N. A. (2018). “Departing from the Beaten Path: International Schools in China as a Response to Discrimination and Academic Failure in the Chinese Educational System.” Comparative Education 54 (2): 159–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2017.1360566 .

Authors’ Bio 

Jennifer Cutri, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Jennifer Cutri is a lecturer and researcher at Swinburne University of Technology’s Department of Education. She is the course director for the Bachelor of Education Early Childhood Teaching and Bachelor of Education Studies. Inspired by her international teaching experience in Hong Kong, her doctoral research focused on the Chinese educational context. Jennifer’s current research explores the impact of digital technology in early childhood education and international student mobility within the Asia-Pacific region.

Tristan Bunnell, University of Bath, United Kingdom

Tristan Bunnell is a Senior Lecturer in International Education at the University of Bath. Prior to 2014, he had taught International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme economics for 25 years, including ten years at Copenhagen International School. His current research interests concern trends and developments in English-medium international schooling, particularly the growth and significance of ‘non-traditional’ models involving the exportation of British private school brands into China.

Adam Poole, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Adam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, Education University of Hong Kong. His research interests include the internationalisation of private secondary education, professional development for English teachers, and education policy.

Managing Editor: Tong Meng

A survey invitation from Tsinghua University

Dear Colleagues/Students,

The Institute of Education at Tsinghua University is conducting a global survey to understand the usage of generative AI tools among students and teachers in higher education. We sincerely invite you to participate in this survey and kindly request you to forward this message to your colleagues and classmates.

Student survey link：https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SLXHPVN

Teacher survey link：https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9TSWRK8

Your feedback is crucial to the success of our research. The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and all information collected will be kept strictly confidential and used solely for academic research purposes.

Thank you for your support and cooperation!

Institute of Education, Tsinghua University

Managing Editor: Tong Meng

The invitation for applications for Associate Editor of the Policy Reviews in Higher Education

Associate Editor: Policy Reviews in Higher Education

The Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) is seeking to recruit a new Associate Editor from 1 July 2024.

Policy Reviews in Higher Education is an international journal published on behalf of the SRHE by Taylor & Francis Group. It opens space for publishing in-depth accounts of significant areas of policy development affecting higher education and other forms of post-secondary/tertiary education internationally. Authors from a range of disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to analyse higher education from fresh perspectives and with implications for policy development/implementation, including drawing on concepts and theories from other academic fields.

The journal is at an exciting point in its development as it prepares its eighth volume with plans for expansion. It has recently received its first CiteScore from Scopus (6.0), placing it in the first quartile and within the top 10% of journals in education research.

Editorial advances have created the opportunity for an Associate Editor to join the Editorial team.  Interested candidates should possess a range of subject expertise, an interest in policy, and have an appreciation of different research approaches.  Knowledge of a variety of different higher education systems globally and prior editorial experience would be significant advantages.

The Society encourages applications from all qualified candidates and is committed to increasing our engagement with underrepresented groups and regions – applicants with research knowledge/expertise of regions in the global south are particularly encouraged to apply.

A professional services fee will be paid for the editorial services provided, in light of the time commitment involved.

For further background and an overview of the journal see https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rprh20. 

How to apply

Please send a summary CV (maximum 2 sides of A4 per individual not including references and publication record) and a cover letter addressing the requirements in the job description and giving a short rationale supporting the reasons for your interest in this position to the Society CEO, Dr Clare Loughlin-Chow at clare.loughlin-chow@srhe.ac.uk.  References and a publication record can be included in an Appendix to the above CV.  Applications must be received by 09:00AM on 15 April 2024.  We anticipate scheduling interviews in the week commencing 29 April 2024.

Click here for a full job description.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about this position and find out more about the role and the support available, please contact the journal’s editor, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn via ellen.hazelkorn@TUDublin.ie

Managing Editor: Tong Meng

Higher Education Quarterly is inviting applications for the roles of 2 x Associate Editors and Early Career Researcher Board Members

Higher Education Quarterly is an international educational research journal publishing articles on policy, organization, leadership, governance, management and the professions in higher education. It aims to develop our understanding of higher education and its current challenges from a diversity of approaches and in an international context.

Wiley and the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) are currently seeking passionate individuals to fill several important roles within Higher Education Quarterly (HEQU).

We invite applications for two Associate Editor positions to join Editor-in-Chief Dr. João Santos and Associate Editors Dr. Jana Berg and Dr. Debananda Misra in shaping the journal’s editorial direction.

Additionally, we welcome early career researchers (ECRs) from the international higher education community to join our inaugural Early Career Researcher Board (ECR Board), collaborating closely with HEQU’s Editorial team and contributing fresh perspectives to our scholarly endeavors.

Please see below for more information on how to apply for these roles.

Associate Editor Role

The Associate Editor will work as part of the Editorial team, supporting the Editor-in-Chief in commissioning and coordinating the peer review of research papers.

The Associate Editor will have:

  • Broad knowledge of research and practice related to higher education
  • Good track record of research, publications and presentations at conferences
  • International and local network of contacts
  • Editorial board experience and/or experience as a high-quality reviewer, including use of electronic submission systems
  • Sound judgement about the conduct of diverse forms of research
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Ability to work to tight deadlines

Preferred

  • Expertise in quantitative research analysis

The role comes with a modest honorarium. We are looking for candidates who are available for an immediate start.

For an informal discussion or expression of interest, please contact the Editor-in-Chief Dr. João Santos joao_marques_santos@iscte-iul.pt

Applicants are invited to submit a covering letter setting out their suitability for the role and curriculum vitae, and to send them to Nickie Roake, Publisher, Wiley: nroake@wiley.com.

The application deadline is 30th April 2024.

Associate Editor Job Description

Manuscript Management

Assisting the Editor-in-Chief with:

  • Encouraging and soliciting high-quality submissions to Higher Education Quarterly by:
  • Identifying emerging areas of importance and refer the best work in those areas to HEQU;
  • Recommending topics, guest editors and authors for special issues;
  • Providing an initial screening of papers;
  • Ensuring submissions are reviewed by appropriately qualified experts, or by an Early Career Researcher under supervision;
  • Ensuring that the peer review process is conducted impartially and ethically, and to follow the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE) guidelines should any potential issues arise
  • Communicating promptly in a clear, appropriate manner with authors;
  • Supporting authors find the right home for their paper by considering which rejected papers may be suitable for referral to another appropriate Wiley Education journal

General

  • Attending relevant conferences (either remotely or in person) to source ideas for journal content and represent and promote the journal amongst colleagues
  • Being an ambassador for the journal at local engagement events, conferences, within networks, on social media, etc.
  • Keeping in regular communication with the editorial team regarding copy flow and other relevant matters
  • Participating in Editorial Board discussions via email or online meetings
  • HEQU upholds a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and this must be reflected in the peer review process, published works and conduct of the editorial team and editorial board

Strategy

  • Collaborate with the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher and SRHE in the strategic development of the journal, including plans for article growth
  • Ensuring that the journal fulfils its aims and remains useful and relevant to its users by following trends in the subject area
  • Assisting the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher and SRHE in promoting the journal by promoting the Journal wherever possible through contacts and conferences attended

Early Career Researcher Board Members

This is an opportunity to enhance your research profile. ECR Board members will be acknowledged/recognised on the HEQU website and in the journal. You will benefit from:

  • gaining editorial and peer review experience
  • engaging with the academic community
  • increasing your subject knowledge
  • increased understanding of conducting academic research

Eligibility

This role is aimed at researchers who consider themselves to be ECRs (for example, postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and those within the first few years of their career in academic or other research organisations or as independent researchers). You will need to have demonstrable research expertise and some publications in this field.

Role description

The HEQU ECR Board will be separate and complementary to the established HEQU Editorial Board. Members will be expected to:

  • undertake at least 2-3 high-quality and timely reviews annually. Reviews need to be completed within 21 days and to include detailed, sensitive and encouraging feedback
  • promote the journal through their networks and other channels, such as ECR events at conferences
  • put forward suggestions to the Editorial team and Editorial Board for special issue topics
  • establish and deliver a social media strategy for the journal

Membership on the ECR Board is initially for 2 years, with the option to renew if agreed by all parties.  It is also possible to move from the ECR Board to the Editorial Board.

How to Apply

Applicants are invited to submit a covering letter and curriculum vitae, and to send them to Nickie Roake, Publisher, Wiley: nroake@wiley.com.

The application deadline is 30th April 2024.

We welcome and encourage applicants of all ethnicities, races, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, disabilities, ages, or other individual status.

Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14682273/homepage/cfa-ae-ecr

Managing Editor: Tong Meng

A survey invitation from The Education University of Hong Kong

You are invited to participate in the project, Doctoral research as knowledge production: Chinese international students’ navigation of ‘epistemic diversity’ in social sciences, conducted by Dr Ying Ji, who is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Dr Hayes Hei Hang Tang, Dr Adam Poole, and Dr Dala Duo. This research aims to explore how Chinese international students/graduates in social sciences in universities outside mainland China navigate their doctoral research.  You will be asked to participate if you are/were  a Chinese international doctoral student in your third or later year or a recent graduate who finished their PhD in the last five years in a university outside mainland China,  with a disciplinary background in any social science subjects, and  born in mainland China and educated in mainland China for primary, secondary, and undergraduate education.   


If you decide to participate in this part of the study, you will be asked to fill in a short survey which takes around 5 minutes to fill in.  At the end of the survey, you could state your choice to participate further in an online/face-to-face interview for 50-60 minutes to share your experiences of writing up your thesis. The interviews will be video or audio recorded upon your consent.  Around 40 participants will be recruited for the study.  Through participation, you will be contributing to research which would shed light on the doctoral experiences of international Chinese PhD students in Euro-American countries. If interested, copies of publications from this study will be sent to you through email after publication. You will be given a cash voucher (e.g. Amazon voucher) worth HKD150 through email after interview.   Participation in this research brings no risk to you. Your participation in the project is voluntary. You have every right to withdraw from the study at any time. All identifiable information related to you (including your university) will remain confidential and will only be accessed by the researcher on password protected devices. Results of the research will be presented in scholarly conferences or publications and personally identifiable information will be coded with pseudonyms or excluded for confidentiality.    

If you would like to obtain more information about this study, please contact Dr. Ying Ji, by email: jying@eduhk.hk. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research study, please do not hesitate to contact the Human Research Ethics Committee by email at hrec@eduhk.hk or by mail to Research and Development Office, The Education University of Hong Kong.

Managing Editor: Tong Meng