Caught ‘in-between’: insights into international students’ doctoral thesis writing practices in China

Abstract

An increasing number of international students pursue doctoral studies in China, a non-traditional learning destination compared with English-dominated Western countries. Despite considerable research on the challenges doctoral students face when writing theses in English in Western countries, relatively few studies have explored comparable issues in China. Drawing upon Bourdieu’s thinking tools of field, habitus, and capital and the notion of in-between space, this qualitative exploratory study analysed 23 international doctoral students’ thesis-writing experiences in a Chinese university. Findings suggest challenges in English and Chinese-based writing co-exist in students’ thesis-writing practices, especially regarding grammar and vocabulary issues. The lack of understanding of Chinese sociocultural contexts and support from universities and supervisors negatively impacted thesis writing in both languages. Many students relied on translations, technology-based tools, and external helpers to resolve such issues, progressively forming a technology-mediated in-between writing habitus. These practices cultivate a hybridised higher education ‘sub-field’ with blurred linguistic boundaries. The study highlights the need for greater support for international doctoral students’ writing practices in emerging learning destinations like China.