Understanding the barriers faced by TNE-students when completing advanced-level laboratory-based practical classes

Abstract

This study reports the barriers faced by Transnational Education (TNE)-students when completing practical work in the UK, having transferred to the UK for their final year of study as part of a chemistry degree. Self-identified barriers these students faced included the following: recall of information, difficulties writing the technical reports required for assessment, different educational cultural norms between China and the UK, especially in relation to health and safety, and a lack confidence using English, in particular with the technical language. It was noticed by both participants and researchers that there was minimal interaction with the domestic students and prevalent use of Chinese within the TNE-students’ social group, which may have created a ‘cultural enclave’. The results from this study have been used to derive a number of recommendations for practice for TNE-programmes that contain a significant practical element.