Emerging transnational educational spaces: Mobility of tertiary students between Asia and the EU
(ESR 5; University of Tampere)
Research plan: This research examines the Chinese tertiary-level student migration in Non-English speaking EU countries (Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands). The current study has four main focuses: the transformative impacts Chinese students experienced themselves (micro-level), the impacts of the social remittances on the host education institutions (meso-level), on the receiving societies, and on the origin societies (macro-level). Adopting the theoretical-conceptual framework of the micro-meso-macro level perspectives, social remittance theory and the capability approach, this research is one of the first attempts to both obtain an overview as well as a detailed perspective on the issue. It adopts a qualitative approach to mixed methods, relying mainly on the rich narrative of qualitative data. Quantitative data will also be used to verify the conclusions drawn from qualitative data, adding credibility and generalizability to the qualitative results. The proposed project broadens our understanding of the impact of Chinese student migration, allowing for evidence-based policy responses to the current and future challenges posed by increasing Chinese student mobility in non-English speaking EU countries.
Status: finished. Dissertation successfully defended on 28 February and 1 March 2019 at the University of Tampere
Researcher: Hanwei Li
TRANSMIC CV (last updated December 2018): Hanwei Li is currently pursuing a joint PhD degree in Education at the University of Tampere, School of Education (EDU), and in Sociology at the University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS). Her research proposal is titled ‘Chinese Student Migration in Non-English Speaking EU Countries: A Comparative Study on Transformative Impact’. She is co-supervised by Professor Pirkko Pitkänen and Dr. Virve Kallioniemi-Chambers of University of Tampere, and Professor Thomas Faist of University of Bielefeld.
Hanwei’s PhD research examines the Chinese tertiary-level student migration in Non-English speaking EU countries (Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands). Her research has four main focuses: the transformative impacts Chinese students experienced themselves (micro-level), the impacts of the social remittances on the host education institutions (meso-level), on the receiving societies, and on the origin societies (macro-level). She is interested in micro-meso-macro level perspectives on migration, transnational social and educational spaces, social remittance theory and the capability approach. She will use a mixed methods approach, drawing on qualitative data from interview and content analysis, as well as quantitative data from online survey.
Hanwei completed her MA in Sociology at Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University. Her MA thesis focused on the Chinese microblog’s (Weibo) influence on collective action participation in China. Prior to starting her doctoral degree, Hanwei worked as a Junior Researcher at Waranty Fund. She supported the investigation and development of investment projects related to providing equal health care for disadvantaged women and children in China. She is also into basketball, street dancing and downhill skiing.
