This book focuses on undergraduate student engagement in China and the
UK. It offers an innovative perspective on this aspect, which, although
pervasive, is not always acknowledged by its users to be complex and
multidimensional in nature, firmly rooted in cultural, social and
disciplinary norms, and difficult to measure.
Competition within the global higher education market has become
increasingly intense amongst universities; and the higher education
sector in China, currently the largest source of international students,
is beginning to compete strongly for its home market. Against this
consumerist background, student engagement, with its close relation to
positive learning outcomes, is increasingly receiving attention from
higher education managers and researchers who seek to improve the
quality of their 'products'.
The research study on which the book is based draws on three courses,
two in China and one in the UK. It offers a binary perspective across
two very different cultures (Western and Confucian) and two very
different subject areas (Chinese language and mathematics). The study
employs a mixed-methods design and develops a conceptual framework
derived from statistical and thematic analysis. An original theoretical
lens, combining a bioecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner) and a
sociocultural one (Holland et al.'s Figured Worlds), adds further
interpretive power to help understand the construct of student
engagement.
