The challenge of academic writing for Chinese students within ...

of consulting with their parents had provided the participants with the space to think and
deliberate on what they really want to pursue in the future. It is a sense of agency that is being
gradually fostered in the participants. Agency is defined as one‘s ability to pursue goals that
they value and are important for the life they wish to lead (Walker, 2006). Their decisionmaking
took advantage of and took into consideration the experiences they had and skills
they gained in their learning in the UK HE. Likewise studying in the UK contributes to
development of their ability to make decisions on the directions they want their future to take.
Many participants chose to undertake further studies in the UK after their completion of
undergraduate studies. The experience of undergraduate studies in the UK, as expressed by
the participants, not only enabled them to have become familiar with and adapt to the UK
education system, but also developed their confidence to undertake further studies. They had
a clear picture of what they want to do next in their academic development, and how the
further studies would benefit their future choices in career development. Some participants
commented:
I just found it‘s clear for me what I should pursue. I think that‘s about business
and management and before I came here I had no idea what I should do after
graduation. Now I think I will choose to study a master‘s in business and
management, which will certainly increase my career prospects. It‘s also one of
the benefits of studying here. I felt more confident of what I‘m studying and also
I have more informed decisions and know where I would go in the future.
(Vincent, interview)
After my Bachelor‘s degree in Hope, I want to move to another city in UK and
continue my Master degree in the area of Business. Three years studying in UK
will enhance lots of my skills, Another Chinese friend and I even operate a small
B2C (business to customer) web site in China. We tried to design a model of
online business in the market of University students in China, and then hired
some peers to build a website for us, applying the knowledge I have learn to use
in the real world. The veil covering the future is unveiled gradually, the picture
of life is painted more and more colourful, but still there is a lot of mist and
thorns on the road. I like life like this, above the horizon, everything is bright
and clear. I believe I will also become stronger, fly through the cloud and enjoy
the sunshine. (Peter, autobiographical account)
The capability of making informed decisions is also reflected on their choice of
subjects for postgraduate studies. With the dream of pursuing their long-time interests,
Andy and Celine had decided to study Chinese literature and history at master‘s level
in a university in London. Others do not understand why they chose to study Chinese
literature and history in Britain, and they think the best place to study Chinese-related
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