Studying in Russia in the Chinese students’ opinion

Chinese students actively share their impressions about studying in Russia on their social media. The analysis of such information allows to identify their general attitudes towards studying in our country, the most pressing challenges faced, specific perceptions of the higher education, and compare them with those of Russian students. As a part of initiative research of materials posted on social media about higher education and student life, a group of Chinese Master’s students of the Department of Economic Sociology and Management of the Moscow State University collected information on these topics from Chinese social media and conducted a primary quantitative and qualitative content analysis. In this article, the authors - supervisors of the project - present the results of a comprehensive analysis of the data collected in specific areas of the study. In general, Chinese students have a positive attitude towards studying in Russia, mentioning such its main advantages as the relatively low cost and high quality of education in some fields (mainly natural sciences and literature). The absence of Russian universities in global university rankings or their low positions is considered the main negative characteristic. Chinese students name the language barrier, food differences (which they call “dietary discomfort”) and climate as the most pressing challenges of studying in Russia, which are often perceived as insurmountable. The key feature of the Chinese perception of higher education is its strong connection with getting a prestigious job. This connection stems from the millennia-old practice of passing exams for high positions in imperial China (keju). This is why there are so many posts about university rankings on Chinese social media - only by graduating from a highly ranked university can a Chinese hope for a high social position. Such a strong connection is not typical for Russians who believe that education makes a person intelligent, but an intelligent person can be successful or unsuccessful in life. Good education is only one of many factors of wealth, power and a high place in the social hierarchy

China · Content analysis · Higher education · Perception · Social media · Central Asia Education and Culture · Educational Innovations and Challenges · Innovations in Education and Learning Technologies

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