Bridging cultures: New Zealand educators navigating teaching in China

Valerie at Peking University on a visit to the university's New Zealand Centre

Modern technologies have allowed us to connect with people on the other side of the world without having to leave home. But as a recent research trip to China reminded me, there is no substitute for experiencing a new place and a new culture in person connecting with people kanohi-ki-te-kanohi.

I spent two weeks traveling across China to visit educators teaching there on behalf of New Zealand universities and polytechnic institutes to gain an understanding of their approaches to transnational teaching.

These educators are the backbone of NZ-China transnational higher education partnerships, which deliver New Zealand courses to students in China using a variety of different programme models.

Partnership models range from overseas university branch campuses to single-degree or -diploma programmes, to having local partners deliver New Zealand-designed courses in Chinese classrooms.

New Zealand universities and polytechs have such partnerships across Southeast Asia and beyond, but China has perhaps the highest concentration of them: Education New Zealand currently has more than 50 degree-and diploma-granting NZ-China partnerships on record, each encompassing a range of teaching, administrative, and leadership roles.

The proliferation of partnerships between Aotearoa and China reflects a global increase— particularly between Asia and the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada and Australia.

When I started looking into these transnational partnerships, I found a wealth of research focused on the logistics, administration, geopolitics and economics of these programmes, but surprisingly little research focused on education.

Valerie: "...being on the ground in China proved irreplaceable and has made my understanding of transnational education so much richer."

It’s no small feat for an educator to be dropped into a foreign classroom—or be handed course material prepared in a foreign institution—and successfully teach in a way that works for students.

Many of these educators have no experience of their new country, its culture, or its educational system. Alternatively, local educators may deliver New Zealand content without ever having been to Aotearoa.

I wanted to know how the educators doing the mahi navigate these unfamiliar contexts when teaching.

I had already conducted a number of interviews online before having the opportunity to visit the universities and polytechs in China for myself. I was struck by the things that are missing when you connect with people in a purely online capacity.

For one, Zoom meetings can’t show you the larger context of how these educators are teaching and living.

New Zealand educators who move to China to teach temporarily have to navigate a new city, a new university system, and a completely different way of living—all in a foreign language. I was also surprised—after a multi-train and -bus trip to reach some educators—at how isolated some of the institutes are. The levels of support for educators’ transitions vary drastically between institutes and programmes.

Beyond this, I learned that so many of the educators also have to balance New Zealand commitments—such as partners, children, even pets—at the same time as juggling their new living situation in China.

In Zoom meetings focused on education in the classroom, these kinds of personal points might never come up, but over a boba tea in the campus canteen, they are often top of mind.

Valerie: "Stepping into classrooms, it was also fascinating to see for myself how these educators bridge cultural and linguistic divides..."

Stepping into classrooms, it was also fascinating to see for myself how these educators bridge cultural and linguistic divides in order to connect with their Chinese students.

Rather than having educators try to explain their approaches to transnational teaching, I got to see it in person—observing how educators and students use technology to navigate potential language barriers; in being greeted with ‘kia ora!’ from Chinese students upon entering the classroom; and seeing walls decorated with toi Māori, New Zealand maps, and photos of tūī and kākā.

There is so much that can't be captured in a Zoom interview, and so much understanding that can only come with seeing an educator in their element. In short, being on the ground in China proved irreplaceable and has made my understanding of transnational education so much richer.

I also came away with connections with so many more people than I'd originally planned. A meeting with one person always resulted in a "Let me introduce you to this person!" multiple times over, to the extent that I returned with double the number of interviews I had planned (and missed my train on more than one occasion).

Valerie outside the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing with Michael Zhang from Education New Zealand

As a researcher, I'm continually seeing funding for travel diminish, often with the excuse that online technologies can replace the experiences and connections that we once had in person. This research has been a reminder of how essential it is, when aiming to understanding people and their lived experiences, to reach out and meet them where they're at—even if it’s a long plane ride away.

 The Foundation's research programme commissions studies that support informed public conversations about New Zealand’s relationship with Asia. We also support the next generation of scholars through our postgraduate research grants.

Our research grants support contemporary and forward-thinking postgraduate and academic research projects or programmes relating to Asia with grants of up to $5000.