Exploring the Implication of Graduate African Students’ Academic and Social interactions on their Learning Experiences in Beijing

Current research on international students has not particularly examined the African students’ experiences in Chinese universities. Furthermore, faced with a situation where I encountered challenges as a student in China; I self-located and explored the social and academic interactions of African students in Beijing. I employed semi-structured interviews to explore 12 Black African Graduate students’ learning experiences of studying in three different Universities in Beijing, China. Participants identified Chinese language as a major challenge, reported limited interaction with Chinese lecturers and discriminatory treatments during classroom dynamics. Further, the students indicated that preference was given to students from Western countries. Although some were ambivalent about their experiences, in general, these experiences did not produce negative impact on their learning, rather the students reported their overall academic experiences as being positive. The study concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for practice and recommends specific interventions to enhance student learning experiences