Restriction lift date: 2029-12-31
Unpacking social network dynamics among Chinese sojourners in Ireland: an ecological perspective on group and individual experiences
Loading...
Files
Date
2025-12-30
Authors
Xiao, Yuyao
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
The present study investigates the study abroad (SA) experiences of Chinese university-level sojourners in Ireland, focusing on their trajectories of social network construction and the language learning affordances (LLAs) that emerged throughout their stay, as well as the impact of these experiences on their self-perceived English ability. While previous research has primarily explored how individual factors shape international students’ experiences and outcomes, an ecological perspective highlights that SA experiences are shaped by a complex interplay of diverse and interconnected elements. Grounded in this perspective, which foregrounds affordances, agency, and space, and incorporates the concept of habitus, this study examines the intricate interactions between Chinese international students and the various contexts they inhabited across their stay abroad, such as classrooms, accommodations, and social media platforms.
A longitudinal ethnographic-informed case study was conducted with two groups of Chinese sojourners in Ireland: group-based diploma-seeking undergraduates (n=5) and individual-based diploma-seeking postgraduates (n=3). Data were generated using a triad of methods: 1. group observations and shadowing throughout the academic year; 2. individual social network surveys carried out at four points during the SA; 3. three follow-up semi-structured individual interviews conducted after the surveys.
The data subsequently underwent analysis utilising a number of different tools. In terms of participants’ social networks, two analytic procedures were adopted: ranking the closeness and frequency of interactions between participants and their social actors, and visualising the overall network structures at four time points using social network analysis software Gephi. Longitudinal reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) was employed for the analysis of observations/shadowing and the interview.
Regarding findings, the social network surveys indicate that, contrary to participants’ initial expectations of forming friendships with many non-Chinese peers while limiting interactions with co-nationals, undergraduate participants demonstrated highly enclosed networks centred almost exclusively on fellow Chinese classmates within their programme. Postgraduate participants also maintained networks centred around Chinese peers within the Taught Postgraduate programme, but also expanded peripheral connections to non-Chinese classmates and other friends they newly encountered in the host country. Longitudinal RTA identified six recurring themes influencing social network development across all interview rounds: language barrier, cultural gap, patterns of social engagement, attachment to home and familiar networks, social media practices, and opportunities for cross-cultural engagement. In addition, three further themes emerged in one or two interview rounds: goals for study abroad, pandemic-related actions and adaptations, and academic responsibilities. Collectively, these interrelated factors shaped the ways participants built and maintained their social networks throughout the SA experience. During social interactions, some participants engaged with non-Chinese peers but did not always perceive these interactions as LLAs; factors such as language barrier sometimes led them to perceive these interactions as rejected affordances.
Beyond cross-cultural interpersonal interactions, participants also perceived and utilised language learning affordances through engagement in various everyday contexts and activities. However, participants’ engagement with LLAs in everyday contexts was also selective. Limited utilisation of LLAs during SA meant participants reported modest gains in self-perceived English ability, although they developed greater awareness of the distinctions between academic and everyday English and enhanced confidence in informal English use.
Overall, participants’ patterns of social network development and engagement with LLAs during SA were shaped by their habitus, itself formed through prior socio-cultural and educational experiences. This highlights the importance of considering participants’ home-country-formed dispositions and socio-cultural contexts when supporting international students’ engagement with practical language opportunities abroad. The study is limited by its small-scale, context-specific design, which may not generalise to Chinese students with different backgrounds studying in other countries.
Description
Keywords
International student mobility , Social network analysis , Ethnography , Mixed methods , Reflexive thematic analysis , Ecological perspective , Complex Dynamic Systems Theory
Citation
Xiao, Y. 2025. Unpacking social network dynamics among Chinese sojourners in Ireland: an ecological perspective on group and individual experiences. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.