INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' INTERACTION PROCESSES IN RELATION TO THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AT ONE UNIVERSITY IN NORTHERN CHINA

This was a qualitative case study, which sought to describe international students’ interaction processes in relation to their learning experiences at one university in China. The semi structured interview was used to collect data from international Master students followed by observation on one of the learning activities. The social constructivism theory guided data collection and analysis. It was found that there were differences with regard to how students interacted with instructors and fellow students in terms of means of communication, frequency of interactions as well as feedback. In addition, participants attached intellectual development roles to their interaction with instructors, and social wellbeing roles to peer interaction. On the other hand, cultural background and language barrier influenced their interaction processes at the university.