AUSTRALIA-CHINA: Chinese classes miss point

05 June 2011

China's mass circulation newspaper, China Daily, has highlighted the paradox of Chinese who go abroad to study English only to find themselves in a classroom full of their countrymen, writes Bernard Lane for The Australian.

In an article headlined "Language of convenience", the English-language Daily cites the case of Cheng Yin, a student at an unnamed university in Queensland, whose 30-strong classroom includes 12 Chinese. Her parents from Shenzhen had sent her to Australia expecting she would return fluent in English but now harbour doubts. "I do not have any bias against Chinese students but I am really worried about her English because she stays with Chinese classmates day and night," said her father, Cheng Wenbin.

China sends more overseas students to Australia than any other country, many of whom arrive expecting to mingle with locals. A cluster of students in class who speak a particular non-English language, such as Chinese, complicates teaching and learning. It also hinders interaction with local and other international students.
Full report on The Australian site

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