Chinese immigrants studying and working in Sweden -A Push-Pull analysis of their motivation and experiences

Abstract

This is a qualitative research study, which aims to explore why Chinese students choose to study and work in Sweden and find out what “Pushes” them from China and what “Pulls” them to study and work in Sweden. The “Push – Pull” model was used to analyze the data. A face-to-face interview was conducted with six respondents who have both studied and worked in Sweden. The results show that there are four main motives influencing Chinese students who to study abroad; personal, academic, economic and social/cultural once. Their most common experiences during their study period were foreign language anxiety, different educational system, adapting to a new life and loneliness. The motives behind staying in Sweden and work were personal, professional, economical and environmental. Experiences they wanted to highlight from this were: guaranteed breaks, good relations with colleagues, equal treatment for all employees and the Swedish language barrier. Some other findings, not really expected, were that my respondents’ had been more interested in fulfilling their own desires of studying abroad and less influenced by the opinion of their parents. Their motivation for studying abroad had also changed; the students had begun to take environmental factors into account in their decision to study abroad. The study is finished with a list of some advices for helping Chinese students who want to study and work abroad.