Place attachment and affinity: turning the Mainland Chinese students into “Word-of-Mouth Champions”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Ivan Ka Wai Lai ◽  
Baoyi Song
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Place Dependence

PurposeMainland Chinese students are the largest group of international students globally. The role of international students in destination marketing can be seen as “Word-of-Mouth Champions”. This study attempts to examine the effect of place attachment and affinity for Mainland Chinese students on generating word-of-mouth intention towards their place of study.Design/methodology/approachSix well-trained research assistants collected paper-based questionnaires in six institutions in Macao. They chose every tenth student who passed by to fill in the questionnaire at six locations in each institution. This study employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the strength of causal relationship among place identity, place dependence, affinity and intention to word-of-mouth.FindingsThe results of the survey from 327 students in Macao indicate that place dependence, place identity and affinity drive Mainland Chinese students to provide word-of-mouth regarding Macao. Place dependence has a positive influence on place identity, and place identity has a positive influence on affinity with residents. However, place dependence has no significant direct effect on affinity.Practical implicationsEvidence from this study indicates the importance of students' word-of-mouth as they as sojourners, in particular, the students' place attachment and affinity for residents is critical to positive their Word-of-mouth on destinations. This research offers insights about the potential group which need require attention.Originality/valueThis study fills a research gap by exploring the relationship between place attachment and social distance in influencing Mainland Chinese students' behaviour, a relationship that has rarely been investigated in tourism research. Practical recommendations are provided to the governments, universities and education enterprises according to the results of the study. From both theoretical and practical perspectives, the findings from this study suggest promoting international students to turn into real “Word-of-Mouth Champions”.

The academic and personal experiences of Mainland Chinese students enrolled in a Canadian Master of Education Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane P. Preston ◽  
Anhui Wang
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese Student ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Master Of Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to communicate the positive and challenging aspects of a Master of Education program, as perceived by Chinese students at an Atlantic Canadian university. Design/methodology/approach Assuming a qualitative methodology, 21 Mainland Chinese students participated in individual, paired, and focus group semi-structured interviews. Interviews were member checked. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings are discussed using Deardorff’s (2006, 2009) concept of intercultural competence. Findings Students perceived the best features of their educational experience to be personable instructors, their enhanced English skills, and practical course-based experiences embedded in the program. The main challenges were social isolation, English language requirements and related assignments, and theoretical expectations of the program. Research limitations/implications This study contains a somewhat small qualitative small sample size (i.e. 21 participants), therein, disabling any generalization of results. In other words, the data findings are unique and non-generalizable beyond the particular research case. However, transferability, which refers to the extent in which the results of an original study can be applied to similar people, contexts, or settings (Lincoln and Guba, 1985), may be applied to the findings if the reader deems the context of this study in alignment with his/her situation. Practical implications Approximately, 82 percent of Canadian universities rate internationalization as a top priority, supporting the need for research in this area. An implication of the study is that internationalization of higher education must be more than just the recruitment of international students. Universities have direct and fiduciaries responsibilities to support the academic needs, personal needs of their international students, as well as the intercultural competence of all students, instructors and staff. Originality/value There is a plethora of research documenting experiences of international students, in general, but such research is not directly transferrable to the Chinese student. The issues and problems encountered by Chinese international students are unique and should be addressed independently from international students. Moreover, a lot of the research that focuses on Chinese students enrolled in North American universities, predominantly, is conducted within the USA, and such research tends to spotlight the challenges only. In turn, the authors’ research addresses a specialized focus of the international Chinese student in Canada.

scholarly journals The Effect of Place Attachment on Overseas Students’ Tourism Ambassador Behavior: A Mediation Role of Life Satisfactionrdrd

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Ivan Ka Wai Lai ◽  
Xinyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Student Life ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Overseas Students ◽  
Place Dependence

Life satisfaction is a research hotspot in positive psychology in recent years. This study uses overseas students as subjects and attempts to examine the effect of place attachment and student life satisfaction on Mainland Chinese students’ word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations and their Ambassador Behavioral (AB) intention. A survey was systematically conducted in six institutions in Macao. The results of 312 valid data indicate that place dependence has a positive influence on place identity; place identity and place dependence have a positive influence on student life satisfaction; student life satisfaction mediates the influence of the two dimensions of place attachment on WOM and AB intention. Recommendations are provided to improve overseas students’ life satisfaction in the study places. It helps to improve their sense of ownership and actively participate in the construction of the study places.

The connection between VFR experience based and sociocultural dimensions of international students and mainland Chinese students

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung Shing Chan ◽  
Birgit Pikkemaat ◽  
Dora Agapito ◽  
Qinrou Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Students ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Tourism Resources

Purpose This paper aims to present the host experience of student hosts in Hong Kong, a popular educational destination for international students from mainland China and other countries. This study examines the interconnection between the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, considering the overall host experience, the host–guest relationship and post-hosting changes in perception of both the VFR experience and destination. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a qualitative approach to compare the experience-based and sociocultural dimensions of VFR travel considering international university students as VFR hosts in Hong Kong, taking a student sample from both mainland Chinese and overseas students. Based on a voluntary sampling approach, the research team had face-to-face interviews with the students that agreed to participate. The interviews were conducted voluntarily and anonymously and included those students who had hosted any friends or relatives in the past 12 months. A total of 26 interviews were successfully completed, including 10 mainland Chinese and 16 non-mainland Chinese students. Findings The results confirm that the VFR host experience is generally shaped by an integration of internal characteristics (sociocultural characteristics of both hosts and visitors) and external environment (urban infrastructure and tourism resources). The two groups distinctively express their host experience that shows some areas of cultural barriers and geographical proximity. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research mainly lie on its relatively small sample size because of constraints in accessing the contact information of international students across universities. These shortcomings should be improved by adopting a research design that uses other sampling approaches, such as snowball sampling, to include a wider scope of students from different local universities, or convenience sampling, to interview and compare responses of international students from various educational destinations. Alternative data sources may be considered, for example, through user-generated contents from online and social media platforms that contain sharing of students as hosts. Practical implications The geographical and cultural proximities influence VFR tourism development and social construction of values and the consequent hosting behaviour. The unique role of international students should be further explored, especially in the Asian context. The outcome of VFR travel must be evaluated and studied more from cultural and personal dimensions than economic gain, which should be relevant to host perspective such as improved quality of life, social ties and place attachment and psychological benefits. The changing risk perception caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may be examined through some forms of travel intention. Social implications Firstly, the destination marketing organisations of the educational destination should address the difficulty faced by student hosts in terms of external attributes such as local culture, urban infrastructure, tourism resources and information accessibility. Secondly, to target the hosts, some specific VFR-related products and services may be developed for international students through local tertiary institutions such that the role of hosts as ambassadors can be facilitated and enhanced. Thirdly, the functional role of international students can be distinctive based on their unique network, activities and knowledge constructed upon learning during the period of education. Originality/value The studentification of many educational destination cities, the dynamism of the role of international students as VFR hosts and their cultural differences between places of origin have provided an opportunity for deepening the understanding of VFR tourism.

Studying where the jobs are: Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Wai Wa Yuen ◽  
Alan Chi Keung Cheung ◽  
Ping Man Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Student ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
Stay Behind ◽  
Country Specific

Purpose Mainland Chinese students (hereafter called Mainland students) are a major source of international student applications. Some countries have initiated policies to enable Mainland students to stay and work after graduation. Additions to the literature, particularly more country-specific studies, are much needed to cast light on the employment issues for such Mainland students overseas. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by focussing on Mainland students who have completed teacher education programmes in Hong Kong and then served as teachers in Hong Kong schools (Mainland teachers). The incentives that attracted them to stay and work in Hong Kong and the challenges they faced were examined. Their future plans were also probed. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a mixed methodology. Data collection comprised both a questionnaire survey and interviews. The semi-structured interviews provided opportunities for respondents to explain their answers, to narrate and widen the scope of data to areas hitherto unanticipated by the researchers. Findings Mainland teachers were attracted to stay on in Hong Kong to work for both intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. They were in fact settlers. They found the programmes they had taken to be practical and believed that they had acquired a niche situation in the teaching profession. Working and living in Hong Kong was satisfying, but some experienced social distance from local colleagues. Originality/value The paper can be read with reference to countries that recruit Mainland students and there is a possibility that some of them may stay behind to work. It sheds light on the selection criteria of such students, on ways to enrich their programmes, as well as their employment, living and social integration issues.

Acculturative Stressor and Meaning of Life as Predictors of Negative Affect in Acculturation: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study between Chinese International Students in Australia and Hong Kong

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 740-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Yan Pan ◽  
Daniel Fu Keung Wong ◽  
Lynette Joubert ◽  
Cecilia Lai Wan Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Students ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare the predictive effects of acculturative stressor and meaning of life on negative affect in the process of acculturation between Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Method: Four hundred mainland Chinese students studying at six universities in Hong Kong and 227 Chinese international students studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia completed a questionnaire that included measures of acculturative stressor, meaning of life, negative affect and demographic information. Results: The Australian sample was found to have a higher level of acculturative stressor and negative affect than the Hong Kong sample. Acculturative stressor had a positive impact on negative affect in both samples, but the impact of different domains of acculturative stressor on negative affect varied between the two groups. Finally, meaning of life partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stressor and negative affect in the Hong Kong sample, but no such effect was found in the Australia sample. Conclusions: Acculturative stressor is a critical risk factor for negative affect in acculturation for Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Meaning of life acted as a protective factor that mitigated negative affect for mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong, but not for the Chinese international students in Australia. The theoretical and practical implications for resilience-based and meaning-oriented intervention for Chinese international students are discussed.

Push and pull factors influencing Mainland Chinese MEd students in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1539-1560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Cheung ◽  
Xin Guo ◽  
Xiaorui Wang ◽  
Zhuang Miao
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors affecting Mainland Chinese students pursuing a Master of Education degree in Hong Kong on their study abroad decision and return intentions. Design/methodology/approach The current study employed a mixed-methods approach to investigate factors that affect Mainland Chinese students pursuing MEd degrees in Hong Kong. Participants were first invited to fill out a questionnaire. After collecting and analyzing the survey data, in-depth interviews with a selected group of students were carried out by the research team to obtain useful qualitative data to triangulate the survey findings. A purposeful and convenience sampling method, carried out through the personal network of the research team, was used to recruit MEd Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong to participate in the current study. Findings The findings provided compelling evidence that Hong Kong was an attractive study destination to this particular group of MEd Chinese students. The findings also indicated that academic factors were more important than social, cultural and economic factors when it came to choosing their study destination. In contrast to previous studies, participants expressed a much stronger desire to return home upon graduation. The three most influential predictors of their decision to return were the lack of a Hong Kong teaching certificate (r=+0.36), the opportunity to contribute to their hometown (r=+0.31) and the inclination to be closer to family and friends (r=+0.20). Originality/value While a number of studies have been carried out to study why Mainland Chinese students chose Hong Kong as their study destination to pursue their teacher training degree, none of these studies focused exclusively on fee-paying MEd Chinese students. Hong Kong is facing keen competition from both traditional host countries and emerging host countries to recruit students from Mainland China. It is therefore crucial to understand the needs of these Mainland Chinese students in a competitive, globalized, tertiary education market, as the satisfaction of students, in the form of positive discussion among alumni, promotes a university’s reputation and sustains its advantage in attracting students.

scholarly journals Tourists’ Motivation, Place Attachment, Satisfaction and Support Behavior for Festivals in the Migrant Region of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5210
Author(s):  
Yunyao Zhang ◽  
Keun-Soo Park ◽  
HakJun Song
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Site Survey ◽  
Place Dependence ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire ◽  
High Effort

This study aimed to explore the relationships among tourist motivation, place attachment, satisfaction and support behavior for hosting festivals in the migrant region of China. A self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct an on-site survey and a second-order structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed. The results of the current study showed that visitors’ general festival motivations had a positive influence on their place attachment and satisfaction. Visitors’ theme-related motivations had a positive influence on their place identity and satisfaction. Place dependence and place identity also positively affected their low-effort support behavior. In addition, visitors’ place identity was a positive antecedent of their high-effort support behavior. Visitors’ place attachment had a positive influence on their satisfaction and visitors’ satisfaction positively affected their support behavior. This study encouraged festival organizers to become aware that place attachment performs an important role in attracting tourists, and nostalgia is one of the most important motivations for hosting festivals in the migrant region of China. As a result, this study provides crucial insights that organizers should pay attention to place attachment and place identity in order to satisfy visitors and support festival activities.

Unraveling the impact of destination reputation on place attachment and behavior outcomes among Chinese urban tourists

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lujun Su ◽  
Yinghua Huang ◽  
Maxwell Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Place Attachment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tourist Satisfaction ◽  
Place Dependence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The impact of destination reputation on tourists’ behavior has not received sufficient attention in the tourism literature. Built upon the signaling theory and the well-documented stimulus-organism-response framework, the purpose of this paper is to propose and assess a theoretical model that captures relationships among destination reputation, place attachment, tourist satisfaction, and the search for alternative destinations. Design/methodology/approach Using the covariance-based structural equation modeling technique, this study empirically tested the conceptual model with a convenience sample of Chinese tourists who visited a popular coastal urban tourism destination in China. Findings Findings reveal that destination reputation positively impacts perceived place dependence, place identity, and tourist satisfaction. In addition, place dependence positively affects tourist satisfaction, but place identity has no significant impact on tourist satisfaction. As expected, tourist satisfaction negatively influences tourists’ search for alternative destinations; however, place identity positively influences tourists’ search for alternative destinations. Originality/value Few studies in the tourism literature explore the role of destination reputation in the tourist decision-making process. The present study’s unique contribution lies in its examination of destination reputation on tourists’ behavior. In addition, this study includes the search for alternative destinations as an important behavioral outcome into the proposed model. Some tourists explore alternative destinations even though they are willing to revisit and spread positive messages about the destination they already visited. Therefore, the continuous searching behavior is worthy of investigation in tourism studies.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Mainland Chinese Students Toward Obtaining Higher Education in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 623-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Bartlett ◽  
Wei Han ◽  
James E. Bartlett, II
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Mainland Chinese Students ◽  
States Data ◽  
And Migration

Since 1978, when the first group of 50 mainland Chinese students came to the United States for education, increasing numbers of mainland Chinese students have come to the United States to get a degree (Lampton, Madancy & Williams, 1986). In 2009, China surpassed India, becoming the largest source country of international students in the United States, and since then, China has the most international students seeking education in the United States (Open Doors Data, 2015). The purpose of this Q methodology study is to explore personal perspectives of mainland Chinese students on the value of getting a degree in the United States. Data analysis grouped similar viewpoints. Based on data from ten mainland Chinese students, we categorized three different groups of mainland Chinese students: job and education group, education group, and migration group.

Place attachment and brand loyalty: the moderating role of customer experience in the restaurant setting

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Boadi Nyamekye ◽  
Diyawu Rahman Adam ◽  
Henry Boateng ◽  
John Paul Kosiba
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Place Dependence ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Moderating Role

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to ascertain the effects of place attachment on brand loyalty. This study further ascertains whether the effects of emotion-based attachment on brand loyalty are stronger for customers who have a positive experience with a restaurant brand. Additionally, the authors investigate whether emotion-based attachment mediates the relationships between identity-based attachments, place dependence and brand loyalty in the restaurant setting.Design/methodology/approachThe authors administered the questionnaire to customers (diners) of restaurants in Ghana, and they were completed via a paper and pencil/pen approach. The authors tested their hypotheses using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings show that identity-based and emotion-based attachment enhances brand loyalty within a restaurant setting. The results also show that place dependence attachment promotes emotional bonding with restaurant brands. The study's findings also show that place dependence attachment does not have a direct and positive significant effect on brand loyalty except when an emotional response is produced.Originality/valuePlace attachment studies in a restaurant setting are rare. This study thus contributes to the place attachment literature in restaurants setting.

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