West meets east use of reflective journals

Journal of International Business Education 7. © 2012 NeilsonJournals Publishing.

AUTHOR VERSION

West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs Jane L. Menzies Deakin University, Australia

Abstract. This paper documents the learning of a sample of 15 MBA students who have participated in an experiential international study program to China, and have used a reflective journal as a learning activity. Kolb and Kolb’s (2005) experiential model is used to analyse the learning experiences of the MBA students. Students encountered a number of learning benefits from reflective journal writing, and this included deep reflection, enjoyment, and being able to link theory with reality. The study found that students were able to develop knowledge from their experiences in China by crystallising those experiences when writing a reflective journal. The students developed knowledge about China’s economic growth, reasons for why it is growing, and students were able to critically analyse the challenges China faces from a moral, fairness, and environmental perspective.

Keywords: experiential learning, reflective journal, international study programs, China.

1. Introduction China is currently the second largest economy in the world (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) 2011a), and it is predicted by economists to surpass the US economy in 2016 in terms of GDP purchasing power parity (PPP).

It has had stunning economic growth for at least the last 15 years (DFAT 2011b) and is the world’s second largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) (Greyhill Advisers 2011). Therefore, the Chinese economy has many attractive elements for international businesses. Globalisation requires that countries, companies, business people and students have an understanding of the global environment. Therefore, incorporating globalisation into the curriculum is important for universities. Given China’s prominence in the world economy, it is important for MBA students to have a grasp of the Chinese environment as they will likely be professionals working in that environment in the future. In fact, study abroad to China has increased as students have realised the importance of knowing about the Chinese environment to their careers (Tuleja 2008). One useful way to learn about a foreign country is by going there (Ortiz 2004) through an international study program (Johnson & Mader 1992).

A licence has been granted to the author(s) to make printed copies of the paper for personal use only. Apart from these licenced copies, none of the material protected by the copyright notice can be reproduced or used in any form either electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any other information recording or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the owner(s) of the copyright. © NeilsonJournals Publishing 2012.

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

International business education is important because the world is globalised, and skilled professionals need to operate in a global environment. Global education will have a follow on effect on the productivity of global organisations.

Previous studies have shown that executives emphasise the importance of business students knowing about the global environment (Beamish & Calof 1989). Furthermore, the current Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) (2012, p. 63) standards states that masters level students need the “capacity to understand management issues from a global perspective”.

Experiencing international study programs allows students to meet this requirement.

When offering an international study program an appropriate assessment method needs to be utilised to ensure that learning occurs (Clark-Murphy & Boffey 2004), and there are a variety of assessment methods that can be used (Duke 2000). From a student perspective, students have reported that using reflective journals cements their learning (Clark-Murphy & Boffey 2004).

Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the learning that occurs as a result of students experiencing an international study program and writing a reflective journal. This study seeks to answer the following research question; “What learning occurs as a result of student’s participating in an international study program and consequently writing a reflective journal essay?”

This paper is based on an international study program in which Australian MBA students visit China. The following sections of the paper firstly outline the importance of international study programs for students, and then go on to identify experiential learning theory. The structure of the international study program used is then explained, and the literature on reflective journals reviewed.

The method and results are articulated, followed by a discussion including implications for future research.

2. Literature Review 2.1. Why Conduct an International Study Program?

Researchers have addressed the issue as to “why business schools should conduct an international study program?” A common answer is that it gives students the opportunity to experience other cultures, places and organisations in a foreign environment, allows them to develop new knowledge, and learn about the environment. In addition, the international experience assists the student in developing a global mindset (Kanter 2003), which is an important element for the internationalisation of the firm that employs the student. Furthermore, Loveland, Abraham, and Bunn (1987) suggest that knowledge developed in the classroom, is less likely to stick with students forever than that knowledge developed through study tours. Travel and observations of foreign business culture is an enriching

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experience and one that can be powerful in-classroom teaching (Loveland et al.

1987). Travel and observations assist in developing more knowledge than traditional courses (Johnson & Mader 1992). An underlying assumption is that people learn most in a highly interactive environment (Schuster 1993). Therefore, students should be engaging in discussion, asking questions, investigating issues, probing answers, and observing business as it takes place. The internationalization of the business curriculum involves developing the awareness, knowledge, and skills to be able to manage business interactions competently in the global environment (Varner & Peck 2003). International study programs are one dimension of international business education, and internationalization of the curriculum. For example, other international education options include student exchanges, studying international subjects, and the participation of international students in domestic education (Beamish & Calof 1989). The internationalization of the business curriculum involves developing the awareness, knowledge, and skills to be able to manage business interactions competently in the global environment (Varner 2001).

Moncrief, Shipp, and Lamb (1995, p. 71) define an international study tour “as an organized series of lectures, company tours, cultural activities and student assignments completed in, at least part, in the foreign country, for which students receive academic credit”. The international study program used at Deakin University, Australia, is called the “China Study Program” (CSP), as opposed to tour, to indicate a professional program of learning about the Chinese business environment.

A review of the literature suggests that there are many different learning outcomes that a course instructor can choose for their international study program. For example Tuleja’s (2008) learning outcomes focused on intercultural competence, communication, and the business practice. Schuster (1993) focused on international business strategies, cultural issues, and quality issues in international manufacturing. Duke (2000) focused on the need to enhance students’ cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioural learning. This suggests that in international study programs, academics can focus on developing either the content side, or thinking and analytical skills when designing their learning objectives. The objectives that are set by the academics then influence the pedagogy, or the teaching methods used on the study program. For example, if an academic has a focus on developing higher order cognitive skills, then the types of teaching and learning activities set by the academic will be different (i.e. journal writing with a focus on analytical skills) to an academic wishing to focus in on just developing knowledge (i.e. this could be achieved by using lectures, reading, and tests). The intended outcomes of the CSP are to assist students in developing knowledge about the Chinese business environment, including its cultural, economic, legal and political frameworks. The second outcome is for students to be able to critically analyse the business environment, and determine whether China will be the largest economy in the future. Therefore, the CSP seeks

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

to develop both content knowledge and also higher order cognitive skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Stuart & Tax 1994).

There are a number of elements associated with developing a successful study program. Schuster (1993) states it is important to know who your students are (i.e. target market) to design the program: for the CSP, participants are mid-level executive MBA students who have 5 plus years work experience, are between 2565 years old, have travelled, are mature, and are therefore differentiated from undergraduate students. Setting an appropriate itinerary is important and should be done according to learning objectives (Brokaw 1992, Duke 2000, Gordon & Smith 1992, Tuleja 2008) and pedagogical reasons (Brokaw 1992, Tuleja 2008).

It is important to have the right mix of lectures, site visits, cultural visits, food experiences and free time, and at the same time make sure that the schedule does not overtire the students. Having impressive sight visits and presentations which are intellectually stimulating and tie into the course objectives are key factors in developing a successful program.

Host country preparation is also important to orientate and develop the expectations of the students. To obtain the right number of students on the program it is important to have a good product (itinerary), at an appropriate price (which requires good budgeting skills), and it needs to be advertised and marketed appropriately (Gordon & Smith 1992, Schuster 1993). Having a good faculty administrator, travel agents and local contacts in the host country to organize logistical concerns are important considerations in making sure the program is well organised. It is also important to choose faculty who are passionate about international study, the location, and who are motivated and committed to successfully organizing the program. The ability to speak the language in China is also important. The final success factor for a study program is to have appropriate assessment to ensure that learning occurs (Duke 2000) according to the learning objectives.

2.2. Learning Theories Lecturing, the traditional mode of teaching and learning in universities, has been called into question (Bligh 1972), as it has been criticized as promoting surface rather than deep learning and it may not adequately develop analytical skills, and cultural sensitivity and behavioural change (Penson 2006). Therefore, other learning activities may be more appropriate. Harrison (2012) states that the experiential learning value of study tours has been documented in previous literature (Tuleja 2008, Brokaw 1996, Johnson & Maher 1991, Sachua, Brasher, & Fee 2010). Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience (Itin 1999) and people can learn by doing, which is contrasted to rote or dyadic learning. International study programs are designed to give students a range of experiences, and through these experiences students can learn. Learning can be defined as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the

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transformation of experience� (Kolb 1984, p. 41). Firstly, this definition focuses on adaptation and learning as opposed to content or outcomes, and therefore learning is a process (Kolb & Kolb 2005). To best achieve learning it is important to engage students in the process of learning (Kolb & Kolb 2005). Second, knowledge is a transformation process, being continuously created and recreated, not an independent entity to be acquired or transmitted (Kolb & Kolb 2005). The focus of learning is by learning through experience and interaction, rather than reading about a concept in a book (Kolb & Kolb 2005). Therefore, one learns first hand, as opposed to second hand through others’ experiences. Kolb and Kolb (2005) state that for a learner to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, certain abilities are required: 1. the learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience; 2. the learner must be able to reflect on the experience; 3. the learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience; and 4. the learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience.

Accordingly, experiential learning must utilise the whole learning wheel, from goal setting, to experimenting and observing, to reviewing, and finally action planning (see Figure 1). This complete process allows one to learn new skills, new attitudes or even entirely new ways of thinking. It is vital that the individual is encouraged to be directly involved in the experience, in order that they gain a better understanding of the new knowledge and retain the information for a longer time.

Figure 1 Concrete Experience

Observation and Reflection

Testing in New Situations

Forming Abstract Concepts Source: Kolb, D. A. (1984), Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, p. 21.

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

Experiential learning can also be about learning by observing, integrating abstract concepts with concrete experience; or placing a student in an environment in which the student can engage directly in the activity under study (Duke 2000). Learning can be facilitated by making abstract concepts more concrete and relevant (Duke 2000), and can provide a deeper understanding of the concepts learnt. Certain activities have been suggested as effective in developing higher order cognitive skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation by requiring the student to take a more active role in the learning process (Krishnan & Porter 1998). Previous literature (Duke 2000, Moncreif et al. 1995, Brokaw 1996, Johnson & Mader 1992) on study programs has identified a role for reflective journaling. For example Duke (2000) suggests that journal writing helps the student progress through the stages of comprehension, application and even to the analysis level of learning. The use of a reflective journal assists the student in developing higher order cognitive skills, and is one way that students can crystallise and reflect on their experiences.

Previous researchers Boyd and Fales (1983) suggest that reflection is central to understanding the experiential learning process. Reflection can be defined as “the process of creating and clarifying the meaning of experience in relation to oneself and in relation to the world� (Boyd & Fales 1983, p. 101). Study abroad sessions provide the opportunity to fully implement experiential techniques to observe, discuss, question, and even practice some of the principles of international business (Schuster, Zimmerman, Schertzer, & Beamish 1998).

After the experience, students are able to complete the learning wheel by reflecting on those experiences by writing about it, and then developing abstract concepts. In the CSP therefore, we instituted daily reflection for 30-60 minutes so that students were able to reflect on the day’s experiences. This reflection is shared in class, and is facilitated by a student facilitator. This assists students in identifying the key experiences of the day, and also assists in engaging students in the learning process (Kolb & Kolb 2005). It also provides instant feedback to students about what they learnt. Students reflect privately by recording a journal entry at the end of their day, and they use these journal entries to assist them with writing an argumentative essay at the end of the study program. Writing this essay gives students the ability to reflect on their entire experience of the study program.

2.3. The China Study Program The CSP at Deakin University runs annually in November for three weeks and is multi-city (Gordon & Smith 1992), visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xian, and Hong Kong. A single location, means that students can gain an in-depth perspective of that location (Brokaw 1996), and a multi-city study program allows students to make comparisons between cities, and hence gives a broader overview of geographic and cultural elements (Porth 1997, Gordon & Smith 1992, Schuster

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1993). Among others there are a number of key learning objectives of the program: • to explain the position of China in the global business context, and • to understand the challenges that the Chinese economy faces.

The objective of this paper is to assess what learning occurs as a result of student’s participating in the international study program, and consequently writing a reflective journal essay. Therefore, student’s essays were examined on whether they could explain China’s position in the global business context, and whether they could identify issues associated with the challenges that China faces.

The program immerses students in the Chinese environment and covers the subject of international business through presentations made by guest lecturers, government officials, business leaders and academics. Business visits are made to Australian, Chinese and international businesses with operations in China to explore the business, strategy and cross-cultural issues they encounter. For instance students visit a clothing manufacturer, a bank, a freight and logistics organisation, a steel manufacturer and others, and are given a tour of these companies’ operations. They are able to learn first hand by observing what happens, and therefore engage in experiential learning (Duke 2000).

Presentations are made by the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), and the Australian Chamber of Commerce (Austcham) in Shanghai to learn about the types of services they provide. Students may learn about culture by interacting with Chinese nationals, including academics, students, business people, and foreign nationals working in China. We also include cultural tourism in our program, and visits are made to famous sights in Shanghai and to ancient Chinese cultural sites such as the Terracotta Warriors, Mt. Hua, and the Xian Wall.

Students also experience other elements of international business, for example when purchasing dinner they can experience differences in purchasing power parity or exchange rate issues.

2.4. Writing the Reflective Journal Journal writing allows students to record their personal experiences and relate them to the subject (Fisher 1990), and it has been suggested for many applications in education including experiential learning (Boyd & Fales 1983) and international study programs (Duke 2000, Moncreif et al. 1995). Journaling may refer to any writing that requires students to make a connection “between course content and material outside class” (Connor-Greene 2000, p. 44). Journal writing entails observations, analysis and recording and allows students to be actively

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

involved in the learning process (Moncrief et al. 1995). Journals are important because they allow students to reflect on their experiences and write about changes in their thinking (Anderson, Lawton, Rexersin, & Hubbard 2006). ClarkMurphy and Boffey (2004) suggest that journal writing encourages and facilitates learning by allowing students to reflect immediately on what they have learnt, to crystallize their thoughts and to unite their experiences with classroom theory.

Journal writing reinforces concepts and allows the students to interpret, summarize, give examples and suggest why certain concepts apply to specific situations. These tasks permit the student to comprehend, apply, analyse and integrate their experiences abroad (Moncrief et al. 1995).

Previous researchers Duke (2000) and Moncrief et al. (1995) have used journal writing in study abroad tours. Duke (2000) uses structured activities where students are given a list of marketing concepts, and are asked to describe their observations along the way. Moncreif et al. (1995) have used both structured versions to less structured, where students enter journal entries daily. In the structured approach, students are assigned a list of marketing terms, and they are required to find four concepts from each category (Moncrief et al. (1995).

Students have to make one entry per day for a total of 20 entries, and a further 20 entries (Moncrief et al. 1995). In each entry, the student is required to include the date, time, city, country, how the use of the concept in the foreign country compares with the US, and who they were with. The less structured approach requires students to describe international marketing phenomenon they encounter on a daily basis. Moncrief et al. (1995) highlight the importance of using the journal entries, as it causes the students to intentionally or unintentionally notice the differences in marketing applications from one country to another. Students note that it enhances their understanding of international marketing concepts. In the CSP students are asked to reflect on their experiences, and then relate this to an essay question, in a relatively unstructured manner. The guidelines specify that students are required to draw on their experiences of the study program, to identify China’s position in the world economy, and to highlight the challenges that China may face. These guidelines help the student reflect on their experience, which is a technique used in experiential education (Boyd & Fales 1983, Moncrief et al. 1995): Students are required to write a paper on their reflections of China and how they see its future in the global economy. Throughout the program you are expected to keep a diary of your daily activities including places visited and people met.

At the end of each day approximately one paragraph should be included on your reflections of the day’s events. While reflections tend to be personal it is usual to include what you saw, experienced or felt about particular activities or events.

The paper does not require you to collect reference material, instead it requires you to analyse the Chinese environment and your personal response to that environment. Your essay should conclude whether you believe that China’s economy will be the largest one day, and some of the challenges that China currently faces.

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As such, the students’ requirements link back to the learning objectives set for the study program. The requirements also link in with experiential education, as they require students to keep a diary of their experiences, thoughts and perceptions, and to use this in preparing an analytical reflective essay.

3. Method A qualitative approach was taken to analyse the learning outcomes of students participating in the CSP. Using a qualitative approach means that student’s learning can be analysed in-depth. To conduct this study an initial ethics approval was obtained from the researcher’s university. Students were then contacted after they had completed the subject and results were finalised, and were asked for their informed consent to include their essay in the study for analysis. Out of 18 students who completed the CSP, 15 agreed to have their essays included in the study.

These 15 essays were content analysed to draw out the learning by students, and to analyse why they had come to particular conclusions as a result of their experiences. A qualitative thematic approach to analysis was taken using Nvivo 8 software, where major themes of learning were drawn from each written paper.

When conducting the analysis, the researcher constantly asked the “why” question (Yin 2009), and therefore asked “why did the student write this?” and “what does it mean for their learning?” The analysis reports on the reflections that students had of their experiences in China. For key learning areas it was important to look for specific words and sentences that were repeated in order to substantiate the theme (Maxwell 1996). The most common themes mentioned by students included: • learning benefits, • China’s position in the world economy, and • challenges faced by China.

These themes will now form the basis of the results and discussion.

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

4. Results 4.1. Learning Benefits Students commented on the learning benefits of the program and this included interaction, friends, fun, deep reflection and the ability to link theory with reality.

They found that participating in the program allowed them to make friends and have fun, and this motivates them to attend class or CSP activities and pay attention. Friends and fun can motivate students to learn, as students see their peers learning so they want to also. On the CSP, Australian students also engaged and interacted with Chinese peers and professionals, which assisted them in learning about the culture. This was important as students were able to learn from the perspective of people who come from that culture, how they experience it in their everyday life, which is more real and practical then what they would have learnt, had they read it in a textbook or case study. This interaction allowed students to ask further questions, which assisted them in learning various cultural elements. One student commented on the deep learning experience they gained from reflecting: Sitting and actually deeply reflecting and recording my experiences by writing this paper has proved to be a worthwhile activity and provided me with a much deeper insight into another culture, and another very foreign economy.

This suggests that as previous researchers on experiential education have highlighted (Boyd & Fales 1983, Moncreif et al. 1995) that reflecting, and hence writing a reflective essay piece, is an important part of the learning process. The learner commented that the usual reflection “is automatic and fleeting”, which suggests a surface approach to learning (Ramsden 1992). The journal writing reflection assisted in making this students learning more conscious.

Another student commented that the study program experience was significantly different from usual learning experiences: “This experience has taught me that a university textbook understanding of things is insufficient; sometimes we just need to get out and experience it”. This statement suggests that the learner realized the value of experience as a learning method, and that reading textbooks might not always be the best approach to learning, which supports the use of experiential methods. There was also evidence that the program motivated students to learn which is a prerequisite for learning as evidenced by the following quote: “I would say that this study tour is not only joy of travel and satisfaction with shopping, but also promotes me to learn to watch, think and listen”. One student reflected on the benefits of travel itself: “Travelling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books”, which highlights how travel can be supplemented for textbook reading as individuals can still learn through this process. Finally, one student commented on the benefit of writing a reflective

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piece, free of the need to reference: “I have to say I enjoyed writing this. Its not often you get an opportunity in academia to present purely your own ideas in this sort of format, without the need to source other people’s ideas as evidence”. In summary, the findings of the section support the idea that experiential education was demonstrated on this study program, and students learnt new knowledge as a result of the experience.

4.2. China’s Position in the World Economy After experiencing the CSP, the general consensus (9 out of 15) of the students was that China’ would be the largest economy one day: This really is the one million dollar question. But it seems likely the question isn’t if they will have the largest economy one day; it is more the case of when they will overtake the US to become the largest economy.

Or another student stated: “Without a doubt the Chinese economy has the potential to be the largest in the world. The sheer size of the statistics cannot be ignored”. Given this, students commented on the reasons they believed that China will become the largest economy and it included the stellar economic growth that China has experienced: “China’s economic growth is astonishing”; “An informative presentation by Austrade, introduced us to the staggering numbers of growth and achievement of the country”. This quote emphasizes that in study programs students still need to learn via presentations, so that information can supplement their experience of the country. It may be more engaging and real, hearing this information, from “the horses mouth” (for example the representative from Austrade), than hearing it in everyday lectures.

When discussing China’s position in the world students suggested reasons for why China was growing (Table 1).

Table 1: Growth Reasons as Articulated by Students (n = 15) Theme

Number of Students

Modern and Developed Infrastructure

8

Low Cost

8

Abundance of Labour

5

Population Size

3

Hard Working Chinese

4

Efficiency

3

Large Domestic Market

3

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

From their experiences, students reflected on the modern and developed infrastructure of China; for example in Shanghai: “The amount of infrastructure development is phenomenal. High rise apartment buildings stretch across the cities and the road, rail and air travel facilities are staggering, equal to anything in the world.” Therefore, through their observations students were able to learn about the growth and development of the economy. Two students commented on how the number of cranes they saw in Shanghai was remarkable: “I always understood that you can analyse an economy by the number of cranes in the sky.

Well the national emblem of China should be a crane. The sky is littered with building works of towering skyscrapers and high-rises”. In this example, the student made parallels with their observation and to the growth of the economy.

Other students were shocked to see the modernity of China: “After visiting Japan earlier this year, I expected Shanghai to be similar, but maybe, a little less modern.

I was wrong; very wrong. Shanghai is the most advanced city I have seen”.

Students believed that the main reason why China was growing so rapidly was due to its low cost production advantage and this was often coupled with the abundance of labour and its inexpensive supply. Students viewed the Chinese labour force as hard working as a result of visiting a clothing factory in Jiang Su Province, which they viewed as “impressive”, that had approximately 2000 staff working on the shop floor. After viewing these staff at work, and the scale of production at the factory, students believed these factors both positively influenced the competitiveness of China. One student in their reflection stated that “China has a well planned, disciplined labour force that is unmatched anywhere else in the world”. In summary then, there was evidence that learning occurred as a result of student’s experiences, and their reflection and abstraction of concepts when writing about them. The first learning objective that was set for the program was met, i.e. to explain the position of China in the global business context.

4.3. The Challenges Facing the Chinese Economy In addition to the factors influencing China’s economic growth, students were acutely aware of the challenges China faced. Students saw risks associated with the Chinese economy, and students questioned whether China’s economic bubble would burst, just like Japan’s did in the late 1990s: “Will China, just be another economic basket case and end up on the trash heap as Japan?” The challenges that students mentioned are presented in Table 2.

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Table 2: Challenge Faced by the Chinese Economy (n = 15) Theme

Number of Students

Environment

12

Inequality

10

Skills Shortages

8

Rising Labour Costs

7

Movement of Production

9

Inflation

7

One Child Policy

4

Ageing of the Population

4

Inability to Enforce Legal Problems

5

Intellectual Property Issues

8

Students were mainly concerned about environmental issues associated with China’s development (10 out of 15 students), as they directly experienced pollution, smog and traffic jams. According to one student: While the streets are quite clean, the skies are not. Palls of pollution soak the atmosphere, sting the eyes and evoke the involuntary cough that, for the locals (male and female alike), terminates with the inevitable hack and spit.

Students commented on the inequality issues that they observed when visiting China: “From the migrant workers sweeping the leaves on the roads to the ‘Shanghai wife’ shopping on Nanjing road with her Gucci bag.” Again students were able to view this inequality by simply walking around. Another student critiqued a manufacturing firm that was visited, “and what about the pompous display of wealth at the clothing factory: In stark contrast, the workers in the factory earn A$10 a day which will certainly make it difficult for some families to make ends meet”. Students believed these issues needed to be addressed before China becomes a respected country in the world and an economic superpower. Students even went to the extreme of saying that unless something can be done about income inequality, anger by the lower socioeconomic group will result in civil unrest. Related to this theme, students also commented on the massive urbanization that was taking place, and “the social relocation of the most vulnerable members of society”. This comment was predicated on seeing empty high-rise buildings built on the outskirts of Xian, Shaanxi Province. Students believed that this is where rural members of society would be relocated to. Students questioned the fairness and morality of the Chinese Government in this regard.

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West Meets East: Examining the Use of Reflective Journals in International Study Programs

Other challenges identified by students were human resource and manpower based. Given that one key driver of the Chinese economy is labour, students thought that skills shortages, and rising labour costs will be influential in eroding China’s competitive advantage. A variety of organizations that were visited stated that they had difficulties in obtaining skilled workers and therefore students believed that “much needed to be done to improve the skills of the Chinese labour force, such as investment in education, training and development”. As a result of visiting organisations in China, students identified that the rising cost of labour was a key issue, and this was expected to further escalate over the coming years.

Students commented on the implication of this; increasing labour costs will motivate organisations to find cheaper locations for production, which may influence China’s future growth. High levels of inflation was another key theme students reported in their reflective pieces, as one student stated from her experience: Costs of goods are rising in China and inflation is a real concern. When buying groceries in Beijing, I overheard a woman complaining about how chicken had doubled in price in less than a week. When you consider the relatively low wages, the consequences have a ripple affect over the majority of the population.

The one-child policy and an ageing population were also issues students reflected on. Students analysed the situation, and stated that the one-child policy would result in a reduction in the proportion of young people in comparison to old, which could mean less labour in the future: “It has been estimated that the lower number of people entering the workforce will put pressure on the labour market in the not so distant future”. As a result of interactions with other Chinese students, an Australian student questioned: “who will look after an ageing population?” as it is “noted that one child is now expected to look after both parents, grandparents and in some cases great grand parents. It will be challenging to sustain such an ageing population”.

From their experience students questioned the ability of foreign business people to enforce their legal rights in China: “The Chinese legal system can also be problematic, for foreign companies. The dispute involving joint venturers Wahaha and Danone is a lesson for foreign firms about what can happen when partners fall out”. Students learnt first hand about this dispute through their visit to the Wahaha factory in Hangzhou. Learning about this directly from the company involved was more engaging and thought-provoking then simply reading about it in a textbook or case study. Students also commented on the lack of protection of intellectual property rights. Students were cognizant of the fact that China had highly developed rules and regulations associated with intellectual property, and were often described as the “best in the world”. Students noted that while these rules were in place there was a lack of compliance and enforcement

by Chinese companies, street vendors and the Government itself. These issues were seen as detractors to further growth of the Chinese economy, as they would

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discourage the transference of technology to China. One student made the following observation: “Personally I believe that given the autocratic nature of the Chinese government the problem could be stamped out if the government really wanted to do something about it”. These themes therefore, demonstrate experiential learning in the key areas and that the second learning objective for the study program was met.

5. Discussion From the results of the analysis it is evident that students learnt key issues associated with the Chinese economy, and were able to describe its position in the world economy as a result of their experiences in China, their interactions with Chinese nationals, and also their observations of the Chinese workplace and environment. From experiencing China, they were also able to learn about some of the challenges that China faces as per the objectives of the course. The students had transformed their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of China as a result of their time in and experience of China, and by reflecting on it by recording their thoughts in a journal. This therefore demonstrated that they went through a process of a learning (Boyd & Fales 1983). Through this process students were able to solidify and crystallise their thoughts. The key contribution of this study is that students did learn about the Chinese business environment from their experiences, and is demonstrated in the results above. Students were able to conceptualize and abstract their experiences, and to develop knowledge as a result of reflecting on their experiences according to experiential techniques (Boyd & Fales 1983).

The structure and objective of the program were realistic in allowing students to learn about China from their experiences on the study program, and to reflect on this. Of course, measuring what is learnt from such an experience is very subjective; however, the comments made and issues identified in each student’s paper provided evidence of meaningful learning. Having conducted this analysis, it is believed the study program met the objectives of the course, and that the students had learnt from the experience and created knowledge.

Students obtained an enriched learning experience as they got to smell the country, and see it and hear it through their own eyes and ears. They got to visit organisations and hear directly from organization representatives about what their real issues were – something they would not readily obtain by reading a textbook or case study. This allowed for a differentiated learning experience as opposed to traditional methods such as lectures, textbooks and exams, which supports previous scholars work in the area (Tuleja 2008, Brokaw 1996, Johnson & Maher 1991, Sachua, Brasher, & Fee 2010). Therefore, students obtained educational value out of doing the study program. There was evidence that students were intrinsically motivated to learn, because of the enjoyment of the program (Lepper

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1988) evident in students’ reflections and the benefits they got out of the experience.

Overall, students were shocked by the size of the Chinese economy but were optimistic about its further growth. Students were able to articulate some of the challenges presented to the economy, and of doing business in that environment.

This knowledge would stay with them for a long time (Loveland et al. 1987) because they actually experienced it firsthand: they observed a clothing manufacturer, and its employment of workers, which led one student to believe that China had a well planned and disciplined workforce, which is quite distinct from what is usually written about the Chinese workforce, i.e. large numbers of unskilled workers. This therefore is an example of something new being learnt through the experience – they were able to perceive the situation as they experienced it, rather than secondhand through other peoples perceptions and recordings. Students were able to see with their own eyes, the working conditions in factories, and the general feelings and mood of the workers in those factories.

They could make up their own minds as to whether workers worked in “sweat shop” conditions or whether they believed workers were exploited. Students were certainly highly critical of China’s pollution and inequality issues, which demonstrated their keen awareness of the environmental and social issues involved. It was easier for students to understand these issues by seeing the income disparity between the various social groups, and smell and see the pollution, as noted in the students’ reflections. Positive support for having the time to reflect and record international study program experiences is emphasised.

By applying Kolb and Kolb’s (2005) experiential model, for the most part students went through the four stages of learning. For example they first had a concrete experience when viewing presentations, visiting factories, seeing and using China’s infrastructure such as roads, metro systems, and interacting with host country nationals. After making these observations, students were given an opportunity to reflect on those experiences at a number of times, including in class verbally, at the end of the day by completing the journal entry, and at the end of study program by writing a reflective essay. They formed abstract concepts in preparation of their reflection essays and then tested those concepts by writing about them when answering the question “will China be the largest economy in the world?” This last stage also entailed integrating concepts, application, clarifying meaning and analysis (Duke 2000). Through the four stages of the experiential model (Kolb & Kolb 2005) students’ knowledge was transformed.

The results of the content analysis indicated that students had a variety of learning experiences, and they reported a deep learning (Ramsden 1992) experience by reflecting. They clarified that the learning experience was more interesting and motivating than other methods they had experienced.

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6. Future Research The analysis of the students’ reflective essays gives an indication of the extent of the students’ learning and knowledge created from the international study program. The question however remains, “how do we assess whether relevant learning has taken place?” Do study programs ensure greater learning then more traditional forms of higher business education such as lectures, case studies, reading textbooks and taking exams? This question implies examining learning across multiple groups, to determine the most effective type of learning method and activities. Also, what evidence do we have of learning? This is a question posed by Schmidt-Wilk (2010) in the scientific analysis of learning in management education. The author argues that we need to be able to assess what learning takes place as a result of our teaching interventions, and we need evidence to back that up (Schmidt-Wilk 2010). These are questions that need to be answered in future research, by assessing the learning of students participating in international study programs and those who do not, and to determine if in fact and if so to what extent, international study programs result in enhanced learning as proposed by Loveland et al. (1987) and Johnson and Mader (1992).

Additionally, the above question and the conclusions of this study would be more firmly supported with time-series analysis.

7. Conclusions Enabling students to experience the Chinese business environment through an international study program allowed them to see firsthand how business operates in China and to draw their own conclusions. Overall the program was about exposing students from a western country, Australia, to an emerging economy, China and it’s social, cultural, and political environments. The program provided a snapshot of such a foreign economy, one that adds to the portfolio of the student’s international awareness and experience. The CSP assisted students with their awareness of the Chinese economy and by reflecting and journal writing, they were able to crystallise their experiences and make connections between those experiences and theory.

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