ABSTRACT
This study investigates Chinese adolescents’ overseas study tours from the perspectives of both Chinese adolescents and their parents. Fifty in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed with 30 adolescents and 20 parents. Data analysis results suggest three primary types of activities in an overseas study tour: sightseeing tours, schooling programs and socializing with the locals. A variety of reasons for overseas study tours from the perspectives of Chinese adolescents (a taste of college education in foreign countries, global perspectives, socialization, independence, novelty and fun) and their parents (child’s future plans, child’s social development, the lost college dream) are identified. The key findings of this study pinpoint a number of important social, economic, cultural forces in today’s China society that shape and are reflected in Chinese adolescents’ and their parents’ perspectives on overseas study tours, including globalization, China’s modernization, China’s contemporary single-child family structure and Chinese traditional cultural values.
