Asian Students' Perceptions Of How They Are Seen In 'The West': A Case Study At An Australian University

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Australian universities attract increasing numbers of students from the Asia-Pacific region, making it crucial for academics to understand how these students interpret how they are perceived in receiving countries. The qualitative study reports perceptions of 10 Vietnamese offshore postgraduates and nine Asian onshore postgraduates at an Australian university, with all participants working as English language teachers. Both groups describe appealing self-perceptions alongside imagined pejorative views, affecting students—especially offshore Vietnamese—highlighting the need for campus strategies to mediate disempowering discourses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Abstract

Introduction and Author Positionality

Conceptual Frameworks and Related Discourses

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 4 | Article 5 | | --- | --- | | 2020
Asian Students' Perceptions Of How They Are Seen In 'The West': A Case Study At An Australian University
Toni J. Dobinson
Curtin University, [t.dobinson@curtin.edu.au](t.dobinson@curtin.edu.au)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons | | Recommended Citation Dobinson, T. J. (2020) . Asian Students' Perceptions Of How They Are Seen In 'The West': A Case Study At An Australian University. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(4) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n4.5](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n4.5) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss4/5](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss4/5) Asian Students’ Perceptions Of How They Are Seen In “The West”: A Case Study At An Australian University. Toni J Dobinson Curtin University Abstract: Australian universities attract increasing numbers of students from the Asia-Pacific region. It is important, therefore, that academics have meaningful understandings ofthese students in order to provide them with a supportive learning environment. This article suggests that part of this understanding is being aware of the ways in which some of these students perceive they are seen by those in the receiving countries and the discourses which may feed these perceptions. The qualitative study reported here outlines the perceptions of10 Vietnamese offshore postgraduates (VOPs) and nine Asian onshore postgraduates (AOPs) from different Asian countries atan Australian university. All participants were English language teachers. Findings revealed that while both groups perceived themselves to be viewed in appealing ways, they also imagined themselves seen in pejorative ways. They claimed to be affected by this, particularly the offshore Vietnamese students, suggesting the need for strategies to mediate disempowering discourses on campuses. Key words Asian students; internationalisation, postcolonial discourses, Culturalism, Asiacentricity Introduction and Author Positionality Higher education systems have witnessed an increased international and transnational flow of students. In August 2018 there were 640,362 international students in universities in Australia (with 777,609 enrolled). China and India dominated, followed by Nepal and Malaysia (Australian Government Department of Employment, Education and Training (DET), 2018) . It is evident from these figures that academics in Australian universities need to acquaint themselves with Asian students in their care if they are to support these students. This includes research into how the students perceive that they are seen by them, the effects of these perceptions and the discourses behind these perceptions. The study reported here investigated two groups of Asian postgraduates who were also English language teachers in their own countries. It compared the perceptions often Vietnamese postgraduate offshore students (VOPS) with the perceptions of nine Asian onshore postgraduate students (AOPs) enrolled at one Australian university in order to see if there were similarities in students’ perceptions in different contexts. It attempted to link certain social and theoretical discourses with these participants’ perceptions. Interest in the topic arose from many years of the researcher teaching students from Asia on a postgraduate program onshore in Australia and offshore in Vietnam. Researcher positionality is therefore that of a non-Asian, middle-aged, middle class, female academic who has visited and worked in Asia for short periods of time and who feels that academics in an internationalised setting need to get to know more

FAQs

What is the focus of the study?

The study examines how Asian postgraduate students who are also English language teachers perceive how they are seen by “The West” in an Australian university setting.

Who participated in the research?

There were 10 Vietnamese offshore postgraduates and nine Asian onshore postgraduates from different Asian countries enrolled at an Australian university. All participants were English language teachers.

What do the findings suggest about student perceptions?

Both groups imagined being viewed in appealing ways, but also in pejorative ways, and they reported being affected by these perceptions, particularly the offshore Vietnamese students.

What does the article recommend for universities?

It calls for strategies to mediate disempowering discourses on campuses to better support affected students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy