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As yet little research into the perspectives of Chinese students studying in mainland China's Higher Education Institutions has been undertaken. This paper explores the issue of students' support needs and presents the findings of a study carried out in 2005-2007 at a public university in North East China. The Action Research method used observation, interviews and a short questionnaire (n: 45) to ascertain the perceived needs of undergraduate English Department students in order to provide a practical plan to better support them through college and help equip them for a future career into the ever-changing knowledge-based global marketplace China is fast turning into. The findings from this study paint an overall picture of conditions that prevent students from developing into all-round autonomous people during their time at college. Data shows that: (1) 50% of students do not think that university fosters emotional and social development; (2) 58% of students rate university courses as "not useful;" and (3) The class monitor system adversely affects students' academic development. The study shows that students lack important transferable skills such as teamwork, note taking and IT skills. Furthermore, students recognize that (1) Freshers need both study and time management skills as well as guidance on how to adapt to college life; and (2) Second year students need to develop confidence and learn goal setting and career planning. This paper concludes by suggesting the implementation of a Student Support course that uses multiple teaching methods and teaches study skills as well as transferable skills to classes of about 20 students from different departments. The course aims to benefit students' personal, academic and career development and is designed as a Professional Development tool for teachers and students alike. Appended are: (1) Questionnaire; (2) Table of UK-based Studies This Paper Draws upon; (3) Table of China-based Studies this Paper Draws upon; (4) Quality in Education: Emotional Literacy; (5) Deming's Quality Education and Chinese University Conditions; and (6) Additional Results from the Questionnaire. (Contains 15 figures and 2 tables.)

More U.S. college students study abroad in the U.K. than any other destination in the world (Institute for International Education, 2015). Unfortunately, there is a significant gap in empirical knowledge about their experiences. This is likely due to a common assumption that students within culturally similar contexts should enjoy easier transitions abroad (Church, 1982; Paige, 1993). However, recent scholarly opinion papers and exploratory studies have questioned this assumption for U.S. students in the British Isles and have called for the study abroad community to take notice (Edwards, 2000; Gristwood & Woolf, 2011; Ireland, 2010, 2012; Sobre-Denton & Hart, 2008). Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the expectations and experiences of adjustment for U.S. semester study abroad students in British universities. Through a longitudinal design, interviews were conducted pre-departure, while abroad, and post-return with 12 U.S. students in semester direct enrollment programs within nine institutions throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. Supplemental interviews were also conducted with six advisors and faculty in the U.S. and Britain. Designed and analyzed through the lens of phenomenology, this study explored the socially constructed experiences of students within an important life transition (Merriam, 2002). Two theoretical frameworks, which address expectations and experiences in U.S. study abroad, informed this research: Pitts's (2009) descriptive model of expectations, talk, and identity in short-term sojourner adjustment and Martin et al.'s (1995) modified expectancy violations theory. Findings suggest that U.S. students in direct enrollment programs within Britain encounter multiple unexpected challenges within academic, cultural, and social aspects of the semester study abroad experience. This study has significant implications for international education practice, intercultural theory development, and future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]