Mismatched expectations of internationalisation: Lived experiences of Chinese returnee academics

Abstract This study examines the lived experiences of Chinese academic returnee staff working in a joint venture university in China. Through in-depth interviews with 11 Chinese returnees, we explore their expectations and experiences working in an internationalised university environment following an international degree overseas. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of field and habitus as an analytic lens, the findings identify the ways that returnees imagine or expect internationalised habitus and field in the unique design of joint venture universities. Yet, through participant reflection on policies towards 100% English Medium Instruction (EMI) and internationalised curricula, we identified experienced tensions between the institution’s aim to internationalise the campus and its perceived effectiveness in implementation. Many returnees spoke of Sino-foreign institutions as a substitute for the field of Western academia, and reported challenges with implementing EMI policies that caused them to rely more on their Chinese than their international experiences which ran counter to their expectations. This analysis adds nuances to the inter-relationship between field and habitus by analysing the reasons for mismatched expectations and the way individuals engage with their own habitus in response. This article concludes by outlining implications for transnational higher education in China and other host countries.