Decision-Making Process of International Undergraduate Students: An Exploratory Narrative Inquiry into Reflections of Chinese Students in Canada

Purpose:This research is an exploratory narrative inquiry into reflections of three Chinese international undergraduate students in a Canadian university,University S,which reveals participants’entire decision-making processes as potential international undergraduate students.Design/Approach/Methods:A two-dimensional analytical framework has been constructed.One dimension is based on three phases of the entire decision-making process:the phases of deciding whether or not to study abroad,selecting destination countries,and choosing target institutions.The second dimension is based on three kinds of hypothetically proposed environmental factors within each phase:policy factors,(family and regional)socioeconomic factors,and information factors.First-hand data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted based on the analytical framework.Findings:This article suggests that both policymakers in the source country(i.e.,China)and university administrators in the destination country(i.e.,Canada)should further support potential international undergraduate students during each phase of their decision-making processes,particularly through optimizing information supply channels.Originality/Value:This article has the potential to construct a new theoretical framework as a supplement for analyzing the entire decision-making process of potential international students.As a pilot study,it provides a template for further investigations.