Being “international” differently: a comparative study of transnational approaches to international schooling in China

Abstract

International schools in China have enjoyed soaring popularity in recent years. Many of these schools adopt curricular forms and/or school brands originating from the US, UK or Canada, and they brand themselves as American-style (meishi), British-style (yingshi) and Sino-Canadian (zhongjia) international schools respectively. Beyond this general observation about the different types of international schools, there is little empirical research done to understand how these different international schools position themselves differently in the national field of international schooling in China. Our study takes a transnational analytic perspective because international schools are models that travel. Our comparative and multiple case study of international schools from three Chinese cities aims to throw light on the idiosyncratic differences of these international schools, highlight commonalities they share, and point out issues and challenges in their transnational practices. We draw from the theory of positional good as our theoretical framing, but update this theory with a discussion about international schools to suit the context of our research. The paper concludes with a call for more governmental efforts to regulate and support the international school sector.

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