'A challenging but worthwhile learning experience'! Asian international student perspectives of undertaking a dissertation in the UK

Over the past decade international student enrolment at British higher education institutions has grown significantly. The majority of international students that study for a British qualification originate from Asia and especially from China. In Britain a dissertation is a significant form of assessment in the postgraduate curriculum. This paper aims to explore the international students' perspective of undertaking dissertations in tourism and hospitality management in the UK. Through personal interviews with 40 international students from Asian countries from April to May 2005, the experience of undertaking a dissertation was examined. Microanalysis was adopted to understand their experience. Empirical results indicated that there were three main reasons for choosing a research topic. For the students the positive experiences gained from writing their dissertations were generated from learning useful information and peer support. Their negative experiences were related to difficulties in meeting the demands of writing critically, the relationships with their supervisors because of cultural barriers, and also access to data.