Panorama of Chinese Education Recruitment Agencies (CEARs) Via Legitimacy Lens

Early Career Researchers Network in Asian Higher Education Studies
Topic: Panorama of Chinese Education Recruitment Agencies (CEARs) Via Legitimacy Lens

Co-organizers: Social Contexts and Policies of Education (Academic Unit) (SCAPE), Consortium for Higher Education Research in Asia (CHERA)

Date:              November 26, 2021 (Friday)(HK Time)

Time:             16:00-17:00

Format:          Zoom

Registration: https://scape.edu.hku.hk/nov262021/   

Chair & Discussant: Dr Siyuan Feng, International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO)

Speaker: Cassie M Zhang, University College London

Abstract

Chinese Education Recruitment Agencies (CERAs) have received much attention in the past decade, as researchers have started to realize that CERA are frequently used by higher education institutions (HEIs) across several Western countries to recruit more and better qualified Chinese international students. It is noteworthy that over 50% of Chinese students studying overseas have sought assistance from CERAs to pursue their studies overseas. Meanwhile China is widely acknowledged to be at the top of the ‘sending country’ list in student international mobility. In this presentation, Cassie will share some findings from her 44 interviews with CERA staffs on how they perceive their roles in the context of higher education, along with a typology of CERAs.

Bio

Speaker

Cassie is a PhD researcher at UCL IOE, and a lecturer at the University of Bristol.

Her research examines the legitimation, professionalization and institutionalization of Chinese Educational Recruitment Agencies. Based on her broad education background and work experience, Cassie is particularly interested in mixed method and interdisciplinary social science research: organizational studies, strategic management and marketing studies. 

Chair & Discussant

Siyuan Feng is a senior education specialist affiliated with the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO. He holds a PhD from the University of Hong Kong. His research areas include non-state education reforms in China, shadow education, and international higher education admission policies.

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