What Beliefs and Preferences do Chinese Students have Regarding Appropriate Approaches when Dealing with Psychological Issues in GIC? A Mixed Method Research

 Data Analysis

The data was subjected to univariate and bivariate (correlation) analyses to establish a relationship between the variables for quantitative data. The variables were coded as described in Appendix A, and thematic analysis was used to identify and report themes within qualitative data. As a result, the data was categorized into different themes: psychological issues, psychological methods, school counselling system, benefits of schooling counselling system, seeking help, willingness to talk, talk preference, and psychological improvement.

RESULTS

Quantitative Data Analysis

56% of participants were females, while 44% were males (Figure 1). Furthermore, Figure 2 indicates that participants in the age brackets 22-25 were the majority, followed by 18-21. Participants over 25 years old were the minority. More participants had pre-master's than pre-undergraduate certificates (Figure 3). The most common psychological issues affecting Chinese students in GIC are anxiety and stress, followed by depression and eating disorders, as demonstrated in Figure 4. Furthermore, Chinese students prefer Chinese traditional treatments for their psychological issues (Figure 5). They also dislike the school counselling system as a way of addressing their psychological matters (Figure 6). The majority should have mentioned whether the school counselling system assisted, as illustrated in Figure 7.

Figure 1: The number of female and male participants

 

 

Figure 2: Age distribution of participants

Figure 3: Educational level of participants

 

Figure 4: Showing the common psychological issues affecting Chinese students in GIC

 

Figure 5: Demonstrating methods Chinese students preferred to solve their psychological issues

 

Figure 6: Showing whether Chinese students are using the school counselling system

 

Figure 7: Demonstrating whether school counselling has worked for Chinese students in addressing their psychological issues

 

Table 1: Relationship between psychological issues and psychological methods and school counselling system

	Coefficients	Standard Error	t Stat	P-value	Lower 95%	Upper 95%	Lower 95.0%	Upper 95.0%
Intercept	3.96772754	2.643710054	1.500818	0.1379	-1.3049859	9.240441	-1.3049859	9.24044099
Psychological Methods	0.08164783	1.095571828	0.0745253	0.940805	-2.10340128	2.2666969	-2.1034013	2.26669694
School Counseling System	1.73973825	1.249696183	1.392129	0.1682905	-0.75270219	4.2321787	-0.7527022	4.2321787

 

From Table 1, Equation 1 describes the relationship between the dependent variables (psychological issues) and independent variables (psychological methods and school counselling system).

y=3.97+0.082*Psychological methods+1.740*School Counseling System               Equation 1

Figure 8: Showing regression line between psychological issues and psychological methods

Figure 9: Showing regression line between psychological issues and the school counselling system  

The coefficient for the intercept is 3.97 and is associated with a p-value of 0.1379, showing that it is not statistically significant at a p-value (0.05)(Equation 1). The coefficients for independent variables, psychological methods, and school counselling systems are also 0.082 and 1.740, respectively. Consequently, the p-value for psychological methods is 0.9408, while for the school counselling system is 0.1683. These p-values are more excellent than 0.05, demonstrating no significant relationship between psychological issues, the school counselling systems, and psychological methods. Therefore, the findings provide ground for retaining the null hypothesis, which shows no relationship between psychological issues, psychological methods, and the school counselling system.

Qualitative Data Analysis

Chinese students are affected by different psychological issues, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and stress. However, fear is more prevalent than psychological issues. Moreover, Chinese students prefer Chinese traditional treatments to Western treatments for addressing their psychological issues (Appendix C). A few participants indicated access to a school counselling system (15 appearances), while the majority reported no preference (58 appearances). Additionally, few Chis Chinese students have benefited from the school counselling system (Appendix C). The findings demonstrated that the majority of Chinese students do not seek assistance whenever they encounter psychological issues. Again, they prefer discussing psychological problems with their peers compared to their parents, teachers, and medical professionals. Teachers are the least preferred, followed by medical professionals when dealing with psychological issues.

Furthermore, participants emphasized addressing mental health issues within the school environment. They suggested incorporating mental health education into the curriculum, involving Chinese teachers to address cultural-specific concerns, and collaborating with Chinese student organizations to support psychological issues. Generally, the qualitative findings demonstrate the complex pattern of psychological problems among Chinese students, the variety of coping strategies employed, and the need for improved access to mental health support services within the school setting. Furthermore, cultural considerations, such as preferences for specific treatment methods and communication with Chinese teachers, emerged as important factors in addressing psychological concerns among the student population.

Appendices

Appendix A: coding of variables

Uncoded Variables	Coded Variables
What is your Nationality?	Nationality
What is your gender?	Gender
What is the range of your age?	Age
What is your degree?	Educational level
What psychological issues have you experienced while studying in GIC?	CMI
How often do you find yourself struggling (e.g., academically or psychologically) while studying at GIC?	YES
What was your state of mind when you encountered difficulties in GIC?	SM
If negative emotions, such as stress and anxiety, arise, do you actively seek to address the issue?	NESA
(If you answered yes to question 9) Would you prefer traditional Western or Chinese treatment?	WNTT
If your negative feelings, such as stress and anxiety, arise, are you willing to talk to others?	WTO
(If you answered yes to question 11) Who do you prefer to talk to?	PT
Have you ever used the school's counselling system for students?	SCS
(If you answered yes to question 13) Do you think the school's counselling system for students has worked for you?	SCSW

 

Appendix B: Coding of sub-independent variables

Independent variables	Coding
CPI	1
Depression	2
Anxiety	3
Stress	4
Anxiety and stress	5
Anxiety, stress, depression	6
Anxiety, stress, eating disorder	7
Anxiety and depression	8
Eating disorder	9
Stress, depression	10
Depression, eating disorders, stress, anxiety	11
Eating disorders and anxiety	12
Eating disorder, stress	13
Stress and depression	14
Stress, eating disorder, sleep hard	15
Suicidal thought	16
None	17
WNTT
No answer	0
Chinese traditional treatment	1
Western treatment	2

Appendix C: Different themes identified

Themes	Number of appearances
Psychological issues
Depression	28
Eating disorder	29
Stress	57
Anxiety	59
Psychological methods
Chinese traditional treatment	57
Western treatment	11
School Counseling System
Yes	15
No	58
Benefits of School Counseling System
Yes
No	8
	8
Seeking for assistance
Yes	7
No	66
Willing to talk
Yes	67
No	6
Talk Preference
Peers	41
Teachers	1
Parents	18
Medical professionals	8
Improvement in Addressing Psychological Issues	Explanations
Mental health	Most Chinese students mentioned mental health on several occasions. As a result, they provided different reasons for managing GIC to improve mental health. They suggested including Chinese teachers in chatting with students to address their psychological issues. Moreover, there is a need for GIC management to collaborate with Chinese student organizations to solve their psychological issues.