Dynamics of Expectations and Adaptation Strategies: A Study of Expectation Management Processes among Chinese Graduate Students

Abstract

This research aims to explore the expectations and analyze the expectation management strategies of Chinese master's degree students at a Thai university. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with seven key informants, selected through purposive sampling combined with snowball sampling. The informants were Chinese master's degree students aged between 23–28 years, representing diverse genders, fields of study, and regions in China.  Semi-structured in-depth interviews and observation records as research instruments. The data were analyzed using directed content analysis. The findings revealed that students' expectations cover four main dimensions: teaching and learning, services, social and cultural aspects, and future opportunities. The service dimension showed the most significant gap between expectations and reality. When encountering such discrepancies, students demonstrated proactive agency through “expectation management strategies” which consist of five main strategies: expectation adjustment, information seeking, behavioral adaptation, support system utilization, and cognitive reframing. The researcher synthesized a “Cyclical Expectation Management Model” to explain the dynamic, continuous, and non-linear process of adaptation through five stages: perceiving expectation gaps, seeking information, active coping, cognitive reframing, and forming new expectations. In addition, the study found an increasing tendency among students to develop positive attitudes toward staying and working in Thailand after graduation. Policy recommendations emphasize the necessity of improving institutional information systems and proactive support mechanisms, enabling universities to move beyond being degree providers toward becoming institutions that effectively develop the potential of transnational human resources.