Social media analysis reveals persistent career and health concerns among prospective Chinese study-abroad students, highlighting long-term shifts in international education demand.
Key Points
This study examines how the sentiments, perceptions, and decision-making priorities of Chinese students considering overseas study shifted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analyzed approximately 95,000 posts from the social media platform Weibo related to studying abroad and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employed computational data mining techniques, including sentiment analysis and topic modeling, to extract themes and emotional trajectories.
Conducted Granger causality testing to evaluate the relationship between COVID-19 case numbers and sentiment scores.
Government policies, public health risks, and future career prospects emerged as the primary factors driving student sentiments regarding international education.
Concerns regarding foreign degree recognition, graduate employability, salary expectations, job stability, and career competitiveness remained prominent beyond the acute pandemic period.