Understanding the Study Experience of Chinese Tourism Doctoral Students Studying Overseas

Understanding the study experience of international tourism doctoral students is an important task for the researchers and practitioners in tourism education field. Drawing on qualitative data from Chinese overseas tourism doctoral students, this paper examines their perceptions of difficulties that experienced during their doctoral studies. A constructivist grounded theory approach is adopted. The findings identify three themes: academic, financial and psychological pressure. The study further explores how to support individuals' doctoral studies from different perspectives, including supervisors, education institutions and society. The findings provide useful insights for governments and educational institutions to better design, promote, and support the doctoral programmes for international tourism students.