Tapping into the power of audio diaries in a longitudinal study with Chinese international students

<p dir="ltr">Despite the exponential growth of international students and scholarship around their experiences, most of the existing literature focuses on using ‘traditional’ research methods and tends to take a narrow view of their experiences, i.e. in a deficit narrative, mostly identifying challenges and barriers. It is necessary and timely to think critically and creatively about the suitable methodological approaches to research with international students and to understand their multifaceted experiences. This paper focuses on a year-long longitudinal investigation of Chinese international students and reflects on an innovative research method, i.e. audio diary, to explore their complex and dynamic experiences in UK master’s programmes. Through detailing the methodological, ethical and practical issues, this paper intends to share this innovative method to better inform and enhance future research practice given its flexibility, operability and ‘restrained freedom’ to generate rich descriptions with international students in higher education settings.</p>