Areas of Expertise
- Educational Philosophy
- Educational Policy
- Multicultural/Multilingual Education
Keywords
Cultural Studies, Global and International Education, Comparative/International education, International Student Mobility
Research Methodologies
- Qualitative Methods
- Quantitative Methods
Research Levels
- Postsecondary
- Secondary
Research Overview
As a researcher in Comparative and International Education (CIE), I believe in the power of lending and borrowing between cultures and countries for the purpose of improving educational policy and practice at home. Further, I hope that research in CIE can help to promote global understanding and peace as people across the globe have different ways of viewing the world, ways that are equally valid and reflective of their life circumstances. It is my belief that ultimately, the purpose of education, both in the East and in the West, should be the liberation of human beings from the constraints of ignorance and prejudice through the cultivation of a cosmopolitan mindset that emphasizes unity and solidarity while allowing differences and diversity.
My current research interests in international student mobility originated from my early experiences as an international student and later an international sojourner working in the United States. I came from a small town in Shaanxi Province, which is located in the Northwestern part of China. Economically, it is an underdeveloped region, but culturally very rich. The capital city of Xi’an of the province, near my hometown, was the capital city of thirteen dynasties in ancient China. After graduating from Wuhan University in China, I came to the US in 1999 for graduate school: received my master’s degree from the University of Maryland and doctoral degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Upon getting my doctoral degree, I joined the UH College of Education in 2008, and have found a home in Hawaii ever since. Hawaii is a true blend of different cultures and ethnic groups, and I highly value and enjoy its cultural diversity.
- Cheng, B. (2025). To participate or not: Understanding Chinese learners’ experiences with class discussion in American higher education. Globalisation, Societies and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2025.2543325
- Cheng, B., & Zhang, D. (2020). Cultivating citizens with Confucian cosmopolitanism: Defining the purpose of liberal arts education in the Asian context. Frontiers of Education in China, 15(4), 564-587.
- Cheng, B. (2020). Sociocultural adaptation of “parachute kids” from mainland China. British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 48(6), 826-843.
- Cheng, B., & Yang, P. (2019). Chinese students studying in American high schools: International sojourning as a pathway to global citizenship. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49(5), 553-573.
- Cheng, B. (2025). Defending the Chinese Learner: Examining Critical Thinking among Chinese International Students. The 69th Comparative and International Education Society annual meeting in March, in Chicago, Illinois.
- Cheng, B. (2024). Engage China through academic and educational exchanges at UH Manoa. China Town Hall at the Center for Chinese Studies, University of Hawaii.
- Cheng, B. (2021). Overseas Chinese Students and China’s Quest for Modernization: The ti-yong dilemma. The 65thComparative and International Education Society annual meeting in April.
- Cheng, B. (2019). Cultivating Cosmopolitans with Critical Thinking Skill: Implementing the liberal arts education model in Asia. Beijing Forum, Beijing, China.
- Comparative and International Education Society
- American Educational Research Association