Gwenin: Clarity by Design

Supporting International Students in UK Academia with Clarity and Care

Navigating a new academic culture isn’t just about mastering a new referencing style or reading list. It’s about decoding expectations, interpreting unfamiliar tones, and rebuilding confidence in a space where the rules have changed, but no one’s said how.

For many international students, especially from China and East Asia, joining UK academia can feel like learning to speak in a room that doesn’t stop moving. Feedback sounds vague. Argument sounds confrontational. Structure matters more than answers, and voice seems required before you’re even sure what questions you’re allowed to ask.

This guide supports educators, mentors, and academic staff working across disciplines to reflect on the invisible norms baked into their feedback, teaching, and support practices. It’s a framework to help make the implicit explicit, with care and nuance.

1. Start With Curiosity, Not Assumption

Before offering tools or explanations, ask what the student already understands, on their terms, in their language, and from their previous experiences.

Try asking:
• How did you learn to write essays or reports in your previous setting?
• What did good academic work look like there?
• How was disagreement handled in teaching spaces?

☑ I’ve invited students to share what academic success looked like in their previous education
☑ I’ve recognised how family, national curriculum, or teacher values shape writing norms
☑ I’ve reflected on where I might be assuming too much familiarity

✍ One way I’ll invite their story before offering guidance is: “Tell me a bit about how this kind of task was introduced to you previously.”
✍ If I feel surprised by their approach, I’ll ask myself: “What might they be responding to that I can’t yet see?”

🟦 Prompt: Cultural fluency begins with curiosity. Listening first is always a good pedagogy.

2. Make the Invisible Visible

Much of what students are expected to “just know” has never been taught explicitly, not because it’s obvious, but because it’s so embedded in UK academic culture that it goes unquestioned.

Make visible:
• What “critical thinking” actually means in context
• What counts as “originality” in a UK dissertation
• How hierarchy operates, even in supposedly “flat” academic structures
• Why referencing and plagiarism policies might look harsh without context

Use examples:
• Compare writing samples across cultures
• Unpack how tone and authority show up in published papers
• Show feedback comments and decode them aloud together

☑ I’ve shared real examples that illustrate the rules in action
☑ I’ve explained why we do things this way, not just that we do
☑ I’ve given students language to ask for clarification without shame

✍ One academic expectation I will now explain more explicitly is ____________________________
✍ I will check understanding by asking ____________________________ instead of “Do you get it?”

🟦 Prompt: Expectations can be explained without dilution. Clarity empowers everyone.

3. Offer Structure Without Rigidity

Some students crave frameworks because they offer safety and familiarity. Others may see too much structure as restrictive. The key is to offer scaffolding that holds their work while still making room for experimentation and voice.

Try offering:
• A simple essay framework with flexible “move” labels, not fixed word counts
• Examples of how different students approached the same assignment in unique ways
• Visual maps of argument structure or source integration

☑ I’ve shared tools they can adapt, not fixed models they must follow
☑ I’ve offered structure as an option, not a gate
☑ I’ve framed academic structure as something to grow within

✍ I might say: “Here’s one way to build your argument, what version of this might work for you?”
✍ Instead of correcting first, I’ll ask: “What was your thinking when you structured it this way?”

🟦 Prompt: Rigid rules can silence the voice. Responsive scaffolds can nurture it.

4. Acknowledge the Emotional Landscape

Academic transition can feel destabilising. Behind “I’m confused” might be “I feel stupid.” Behind silence might be fear of being seen as unprepared, rude, or inadequate. Remember, confidence is cultural too.

Listen for:
• Hesitation to challenge or critique
• Fear around asking questions or “looking lost”
• Guilt around not “knowing this already”

☑ I’ve made space for emotional check-ins, not just content questions
☑ I’ve normalised struggle without infantilising it
☑ I’ve shared stories of my own early confusion or feedback missteps

✍ I’ll hold the emotional tone by saying: “It’s totally normal to feel unsure here, this is new terrain.”
✍ If someone seems anxious, I’ll offer: “What part feels confusing, and what feels familiar?”

🟦 Prompt: Psychological safety isn’t a bonus; it’s the soil that learning grows in.

5. Support Confidence, Not Just Compliance

It’s easy for international students to internalise that they’re behind. That their voice isn’t academic enough. That they must imitate rather than contribute. Your role is to gently widen the gap between what’s required and what’s possible.

Ways to build confidence:
• Highlight what’s working in their writing or thinking
• Share when their perspective added something you hadn’t considered
• Encourage safe risk-taking, even if the phrasing isn’t “perfect”
• Explain that argument and humility can coexist

☑ I’ve offered praise that is specific and substantive
☑ I’ve reminded students they belong in this academic space
☑ I’ve asked what feels meaningful to them, not just what matches the brief

✍ One thing they’ve done well, that I’ll name clearly, is ____________________________
✍ One encouragement I’ll offer is: “You don’t need to sound like someone else. Let’s shape a version of this that feels like yours.”

🟦 Prompt: The goal is not to produce replicas, it’s to help students realise they already belong here, with voice and integrity intact.

Final Reflection: International Students Expand the Imagination of Academia

Every time we slow down to clarify, to translate, to offer context and care, we make the university more accessible. Not just for international students, but for everyone. We shift from survival mode to generative community. We build cultures where knowledge feels shared, not guarded. Where voice feels possible, not performance.

✍ What’s one small thing I could revise, explain, or reframe tomorrow, so students feel more seen?

You’re always welcome to view Gwenin for a selection of frameworks, or pop over to Spiralmore’s extended PDF collections. In addition, you’re always welcome to explore our more relaxed corner: the informal blog.