91Ó°ÊÓÆƽâ°æ

Evan Zheng was invited by Dr Xuemeng Cao, an original member of the DEAR Centre's Doctoral & Post-doctoral Group and now Assistant Professor at Xiamen University, to deliver an online seminar for Master's and doctoral students at Xiamen University on 12 October 2026.

Titled ‘Doing Digital Ethnography in Higher Education Contexts: Lessons from Studying the Overseas Doctoral Admission of Chinese Students’, the presentation introduced digital ethnography as a research approach and reflected on its application in studying the overseas doctoral admission experiences of Chinese students. It also explored some of the practical challenges encountered during fieldwork and discussed possible strategies for addressing them.

Following a warm introduction by Dr Cao, Evan delivered a 45-minute presentation, followed by an engaging discussion and Q&A session with Master’s and doctoral students. The students demonstrated thoughtful and critical engagement, drawing on Evan's previous research on education agents (go to  ) to raise questions about ethical practices in data collection and analysis, the contributions of innovative research methods to qualitative research , and the role of researcher positionality in the processes of analysis and academic writing.

The discussion provided a valuable opportunity to exchange methodological insights and reflect on the practical and ethical considerations involved in conducting qualitative research in higher education.

.