Communicating international identity: from promotional WeChat posts to a typology of international schools in China

With the rise of nontraditional international schools, international education is no longer the domain of globally mobile elites. In China, many affluent middle-class families view international schools as a strategic choice for their children’s future. This study utilised qualitative content analysis to investigate China’s diverse international education market and its target clientele. Social semiotics and cultural theories were employed to understand how international schools communicate their image and reach their audiences through WeChat, a mobile application indispensable for life and work in China. The study explored how six international schools differed in communication styles and content emphases in public WeChat posts, as reflected in manifestations of high- and low-context communication, power distance and individualism. The meaning behind these differences was considered with a focus on the schools’ target audiences. Posts aimed at expatriate families showed communication patterns of low context, low power distance and individualism, while posts aimed at local families used high-context and usually high power-distance communication patterns. Through this analysis, a new typology emerged. The findings confirmed the existence of four types of international schools in China previously identified in the literature: the internationally-national school, the internationally-facing school, the sanctuary school and the emerging Chinese internationalised school, while also revealing a novel type: the nationally-international school serving chiefly mainland Chinese families who hold passports from Hong Kong. This research demonstrates international schools’ strategic use of cultural communication in targeting diverse audiences, highlighting the combination of global and local influences within the Chinese international education market.