ABSTRACT

Purpose: An increasing number of Chinese students are pursuing higher education in Catalonia. This study explores what personal and environmental key factors influence their academic performance in a foreign country. Methodology. This study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach to explore 24 variables turned into hypotheses to examine how they influenced the academic performance of Chinese students in Catalonia. Employing the simple random sampling method, 201 respondents participated in a questionnaire survey based on Biggs’ 3P model and the theory of self-regulated learning (SRL). Results. Quantitative analysis of 201 survey responses revealed that variables such as teacher-student interaction (r = 0.892), time dedicated to studying (r = 0.862), and collaborative group learning (r = 0.661) have strong positive correlations with academic performance. Conversely, perceived differential treatment based on country of origin (r = -0.689) significantly negatively impacts academic outcomes. Linear regression results confirmed the predictive power of these factors, with teacher-student interaction showing the highest influence (β = 0.523, p < 0.001). Implications for research and practice. Qualitative findings from focus groups provided further context, highlighting challenges related to cultural adaptation, language barriers, and academic program difficulty. These insights underscore the importance of fostering supportive and inclusive educational environments and call for targeted interventions to aid international students in overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers.