1. Introduction

In the context of the era of globalization and informatization, As higher education becomes more globally integrated, transnational cooperative education has shown a trend of continuous growth worldwide. The rapid growth of Sino-foreign cooperative education is even more remarkable, particularly in China. When Chinese educational institutions and foreign educational institutions in China work together to plan educational and teaching activities with Chinese residents as the primary enrollment in compliance with the law, this is referred to as Sino-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools [1]. Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools takes two forms: cooperation in setting up institutions and cooperation in organizing projects. The issue of where its graduates end up is closely tied to the standard of education and the impact of developing talent, making it one of the key aspects of higher education's internationalization. Studying the destinations of Chinese-foreign co-operative school graduates is therefore crucial. However, there are fewer studies on the destinations of Chinese-foreign co-operative education graduates, and the majority of the current research maintains a positive attitude toward Chinese-foreign co-operative education institutions. Academic research on Chinese-foreign co-operative education is relatively active both domestically and internationally, and a certain number of published articles have been accumulated. However, Chinese-foreign cooperative education is facing many problems while developing rapidly, such as the inconsistent quality of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs in domestic colleges, the lack of focus from educational institutions, the low employability of graduates, and the lack of social acknowledgment following graduation. These issues affect not only the destination of graduates but also limit the sustainable growth of Sino-Foreign cooperative education. This study examines the destination of Chinese-foreign cooperative education graduates and attempts to analyze the direct employment rate, domestic further education rate, and overseas study rate of graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative education institutions and projects by comparing and analyzing the quantitative analysis of the data collected. It then discusses the underlying reasons for the analysis of the cases and proposes appropriate recommendations and countermeasures to enhance the quality of Chinese-foreign cooperative education to support its growth. Cooperative education between Chinese and foreigners is encouraged to grow. To compensate for the dearth of research in the field of education, this expands on earlier studies on Sino-Foreign cooperative schooling and offers theoretical guidance and data support for maximizing the model of Sino-Foreign cooperative schooling and raising educational standards.

2. Methodology

This study compares the destinations of graduates from Sino-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools using both case studies and data analysis.

2.1. Case Studies

The cooperative education program between Xijiao Liverpool University and Fujian Normal University is chosen as a case study in this paper, which uses the case study method. Its features in terms of curriculum, degree certification, and educational mode are examined, and its importance for raising the standard of higher education and fostering international exchange is examined.

2.2. Data Analysis

2.2.1. Data Sources

The data are derived from annual reports on the job quality of graduates provided by SFCUs (Sino-Foreign cooperative universities) and reports on the employment quality of graduates of Sino-Foreign co-operative programs offered by some mainland Chinese colleges. The study samples were obtained from the University of Nottingham Ningbo (UNNC), Xi'an Liverpool University (XJTLU), New York University in Shanghai (NYU-Shanghai), Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University University Joint International College (UIC),Wenzhou Kennedy University (WKU), and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) in China, Fujian Normal University (FJNU) for Network Engineering (Sino-Japanese Cooperation) and Digital Media Technology (Sino-Japanese Cooperation), Hainan University (HNU) for Sino-Foreign Cooperation Program, Sichuan University (SCU) for Sino-Foreign Cooperation Program, Xi'an University of Science and Technology (XUST) for Civil Engineering (Sino-Foreign Cooperation) and Electrical Engineering and Automation (Sino-Foreign Cooperation), Sichuan International Studies University (SISU), International Economics and Trade (Sino-Foreign cooperation) at Hefei University of Technology (HFUT), Human Geography and Urban and Rural Planning (Sino-French cooperation) and Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (Sino-US cooperation) at Ningbo University (NBU).

2.2.2. Data Analysis

The data of graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative education programs in six separate institutional organizations and Chinese universities was extracted and summarized using data inductive analysis. China categorizes employment into further study, employment, and entrepreneurship. There are three steps to analyze the data, first, the information is divided into four parts study abroad, domestic education, direct employment, and unemployment, because unemployment is not the focus of this paper, this paper does not analyze the unemployment part of the study. Second, the data were compared longitudinally to arrive at which direction had a high percentage of graduates. Finally, a cross-sectional comparison was conducted to compare the differences in the destinations of graduates from Chinese domestic universities with SFCUs. The use of small samples can provide deeper insights as the data can be collected with a greater focus on the details of each sample, allowing for a more nuanced analysis. In some cases, a small sample size may reduce the bias associated with overly extensive data, allowing researchers to more accurately capture the true state of the Chinese foreign cooperative programs in universities.

2.2.3. Results of Data Analysis

According to the longitudinal study, it was found that studying abroad accounted for most of the proportion of both SFCUs and Chinese-foreign cooperative programs in domestic colleges and universities, followed by direct employment, and lastly, domestic advancement. As shown in Table 1, Most of the proportion studying abroad can account for 30%-50%, and even more can reach more than 50%, while domestic further education in the rate of further education the proportion is much less, the proportion of most within 10%, a small number of more than 10%. Direct employment accounts for about 20%-60% range. According to the horizontal comparison, it is found that the proportion of graduates of SFCUs, studying abroad is more stable, basically at about 60% (as shown in Table 1), while the proportion of graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs of Chinese mainland universities studying abroad varies greatly, most of them are in the range of 20%-50% (as shown in Table 1). The proportion of graduates of SFCUs choosing to pursue further studies in China is small, basically at about 1.5%, while the proportion of graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs of Chinese universities choosing to pursue further studies in China fluctuates greatly, ranging from 10%-50%. The percentage of graduates of SFCUs choosing domestic study abroad fluctuates greatly, ranging from 10% to 50%. It can be seen that graduates of SFCUs are more inclined to choose to study abroad than graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs in domestic universities, while graduates of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs in mainland Chinese universities are more inclined to study.

Table 1: Destinations of graduates of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education and Overseas Destinations of Graduates from SFCUs [2].

3. Analysis of Causes

Based on the above data analysis, the reasons behind the data discrepancies will be analyzed below.

3.1. Reasons for High Percentage of Study Abroad

According to the longitudinal comparison of the data, it is found that most of the graduates of both SFCUs and Chinese universities' Sino-Foreign cooperative programs choose to study abroad. The following categories apply to the reasons they decide to study abroad:

First off, when it comes to educational resources, Sino-foreign cooperative educational programs or institutions typically bring in top-notch, cutting-edge foreign resources, such as professors, curriculum content, and teaching methods. These learning materials and the platform offered by Sino-Foreign cooperative educational institutions help students become more prepared and self-assured for studying overseas. Chinese-foreign cooperative education institutions and professional programs usually adopt internationalized curricula and teaching modes to cultivate students' international vision and cultural adaptability, making it easier for graduates to adapt to the overseas learning environment. Secondly, in terms of language, some of the independent Sino-Foreign cooperative universities and programs usually adopt English teaching, such as the University of Nottingham Ningbo and Xijiao Liverpool University, which adopt a full English teaching mode, so that students can adapt to the language environment at an early stage, and therefore, most of the graduates are relatively stronger in terms of language proficiency, and can adapt to the university life in a better way. In terms of cost, ISM can offer students more resources and flexible learning alternatives than conventional HEIs. In line with Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, ISM Through improved social networks and job prospects is a means of building up cultural capital that may be converted into social and economic capital [3-5]. For groups with socioeconomic advantages or aspirations for social mobility, studying abroad can reproduce such advantages or expectations of greater socioeconomic mobility [6]. To invest in their children's education overseas, parents convert economic capital into cultural capital with the hope of expanding their horizons and earning greater returns. The majority of families who choose to enroll in Sino-Foreign cooperative education are middle class. Additionally, as globalization becomes more apparent, more parents and students understand the value of international education for the advancement of their jobs and are eager to study overseas to improve their employability in the future. The employment situation in society has become increasingly tense in the post-epidemic era, indicating a state of involution. Most students decide to continue their education to increase their employability, and some graduates decide to pursue additional education overseas due to the intense competition for graduate students in their home country. Last but not least, for some students, the courses offered by the school could not be a suitable fit with their future goals for a variety of reasons, including failing the college entrance exam. Then more students will choose to go to graduate school or apply for graduate school abroad, and make their own choice of graduation destination by changing their majors. It is worth mentioning that when the practicality of the course is not strong, many students will give up direct employment and apply for graduate school abroad, but choose the domestic form of graduate school to temporarily escape the employment pressure, hoping to improve the level of qualifications to expand their employment [7].

3.2. Reasons for the Higher Rate of SFCUs Graduates Studying Abroad as Compared to the Chinese-foreign Cooperative Programs

According to the horizontal comparison of the data, it is found that the rate of SFCUs graduates studying abroad is higher than that of the Sino-Foreign cooperative programs. To summarize the reasons, the following examines two distinct kinds of colleges and universities: Xijiaotong Liverpool University and Fujian Normal University's Sino-Foreign cooperative program.

Xi'an Jiaotong Institution (XJTU) in China and the University of Liverpool (UL) in the United Kingdom established XJTLU, a Sino-Foreign cooperative institution with an independent legal personality. The university adopts full English teaching for professional courses, and students receive strict English for Academic Purposes (EAP) intensive training in the first year of study, so that students can have the same level of professionalism required for studying in universities in English-speaking countries, and lay a foundation for further study of English for professional purposes. The degree system at WJL is set up in the "2+2" mode, i.e. students decide whether to choose the 2+2 study mode in the second semester of their sophomore year. Undergraduates will get the University of Liverpool's undergraduate diploma, bachelor's degree, and bachelor's degree upon graduation, all of which are approved by the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Education [8].

Fujian Normal University (FNU) has adopted the "4+0" cultivation mode of "dual enrollment", "dual diploma" and "4+0" as the single major program of cooperative education between FNU and foreign institutions. Students study in Fujian Normal University for the whole four years, register for both Chinese and foreign student registrations, introduce foreign teachers and corresponding foreign professional courses and core courses, and adopt the mixed teaching mode of Chinese and English. Undergraduates can receive honorary bachelor's degree certificates from international universities in addition to a bachelor's degree certificate from Fujian Normal University upon graduation.

Through the two different types of Chinese-foreign cooperative universities' mode of operation, curriculum, and so on, it is not difficult to find that SFCUs students are affected by the full English teaching mode, students' foreign language proficiency is higher, and they can better adapt to the foreign environment; The English proficiency of the program is uneven, which impacts the students' circumstances for studying abroad, and the graduation rate of Chinese-foreign cooperative university programs in domestic universities and colleges is lower than that of SFCUs. This is in contrast to the absence of systematic English learning in these programs. The rate of graduates of SFCUs is lower than that of SFCUs students. In terms of curriculum, the rationality of SFCUs is higher than that of Chinese domestic colleges and universities with Sino-foreign cooperative programs. While the curriculum of SFCUs is more cohesive and allows students to acquire a great deal of advanced knowledge, Chinese foreign cooperative programs at Chinese universities typically adopt Chinese and foreign courses in parallel, giving the curriculum a sense of fragmentation and a low rate of knowledge absorption. As the Chinese and foreign sides of SFCUs manage their courses separately, the quality of the courses varies, which may cause students to be more confused.

In addition, SFCUs provide students with more abundant resources and network platforms to help students understand various study abroad opportunities and provide relevant application support, so the rate of SFCUs graduates studying abroad is higher than that of Chinese-foreign cooperative programs in universities.

4. Conclusion

According to this study's qualitative and quantitative analyses, the international perspective and ease of further study offered by Chinese-foreign cooperative education are the primary reasons why the largest percentage of Chinese-foreign cooperative education graduates choose to study overseas. However, the direct employment rate is stable but has more room for improvement, and the relatively low rate of domestic progression reflects issues of teaching quality and competitiveness. Therefore, to preserve its international character, Chinese-foreign cooperative education must concentrate on raising the standard of instruction and making student employment more competitive. The findings of this study have important implications for the development of policies on Chinese-foreign cooperative education, the enhancement of educational quality, and the optimization of talent cultivation modes. Sino-foreign cooperative education will face new chances and challenges as globalization accelerates and higher education internationalization deepens. Future studies can investigate ways to optimize the curriculum, bolster the teaching team, and improve the quality of instruction to increase the domestic progression rate and direct employment rate of Chinese foreign cooperative education graduates. However, it's also critical to consider how shifts in global circumstances may affect the destinations of Sino-Foreign cooperative education graduates.

Authors Contribution

All the authors contributed equally and their names were listed in alphabetical order.