Going to study in a new country can be a stressful experience, from learning the culture norms to new foods. Culture shock is common with international students. Culture shock can include, meeting new people, language barriers, social behaviors, and a sense of community. A students comfortability with the culture of their new home can determine their learning experience. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, being so far away from family and friends. American culture is difficult to understand. International students find Americans to be confusing. Social norms vary depending on the part of the country a person is in. Everyone reacts differently to new environments.While some are excited others are upset to have to leave important people behind. Culture shock comes in many different forms and sizes, some may find it harder to adjust than others. The difficulties to adjusting don’t always show up right away (TeensHealth). Culture shock is experienced in many different ways some common feelings are; sadness, loneliness, anxiety, trouble concentrating, feeling left out, negative feelings towards the new culture and frustration (TeensHealth). These feelings are temporary, eventually people get used to their surroundings. Although, many have been planning on the change for a long time, many still experience the impact of culture shock (International Students and Culture Shock). A huge majority of the cultures norms are based on language. New languages are always overwhelming.English is difficult language to learn, especially if it isn’t practiced often. The english language includes rules that can be frustrating to get a grip of. Many International students face the fear of not being understood or not pronouncing something correct... ... middle of paper ... ...ternational Students and Cultural Shock. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2014, from http://www.washington.edu/counseling/resources/resources-for-students/international-students-and-cultural-shock/ Meeting the Needs of International Students. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2014, from http://www.cgu.edu/pages/948.asp Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Share Your World and Open Theirs. Host Today. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2014, from http://www.ayusa.org/ TeensHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2014, from http://teenshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/culture_shock.html Tensions simmer between American and international students | Inside Higher Ed. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/16/tensions-simmer-between-american-and-international-students
Day by day, there are foreigners whose first language may not be English. There can be difficulty in learning a new language in a new land, and it can be hard to adjust to
Culture is all about an individual knowledge based on belief ,art,morals customs.Therefore culture shock occurs when people have different values and beliefs and are not tolerant of each others differences(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).The separation of important people in our lives such as family, friends and colleagues that we would often talk to at times in our certainity can affect our physical social emotional and mental health(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).Jenny in this case has to fly to a hospital in a town to give birth,she is separated from her husband and her kids,another example of culture shock is when Isabel is fed through Naso-gastric tube whereas Jenny is used to breast feeding.
A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective Function Phase. These phases denote some of the stages that exemplify culture shock. The four phases are illustrated in the articles “New Immigrants: Portraits in Passage” by Thomas Bentz, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “When I Was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories” by Thomas Kessner and Betty Boyd Caroli, and lastly, “The New Americans: Immigrant Life in Southern California” by Ulli Steltzer, and are about the experiences of some immigrants. This essay will examine the four phases of culture shock and classify the experiences of these immigrants by the different phases of culture shock identified.
Tagg, John. “Why Learn? What We May Really Be Teaching Students.” About Campus. 2004. Print.
In the last few years, studying abroad has become an increasingly popular choice for higher education among international students (Accessibility Navigation, 2014). An average of 10% of students in universities all across the UK are international students from countries all over the world. (Accessibility Navigation, 2014). Although the experience is different for each individual student, there are many common problems that international students face. Those problems include: culture shock to varying degrees coupled with emotional issues(Bailey, 2005), Language barriers along with other communication problems (Sherry et al, 2009), and academic problems due to a change in school curriculum (Ramachandran, 2011). This essay will expand on the common problems faced by international students in the UK, offer solutions for handling the problems, and making the process of acclimating to a new environment easier for students.
Students Engagement is conspicuously investigated by many authors since mid-1980s when Astin (1984) worked on student involvement. Then the topic has attracted many authors eg. Chickering and Gamson, (1987), Maher and Tinto (1992), Kuh and Vesper, (1997), etc... as it seems that engaging students with the course is one of the key factors of successful learning and teaching in higher education.
However, the collision starts when the challenges and problems face them in the host country even less joy of some or fade! Some of them suffer many of the problems that might hinder their studies. It is often the problems occur in the first year of traveling to the study, which represents the real beginning for a new life in a society that is different in terms of religion, customs, traditions and the way of life. Eva Hoffman is the author of “Lost in Translation” was happy when she moved to Canada but, she had never thought that the life is not easy there if she didn’t prepare herself for it. She faced many things that made her uncomfortable. According to Eva Hoffman “It was Saturday when she went with Canadian friends to McDonalds. They got their orders from the drive-in and they sat and eat in the car and that made her finicky distaste.” She didn’t feel comfortable because their cultures are different. When I came to the United States, I felt as Eva Hoffman’s feeling. I was studying English Language at TLC with my Colombian friend. Our religions are different and he was my best friend. One day, we were studying together then he went to order dinner for us. He didn’t asked me what I want! So, he brought a
Pedersen, Paul. The Five Stages of Culture Shock: Critical Incidents Around the World. Westport, Connectcut: Greenwood Press, 1995.
International students face many different challenges when studying abroad. This is due to many factors. First they are living in a country very far away from their own. The country they are studying in also has a very different way of life than theirs. Also the laws in foreign country are much different than the laws in their own country. Due to that they face a lot of problems trying to adapt to this new culture. Me personally as an international student in the US studying in ASU have faced three particularly difficult challenges that I was able to overcome through time. In this essay I will explain how international students can overcome tough challenges and situations.
Teaching students a language that is foreign can really be challenging for students as well as for the teachers. The dynamic rule for implementing instructing in a diverse class to English-learners is to use resourceful life skills such as diligence, hard work and patience. There are also methods that are involved in teaching English as a second language that can be creative for the teacher, yet beneficial to the student. First building a strong foundation that is essential to English learners will promote the language acquisition process. To do this teacher’s should always start with preparation. Advance preparation is essential in order to provide necessary adaptations in content area instruction and to make content information accessible for second language lear...
People tell you how scary it could be, you read about it, you are not so sure how you should handle it, you are both excited and anxious… If you are an international student, you could probably guess what I am talking about here: the cultural shocks and barriers. Prior to my arrival, all I forced myself to think about was how I could Americanize myself, how I could pretend better and so on. My wake-up call arrived soon enough—incapability to understand other people; endless anxiety that filled my mind; ridiculous mistakes made because of my erroneous perceptions… About much of the contents you could read in articles like Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks written by LaRay M. Barna. Although at first sight I completely
For newly arrived international students who are in their late adolescence developmental stage, the sources of acculturative stress often include academic pressures, language difficulties, feelings of inferiority, difficulties in adjusting to new food or cultural values, lack of support, perceived discrimination, and homesickness (Andrade, 2006). In addition, international students may experience little acceptance, tolerance, and understanding of their cultural practices by members of the host country, and in some cases, racial discrimination (Poyrazli & Lopez, 2007). It is also possible that international students themselves may be intolerant or discriminatory towards other international students or members of the host culture. These difficulties can contribute to international students’ loneliness, alienation, mistrust, powerlessness, and depression. Although members (e.g., new college students) of the host culture may be affected by such difficulties, the combination of acculturation stressors has been found to weigh more heavily on international students who have limited access to resources (Poyrazli & Lopez, 2007). Specifically, when experiencing acculturative stress, they may
People live in the world of communication. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (Moore, 1997), communication is defined as, “The activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”. The significance of communication can be found within the context of a human existing as a social being. As a human being manages his or her life in the course of the interaction between other members of the entire society, communication is inevitable. Communication occurs through the medium of a language and it is presented in two different forms which are written and spoken (Brown & Yule, 1983: 1-10). The importance of spoken performance of a language is becoming more prominent over the written performance capability. It is because the ability to speak a language reflects a person’s personality, self image, knowledge of the world, ability to reason, skill to express thoughts in real-time (Luoma, 2004: ix). These days, due to the global trend of internationalisation, the ability to communicate in English is needed as an essential skill. Whenever the international exchange happens, the use of spoken English entails. However, it is not always an easy task for people who use English as a second language to be able to speak to the level of a native speaker. They have to perfectly understand the sound system of English, have almost instant access to proper vocabulary and be able to place words together intelligibly without hesitation. Moreover, they also have to perceive what is being said to them and need to be able to respond appropriately to acquire amiable relations or to accomplish their communicative goals (Luoma, 2004: ix). Therefore, non-native English speakers encounter these barriers and they are subject to make mistakes often. In relation to this matter, this essay argues that there are socio-cultural factors as well as linguistic factors that affect non-native speakers’ communication in English. It provides analysis of several different situations when the use of spoken English has generated miscommunication problems in regards to author’s personal experience.
Imagine walking onto a plane and travelling 3,000 miles across the ocean to spend the first semester of your college career in a completely different place than you’ve lived your entire life. Well, that was something that I personally experienced about two years ago. I got accepted to Arcadia University, and into their “FYSAE” (First Year Study Abroad Experience) Program. It was probably the most exciting, yet nerve-wracking thing that I had ever done in my life. I got on a plane and went to the UK for a full four months as a new freshman in college. When I was leaving my home, family, friends, and job I was anxious and sad to be leaving, but once I arrived in the UK I could not contain my excitement. I studied at Stirling University in Stirling, Scotland. The semester that I studied abroad was probably the best time of my life. In those four short months, I experienced a different culture, ate new foods, made lifelong friends, travelled to other places, learned to understand an accent that sounds like a whole other language, and learned to be independent. I accomplished all this while learning and taking a full course load (and getting good grades) at the university.
Kachru, B. B. (1992). Teaching world Englishes. The other tongue: English across cultures, 2, 355-366.