Difficulties of International Non-Native Students in Studying in an English Academic Culture - Article Example

What difficulties might international non-native have in studying in an English Academic Culture at Undergraduate level? How could these students best deal with such potential challenges? Countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom see the influx of international students every year. Since the US and the UK have numerous high-quality educational institutions and centers for higher learning, students across the world throng to the universities in these countries to get quality education. As part of their qualification to enroll in these universities, the international students are required to pass English language tests along with aptitude and logical reasoning tests. Yet many of the students who get through these tests find themselves at a disadvantage during the course of their education. This exposes the inadequacy of these entry tests and the need for their overhaul (Koehne, 2005, p.105). But things remaining as they are, there are certain things that the students can adopt to make their undergraduate learning experience more fruitful and less distressing. One of the common difficulties encountered by international students is the spoken accent and nuances of English language employed by their professors and instructors. They also have difficulties in comprehending their text books due to a lack of grasp on the nuances, subtleties and unique aspects of English grammar (Iwai, 2008, p.45). The best way to get accustomed to these would be to listen to local radio and television programs. For example, to gain familiarity with the British accent, listening to BBC Radio or watching BBC World would be a good starting point. In the case of the American accent, watching CNN will be helpful. Ideally, this preparation would begin a few months before the actual starting of the course, as these channels are available all across the world and also in the Internet. The key to this preparation is patience. Getting familiar with a foreign accent is not going to happen overnight. So the student must persist in this exercise for months at a stretch and eventually the results will show. Yuko Iwai, a researcher who has conducted studies on students with English as Secondary Language (ESL) has suggested a set of four reading and comprehension techniques that will aid international students. These four techniques could be summarized thus: “First, students can take advantage of being aware of the purposes of reading as well as different reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, note-taking, critical reading, and using dictionaries. Second, it is valuable for students to read and understand from contexts, not depending on each word, when they read carefully. During this process, they need to think about what the main point is, what an author is saying in the text, and so on. Third, exposure to various reading experiences such as newspaper/journal articles, poetry, magazines, expository books, and narrative books is important. Lastly, it is crucial for students to be motivated to read. In order to do this, it is recommended that instructors provide topics that interest students, or provide opportunities for students to select materials and topics they would like to read by themselves”. (Iwai, 2008, p.46) Many of the international students would have grown up in a different cultural atmosphere to that in the US or UK, or for that matter Australia. Hence it is important for them to get acclimatized with the cultural norms they are likely to encounter in the university setting. The research team of Yakushko et. al. has carried out extensive studies pertaining to cultural experiences of international students. In particular, they focused on the phenomenon of ‘culture shock’, whereby the student is so overwhelmed and confused by the new culture that he/she is mentally disturbed as a result. Further, “international students experience adjustment difficulties (i.e., change in the level of functioning) that may be academic, social, or psychological in nature. Although these difficulties are experienced by both native-born and international students, the extant research indicates that international students may tend to experience adjustment difficulties to a greater degree than do their native-born counterparts. Among the specific psycho-emotional difficulties encountered by international students are clashes of cultural values; loss of social support systems; culture shock; feelings of inferiority; and loneliness, feeling different, and loss of identity. International students, once they arrive on campus, are under constant pressure to acculturate.” (Yakushko et. al., 2008, p.6) Many universities have understood the likelihood of such student adjustment problems and have set up psychological counseling centers for international and native students alike. While some of the anxieties faced by international students are legitimate, they should at all costs avoid being consumed by their fears. To take a particular example, international students have been subjected to greater scrutiny in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center. While government agencies claim that they are only performing “random” security tests at airports and national borders, there are grounds to believe that foreigners are viewed with undue suspicion. International students from European countries might be relatively free, riding the advantage of their white skin (Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007, p.29). But the situation for most others is not so pleasant. The best approach to this problem would be to take it in one’s stride. After all, the security checks are done to protect people from terrorist acts. The international student, by way of cooperating with law enforcement officers and security personnel, can help prevent acts of terror. The student should also keep in mind that another terror attack on U.S. or U.K. soil will only escalate the security measures, making his/her life more restricted eventually. Hence, the issue of security checks should be taken in its proper spirit and should not be equated with racism or Xenophobia, which will only add to mental distress and unwanted psychological anxiety. There are other ways in which international students can address their social and cultural adjustment problems. For example, “a student mentoring or peer network program is a possible means to address students need for social support. This program could be offered in two different but complementary ways. Before arrival, students could be matched with another international student, preferably from their own country or a similar culture. Thus, the enrolled student could share information about housing, transportation, registration, campus life and so on with the incoming student. After arrival, a peer program that matches a native student with an international student for a few hours every other week would help facilitate familiarity with the new culture. This would promote greater psychosocial and academic achievement among international students and also increase the retention rate of these students for the institution”. (Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007, p.30) A less well known difficulty faced by an international student’s life is making ends meet through the course of their stay in the foreign country. Many international students take up part-time jobs in local restaurants and supermarkets to provide for their tuition, rent, food and other expenses. Even the law in the U.S., U.K., and Australia allows them the right to seek such employment as long as their student visas remain valid. While their earnings will not meet all of these expenses, they will certainly supplement the money sent by their parents/guardians or other patrons. It can be extremely taxing for an undergraduate student to do full justice to their course curriculum while also keeping a 4 hour job in the evenings. There are no hard and fast solutions to deal with the problem of keeping afloat. While the students’ primary priority should be to attain academic excellence, the idea of striving to be independent is also an admirable practice. Hence, a careful balance should be struck, where the student will ensure that academic performance does not get undermined by their evening jobs. The part time jobs in restaurants and supermarkets are only the mainstream opportunities for international students. (Hsieh, 2007, p.391) Students can explore other opportunities for work such as Teacher Assistant programs (which are usually offered to Ph.D. students), proof reading jobs, taking tuitions for high school students, etc, which will be physically less exhausting, while also helping them earn money. The University can also chip in and help international students get temporary housing facilities on their arrival in campus. For example, “On-campus housing services could provide temporary housing for students until they find a place to live. Another solution is for the international students’ office to develop a Host Family Program composed of families in the community or the staff/ faculty. Families could be asked to host one international student for a few days during the year.” (Koehne, 2005, p.105) It is important to recognize the healthcare needs of international students. The healthcare system in the host country might be quite different from their native country and hence students are likely to be confused and frustrated about the health insurance system they are newly subject to. Due to language and culture barrier, some of them may even have difficulty in understanding how the student health insurance policy works. Since the on-campus health center is likely to be the first place students seek help in interpreting the policy, “health center staff should be trained to become more knowledgeable about the health insurance international students need to use. Health center personnel should explain the insurance system to the students and help them prepare for possible additional costs that the students might pay based on the services they seek”. (Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007, p.30) References Hsieh, M. (2007). Challenges for International Students in Higher Education: One Students Narrated Story of Invisibility and Struggle. College Student Journal, 41(2), 379+. Iwai, Y. (2008, Summer). The Perceptions of Japanese Students toward Academic English Reading: Implications for Effective ESL Reading Strategies. Multicultural Education, 15, 45+. Koehne, N. (2005). (Re)construction: Ways International Students Talk about Their Identity. Australian Journal of Education, 49(1), 104+. Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. M. (2007). Barriers to Adjustment: Needs of International Students within a Semi-Urban Campus Community. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 34(1), 28+. Sumer, S., Poyrazli, S., & Grahame, K. (2008). Predictors of Depression and Anxiety among International Students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86(4), 429+. Yakushko, O., Davidson, M. M., & Sanford-Martens, T. C. (2008). Seeking Help in a Foreign Land: International Students Use Patterns for a U.S. University Counseling Center. Journal of College Counseling, 11(1), 6+. Yang, H., Harlow, S., Maddux, C., & Smaby, M. (2006). The Impact of Cross-Cultural Experiences on Worldviews of Chinese International Students. Counseling and Values, 51(1), 21+. Read More