Reasons for Having Difficulties Making Friends with Students from Other Ethnic Groups - Literature review Example

Why Asian international have difficulties making friends with from the host countries and from other ethnic groups By Instructor Date Abstract This paper presents a literature review that aims at exploring factors that make Asian international students have difficulties making friends with students from the host countries and from other ethnic groups. The findings are based on the five major factors that contributed to Asian international students’ difficulties making friends with Kiwi students, as established by Campbell & Li (2009). Other studies that address the factors of culture, language, environment, personality, and motivation, in this context have been included. These five factors, in one way or another, work in a negative manner to inhibit or limit the capacity of Asian international students in establishing cross-cultural friendships. This literature review has implications for educators in a multicultural learning environment. These should ensure to create a good learning environment for all students, irrespective of their country of origin. Introduction The high level of globalization today has increased the level of cross-cultural communication. The international scholarship programmes of most of the developed countries have equally made a significant contribution to globalization and cross-cultural communication. Students from different continents, including Asia and Africa among others have the opportunity to study in different continents. In the course of their study, these meet students from different cultures, most of which are from the host culture. The new students are expected to adapt to the new culture and environment, in order to be comfortable in the new environment. However, not all international students in a new environment are able to cope easily, as some have difficulties interacting with students from the host culture and other students from different ethnic groups (Victoria, 2008). This paper focuses mainly on the case of Asian students, as these are known to experience difficulties making friends with students from the host countries and from other ethnic groups. According to Hortobagyi (2009), ethnic identity plays a major role in the interaction between people of different cultures. Ethnic identity is a sense of belonging and loyalty to one or several ethnic groups, defined by citizenship, religion, race, language or another ethnic marker; and is closely related to cultural identity (Durovic, 2008). Different studies have focused on various aspects that influence ethnic and cultural identity, as well as how identity influences other aspects in society. One of the study areas of identity include the identity challenges that are caused by migration. The different ethnic identity of Asian international students influences their social interactions, especially in a multicultural setting, in different ways. Durovic (2008) postulates that, during intercultural communication encounters there are different misunderstandings that may occur regarding ethnic identity. In most cases, people know who they are, know who others are, and what to expect from each other. However, in intercultural communication, some individuals may have presumptions about the ethnic identity of their counterparts which are not consistent with the self image of the counterparts. Different studies point out the fact that Asian international students have difficulties making friends with students from the host countries and from other ethnic groups. A research by Li & Campbell (2006) shows that making friends with domestic and international students is a major problem for Asian international students. These therefore, considered group discussions as a good opportunity to meet and make new friends. Li & Campbell (2009) also found out that there are five major factors that contributed to the difficulties that Asian international students had making friends with Kiwi students. These factors include language, environment, culture, personality, and motivation. Basing on these factors, this paper will include a review of other literature that focus on these factors and are applicable and relevant in the context of the study topic. Language In their study, Medved, Franco, Gao & Yang (2013) established that language differences are responsible for problems in intercultural friendship formation, as well as group work. These note that international students that come to a foreign country usually face both academic and social transition issues in the early period of their studies. In most foreign countries, the school curriculum is taught in the language of the host country. For instance, in Sweden, academic programmes for international students are in English. Although the international students have a level of proficiency in the foreign languages, they may still experience difficulties when they arrive in the foreign countries (Ward, 2001). Asian international students may have problems resulting from their limited knowledge of the language of the host country. For instance, these might have problems listening to speakers of the host language, given the speaker might have an accent or speak fast, which would be hard for the international student to comprehend. Asian international students may also have a problem speaking the host country’s language. This highly impedes their oral communication skills, thus they cannot participate in discussions and conversations with other highly competent speakers of the same language (Tananuraksakul, 2009). Lack of confidence in their oral communication skills makes Asian international students to shy away from speaking in class and to other students. This therefore, puts a limit to their capability of making new friends with students from the host country and other ethnic groups. According to Liu (2001), English proficiency is one of the biggest problems of international students; especially the Asian international students. This is mainly because these students have had little practice in using English language in their home countries. This influences their academic performance, as instructors use English to teach and communicate with students. Liu (2001) also notes that the problems of international students with the English language have different adverse effects on their social interactions apart from academic performance and their general adjustment. The lack of language skills and oral communication competence in this case makes international students to experience different problems when it comes to social integration in a highly multicultural setting. Culture Asian countries have cultures that differ from the cultures of other countries. Therefore, the culture of the host country and the cultures of students from other ethnic groups are different to those of Asian international students. These cultural differences have a significant influence on Asian international students, and affect their socialization and ability to make friends with students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups. According to Zhao, Kuh & Carini (n.d), cultural differences between Asian international students and students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups lead to culture shock for the Asian international students. These face challenges in trying to negotiate the differences and find out the new rules, traditions and way of life. Cultural differences are evident in social values, perceptions of educational achievement, money, attitudes to fashion, and rules and traditions (Mustaffa & Ilias, 2013). For instance, Ward & Masgoret (2004) found out that some things such as bargaining for a favourable price, bribery for a favourable treatment, and “jumping the queue” may be tolerated in the Chinese culture, but highly unacceptable in New Zealand. Liu (2001) established that international students often experience psychological stress that results from them being plunged into an unfamiliar culture. Apart from the different overall culture, international students also have to deal with unfamiliarity with the larger university culture and its academic subcultures. Additionally, these students have to master the accepted interaction patterns of the new culture. This therefore, becomes a major source of their many difficulties, including making friends with other students. Liu (2009) also notes that some international students feel that the American culture, which is characterised by high levels of individualism, assertiveness, and competitiveness, is quite offensive. Therefore, the effort these students put in adjusting to the American culture impacts negatively on their self-concept and self-esteem. For this reason, the relationship between international students and those from the host country rarely go beyond the most superficial contact, and most international students give up hope of establishing deep cross-cultural friendships. According to Jin (2006), the limited ability of international students to make friendships with other students from different ethnic groups makes them to seek social support either from their immediate families or conationals in case of a personal problem. On the other hand, with regard to an educational-vocational problem, international students are more comfortable consulting their faculty members, as opposed to students from the host country and from other ethnic groups. This is mainly because of the cultural differences that bring about various discomforts in communication. For this reason, the Asian international students, like other international students, may experience difficulties establishing friendships or close relationships with students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups, since their cultures are incompatible, hence influencing social interaction in an adverse manner. Environment The environment plays an important role in influencing different behavioural aspects of international students. The environment is all-encompassing, and includes the physical environment, social environment, cultural environment, and in this case, the learning environment. This has an impact on the social interactions of international students in foreign countries. International students face different challenges in the new environment they go to study in, even though these challenges vary depending on the individual international students (Akinkugbe, 2013). These challenges international students face that emanate from the environment often impact on the attitudes and behaviours of the students. According to Xiao & Petraki (n.d), for Asian international students, environmental challenges often influence their social interactions, including limiting their capacity to make friends with students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups. Adjusting to a new environment is the major cause of psychological changes in international students (Bragg, 2010). These students therefore, may encounter difficulties in dealing with the psychological changes that they experience because of the new environment that they find themselves in. There are therefore, different adjustments that international students have to face in order to adapt to their new environment. Ho & Li (2007) established that international students may face a great length of homesickness and loneliness in the new environment. This may result in them developing new mental and physical health problems. Overall, this will lead to withdrawal, which does not allow for social interaction. In this case therefore, Asian international students may also suffer from withdrawal mainly due to the stress caused by adjustment to their new environment, and avoid making friends with students from other ethnic groups. Personality Personality of an individual plays an important role in their interactions. Triandis & Suh (2002, p.136) define personality as, “an individual’s characteristic pattern of thought, emotion, and behaviour, together with the psychological mechanisms – hidden or not hidden – behind those patterns. Different people have different personalities; hence this means that they way they socialize with other people in society will vary. Although personality is for an individual, the culture of the ethnic group of the individual has a major influence on their personality. Therefore, for international students, their personalities may highly differ with those of students in the host country, especially given the wide differences in their cultures. With regard to establishing cross-cultural friendship, it would be quite challenging for this to be successful when the personalities of the involved parties are highly incompatible. According to Triandis & Suh (2002), cultures influence the development of personalities. These argue that there are both universal and culture-specific aspects of variation in personality. The culture-specific aspects of personalities include tightness, individualism, collectivism, and complexity. Cultures differ in complexity, and the most contrast is found between hunter/gatherer societies and information societies. Urbanization and gross national product are other indices that can show complexity. With regard to tightness, tight cultures impose norms more strictly, while in loose cultures, deviation from norms can be tolerated. On the other hand, collectivist cultures are those where people are interdependent with their in-groups, while individualistic cultures emphasise independence and competitiveness. Some of the differences in personalities of international students and those of host countries are based on these aspects. According to Kapoor, Comadena & Blue (1996), Asian cultures are known to be highly collectivist, thus Asians value interdependence. On the contrast, Western cultures promote individualism; hence the people embrace a high level of independence. The aspects of individualism and collectivism mould self-conceptions, identities, and personalities. In this regard, students from highly individualistic societies are more likely to express pride, jealousy, and other ego-focused emotions that reflect the self as an autonomous entity. On the other hand, Asian international students are more likely to exhibit other emotions that promote social harmony (Kapoor, Comadena & Blue, 1996). Another important cultural aspect that influences individual personalities is assertiveness. Students from the individualistic and competitive Western societies are also known to be highly assertive. On the other hand, Asian international students are from collectivist cultures, where passivity and self-restraint are highly encouraged (Choo & Singh, 2013). Basing on these aspects, it turns out that the personalities of Asian international students and most of those from Western cultures exist in considerable contrast. Therefore, establishing friendship between individuals from these two cultures may be quite challenging, owing to their contrasting aspects in their personalities. Motivation Students have different motivations behind their studies. These motivations, as well as expectations vary among different students. In this regard, owing to the considerable cultural and social differences between Asian international students and students of the host foreign countries and those from other ethnic groups, it becomes apparent that their motivations behind their studies will vary. The differences in motivation between students from different ethnic groups will have a significant impact on the kind and degree of social interactions that they make, if any. Asian international students are drawn to study in a specific country mainly because of the education opportunities, cost, and migration policies of the country (Daly & Brown, 2005). For instance, international students in New Zealand were motivated by different factors such as migration opportunities, education, costs, and New Zealand being an English-speaking country (Daly & Brown, 2004). The research conducted by Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (2014) also showed that most international students, including Asian international students, hoped to seek permanent residence and jobs in New Zealand after their study period. When setting out to study in a foreign country, students often have expectations and motivations. Krishnan & Vrcelj (2009) conducted a research to establish the motivations of international students in Australian universities. The findings showed that most international students hoped to create a range of interesting job opportunities, to develop intellectual potential, and find high paying jobs. As compared to domestic students, international students put more emphasis on career objectives. More specifically, this study found out that Asian international students placed more emphasis on future career prospects and further study, while local students emphasised pleasure of learning and developing intellectual potential. The findings of the research also showed that Asian international students considered good grades as highly significant. Nonetheless, the Asian international students in their struggle to attain good grades and find good future jobs have to spend more time working on this. They therefore, might not find it necessary to prioritize the establishment of cross-cultural friendships. The little time left at their disposal therefore, makes it difficult for Asian international student to make friends with students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups. Conclusion As stated in the introduction, this literature review aims to shed light on why Asian international students have difficulties making friends with students from the host country and those from other ethnic groups. There are four major factors that were established as being responsible for the difficulties that Asian international students experience in establishing cross-cultural friendships. These are adopted from the findings of Campbell & Li (2009); and include language, culture, environment, personality and motivation. Many other studies that address these factors were also considered. Overall, this literature review has established that language barrier makes Asian international students not to communicate effectively especially with students that are native English speakers. This therefore, makes them shy away from establishing close relationships with them. The cultural differences between Asian and western and other cultures makes Asian international students to want to associate with their conationals, as they are more comfortable with them. On the other hand, the new environment may cause Asian international students to experience psychological changes that may lead to withdrawal from social interactions. Furthermore, the different personalities between Asian international students and other students may be incompatible, hence limiting chances of any long lasting friendships. Finally, some studies have shown that Asian international students have great motivations behind their studies, hence may not prioritize cross-cultural friendships, as they spend more of their time pursuing their dreams. This topic of literature review is important for individuals in the teaching profession, especially where internationalization of education exists. These should help all international students to feel comfortable in their new environment. These should also encourage equity among all students, and not condone stereotyping and other negative social behaviours among students. This is important in ensuring that all students, regardless of their country of origin perform well in their academics, as this is their ultimate goal. References Akinkugbe, M. (2013). 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