Literature Review

 Literature Review: the Challenges That International Students Face

With the developing economy, people desire to pursue advanced education to the highest standards. Therefore, the number of international students has increased continuously in recent years. International students want to gain professional skill and knowledge in many challenging fields; in doing so, they often meet numerous difficulties and problems. Although every student tries to overcome these difficulties and problems, they cannot resolve all of these and have a difficult time studying abroad. These experience may help them to become independence because most Chinese parents may spoil their children, so children often rely on parents to finish some works.

According to recent articles, the research shows that most international students have language barriers and culture shock. They frequently do not want to talk with foreign students and native speakers unless they need to solve some problem or finish group projects. They are afraid to express themselves because they cannot speak English fluently and cannot understand all the meaning of the words (Huang, 2012).

In addition, they also face a variety of culture shocks. For example, they need to finish a quantity of reading tasks and write many essays and articles with the second language. In daily life, international students need to manage every activity by themselves, yet it is difficult to ask for help. Because they do not understand American culture, the parents of international students cannot provide useful information and advice. Moreover, these students often need to learn cooking, repairing and washing to maintain their daily lives, as they no longer have family members to help them.

In the literature related to this topic, there are two theoretical frameworks, J.W.  Berry’s acculturation framework (Chen & Bennett, 2012) and actor-network theory (ANT) (Habib, Johannesen & Ogrim, 2013). The acculturation framework concentrates on intercultural contact, “encompassing a range of acculturating groups including immigrants, refugees, native peoples, ethnic groups and sojourners” (Chen & Bennett, 2012). ANT studies the relationships between the various elements which are fast-changing and do not easily lend themselves to clear categorization (Habib, Johannesen & Ogrim, 2013). ANT tries to explain some complicated and extremely complex scenarios. On the contrary, acculturation theory focuses on the specific fields and points related to adjusting to a new culture (Chen & Bennett, 2012).

People usually have strong faith in their heritage culture. Even though they begin to learn in a foreign country, they still try to use this heritage culture to explore a new lifestyle and learn to adapt it to the foreign countries; however, people often suffer from many difficulties when the familiar surrounding condition changes (Chen & Bennett, 2012). Because the heritage custom is completely different from the host country’s custom, people often face culture shock. Poor language skills only compound this problem.

As mentioned recent research has found that most international students have living problems and learning problems when they pursue a degree in foreign counties. Because they cannot express their ideas and opinions perfectly, they sometimes avoid direct contact with native students. International students express fear that they may accidentally offend others because they do not understand the native culture totally, and the native speakers may laugh at them when they have some appropriate behaviors or words (Huang, 2012). However, refusing to talk with American students may influence the international students’ ability to improve foreign language. In addition, it is difficult to build the friendship with native students (Gram, Jaeger, Liu, Li & Wu, 2013; Ryan & Viete, 2009). Furthermore, international students may feel lonely and miserable, when they are suddenly separated from beloved family and friends and familiar surroundings. The initial stage may become the hardest, loneliest, and most miserable period for international students (Liu, 2003).

Because of the different education theory, international students have to overcome the effects of the learning shock. In American universities, professors often order students to read a quantity of books and articles in order to enhance understanding about the professional fields (Chen & Bennett, 2012). Professors hope students may obtain and understand more information to increase the depth about the major class. These reading tasks are very difficult to finish even for native speakers. Moreover international students still have a language barrier. Compared with native students, they need to spend twice as much time to read all the assigned material. In the Chinese curriculum model, the teacher will focus on content knowledge; students often take various tests and do written homework. Teachers want to students have a broader understanding (Chen & Bennett, 2012). Meanwhile, Chinese teachers often moved class at a fast pace, so they could cover all the content included in the curriculum. To maintain this fast space, teachers will not allow students ask many question in the class, no matter how brilliant these questions are. Teachers do not have time to order students to research a project and write an essay. Students only need to memorize the points of knowledge that teachers teach (Chen & Bennett, 2012). These different teaching methods may confuse students because they cannot use the original learning method to adapt to the Western teaching model.

Studies show that the educator should help international students to reduce the language barriers because it may be an effective method to improve students’ confidence (Treloar, et al., 2000). International students will perform more successfully when they participate college courses and other school activities. However, teachers also need to notice the racial discrimination or other bias because these negative factors can reduce the effect of teachers’ help. Otherwise, in the progress of helping, if teachers can provide more supports, such as conversational and written English class, students may progress more quickly.

International students need to become profession not only in the studying aspect but also in the living aspect. In foreign countries, international students have to manage daily life by themselves. Most international students express that they learn many cooking skills when they go abroad (Huang, 2012). To remember the taste of home, they struggle to cook the familiar and favorite mothers’ secret receipt. When international students feel homesick, some try to use food to experience feeling of home because familiar food has the power to console the spirit. On the contrary, these international students almost never cook at home before going abroad. Many students begin to learn cooking when they are separated from family. In addition, international students also need to handle repair problems (Huang, 2012). They have to repair some little parts by themselves because the repair fee is very expensive for international students and many international students cannot afford the fee. For example, the literature shows that some international students try to learn how to change the water tap or other plumbers’ techniques; some students try to change the parts of their own cars. After several years living abroad, many international students became more independent than before (Huang, 2012). Even though they return home, some students still maintain these habits. Those skills may become specialities and make them who have the learning experiences in foreign country outstanding (Huang, 2012).

In conclusion, the literature shows that international students have to face the language barriers, culture shock and other challenges. These challenges force international students to be independent and try to take responsibility. Many studies demonstrate that after suffering these experiences, they will become more professional in their major, and more skillful in their daily life. There still have some problems that people should be concerned with and more research needs to be done. International students need to adapt to the foreign environment, but the literature shows that international students need more help to overcome it, they need to know where they can ask for help. International students will suffer psychological and physicals problem, or whether or not the heritage learning method can help them to overcome the learning shock.

References

Chen, R., & Bennett, S. (2012). When Chinese learners meet constructivist pedagogy online. Higher Education, 64(5), 677-691. doi:10.1007/s10734-012-9520-9

Gram, M., Jæger, K., Liu, J., Qing, L., & Wu, X. (2013). Chinese students making sense of problem-based learning and Western teaching – pitfalls and coping strategies. Teaching In Higher Education, 18(7), 761-772. doi:10.1080/13562517.2013.836096

Habib, L., Johannesen, M., & Øgrim, L. (2014). Experiences and Challenges of International Students in Technology-Rich Learning Environments. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 17(2), 196-206.

Liu, L. (2002). I Cannot Get Used to the American Educational System. Chinese Studies In History, 36(2), 22.

Ryan, J., & Viete, R. (2009). Respectful interactions: learning with international students in the English-speaking academy. Teaching In Higher Education, 14(3), 303-314. doi:10.1080/13562510902898866

Treloar, C., McCall, N., Rolfe, I., Pearson, S., Garvey, G., Heathcote, A., & Treloar. (2000). Factors affecting progress of Australian and international students in a problem-based learning medical course. Medical Education, 34(9), 708-715. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2000.00625.x

Ying, H. (2012). Transitioning Challenges Faced by Chinese Graduate Students. Adult Learning, 23(3), 138-147. doi:10.1177/1045159512452861