key features

‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct: International and Home Students in the

Creative Arts

Silvia Sovic

Using Formal and Informal Curricula to Improve Interactions between Home and International Students Oxford Brookes University, 20 June 2008

Key Features

• Students interviewed in their own language

Key Features


• 14 interviewers from 6 countries (postgraduates in social sciences, from University of London)

Key Features


• 14 interviewers from 6 countries (postgraduates in social sciences, from University of London)

• Written questionnaire + semi structured interviews

1st Year Students from

Hong Kong

India

Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

USA


No. interviewed

Hong Kong 26

India 20

Japan 34

South Korea 22

Taiwan 24

USA 15

Total 141


No. interviewed

No. of 1st years %

Hong Kong 26 72 36%

India 20 61 33%

Japan 34 151 23%

South Korea 22 178 12%

Taiwan 24 63 38%

USA 15 49 31%

Total 141 574 25%

Benchmark

21 home students

Total interviews = 162

‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct

• GENERAL ISSUES


• GENERAL ISSUES

EXPECTATIONS


• GENERAL ISSUES

EXPECTATIONS

…I wanted to study at a place where it wasn’t all Koreans. If it’s all Koreans, then I feel like the point of studying abroad is lost. But here at UAL, there are variety of people from different backgrounds, and that’s why I like it here.

South Korean student


• GENERAL ISSUES

EXPECTATIONS

I had a really high expectation about what my life may look like here. I dreamed of having good interpersonal relationship with people here, and there is a happy family welcoming me to join.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES

EXPECTATIONS

When I was in Taiwan, I expected that I may have many chances to make many friends from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, when I am physically attending a BA course here, I seem to find it a bit different and difficult for me to mix up with other students here. UK students are generally nice, but rather distant to me.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES

LANGUAGE


• GENERAL ISSUES

LANGUAGE

And if you don’t know the exact words to use, you are not communicating properly with the person opposite to you. And it makes a big difference, if your control over the language is much better you are more confident and the confidence comes across. And you interact a lot with more people. If you are lacking confidence with your language then even in the crowd of three of four, you will be the quietest one. It has been a problem in the past.

Indian student


• GENERAL ISSUES

LANGUAGE

I haven’t got enough time to improve my English since I started my course. I thought that I would study my course, and in the meantime I would also improve my English. However, I haven’t even got enough time for my projects, how would it be possible for me to study and to improve my English as well?

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES

LANGUAGE

I haven’t got enough time to improve my English since I started my course. I thought that I would study my course, and in the meantime I would also improve my English. However, I haven’t even got enough time for my projects, how would it be possible for me to study and to improve my English as well?

Taiwanese student

Even though my IELTS score is 8, it means nothing because in practice I need to face different kinds of people with different accents. It’s totally another thing.

Hong Kong student


• GENERAL ISSUES

LANGUAGE

I am slightly concerned about my English. I haven’t got many chances to practice, neither my writing nor speaking. In terms of speaking, as said earlier, I don’t pick up chances to make communication with UK students.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES

AGE

Age Profile of First-Year International Students Interviewed

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Under 21 21-25 26-30 30+

No. Home students

International students

Age Profile of First-Year International Students Interviewed

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Under 21 21-25 26-30 30+

No. Home students

International students

The students are generally very young. I am 24. I feel like an idiot in front of younger people. Well…I don't know what they think about me.



• GENERAL ISSUES

• PERCEPTIONS OF UK STUDENTS


• GENERAL ISSUES


I only meet them at school, but I feel that UK students are always with UK students only.

Japanese student

In my class, many classmates are British students and this circumstance itself is no problem to study, but many of them are so young like 18 or 19 year old and they seem to want to talk only among them.

Japanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


There is a big difference between English students and international students. English students stick together and international students are loners…For international students college is their social life. For the English students they already are in their home, near their families with their own school friends. We are away from our homes, families and school friends…

Indian student


• GENERAL ISSUES


British students have already made a group of friends because they have known already someone. It is difficult to join such a group but I need to have strong confidence to do this and I have to make myself to try to join that group. That’s the difficulty to make friends with British students.

Japanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


I’ve tried to get on with them, like I’m not even being pushy, not like, ‘Hi, what’s your name? I want to be your friend!’. But I’ll just be like ‘Hi!’, you know just getting acquainted, and they just want to have nothing to do with you unless you’re British…

American student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SHYNESS


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SHYNESS

I met a really shy Japanese guy. I’m pretty outgoing and I like talking to people, but he was just afraid of talking in English. He pretended to listen to iPod so that people won’t talk to him, and he doesn’t have to talk to them.

Japanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SHYNESS

International students from Asia are generally very shy when they first come to this country. We really need the college or our teachers to facilitate engagements between and among students. Alternatively, they can help to initiate interaction among students, which is very important to international students. I am a very shy person and often go with Japanese, South Korean and Hong Kongese.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SHYNESS

They are shy, timid, or so proud. I think most British students have one of these three characters. They are also very young, so there are many UK students, who are reckless. They don’t care for international students. For example, they don't say again or speak slowly, when someone does not catch their speaking. So, I hesitate to say something to them.



• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

LANGUAGE


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

LANGUAGE

They are very nice people, very easy-going. But then, you have to have a very good hang of English. If you can’t have a conversation with them fluently, they can’t be bothered to be friends with you. They will be nice to you, exchange pleasantries, but they will not bother at all to get to know you better.

Indian student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

LANGUAGE

I think it is extremely difficult to me. As the same age students, UK students are usually only willing to talk to those speaking fluent English. If I talk to them actively, I don’t get a lot of response. Therefore I feel upset.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

COMPETITION


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

COMPETITION

The relationship between classmates is bad. Some classmates are not interested in making friends with me. They just want to see my works. We have competition among ourselves…

Hong Kong student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

BACKGROUND


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

BACKGROUND

The fact that I don’t have any British friends. Well, not zero but really few…we Japanese are 23-25 years old, and British students are 19-20. I don’t exactly know why I don’t have friends. I believe, because they are younger than me. I hesitate to approach them…their speech is really really fast. I can understand what our tutors say though...I cannot understand my classmates’ English at all…so I am afraid, I may stop speaking during conversation…I cannot continue saying words.

Japanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SEGREGATION


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SEGREGATION

And the thing is that there are so many Asian people in our college… What happens is, I feel that they become lazy like, if you are with Indian people, we'll talk in Hindi, its only natural, you know, and so they also obviously only talk in Chinese or Korean or whatever it is. So they become too lazy to learn more. …When you have a group… mix everyone together.

Indian student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

SEGREGATION

If there are too many international students, we will form groups according to our countries. We can’t communicate with others. It’s rare for me to speak English.

Hong Kong student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES

• INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM

It’s fine with saying hi and bye during class. But we don’t hang out after class. Perhaps sometimes it’s because of their personality. Sometimes we don’t communicate well because of language barrier.

Hong Kong student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM

We all made efforts to try to understand each other at the beginning of this course. However, there was something that didn’t work out well for us. Gradually, we would just greet each other with ‘hi’, and there is nothing more than ‘hi’ in our conversation. It seems to me that they are not really interested in what we are doing.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM

There might be a generation gap. Inside the school, British classmates willingly talk to me, but if we leave our classroom, even one step, they stop talking to me and seem to enjoy chatting with other British. I hear that in another class, in which there are some mature British students, Japanese often have lunch with them. So I think this might be a matter of generation. I have friends who are mainly from Japan or other Asia.

Japanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM

I don’t have many British friends here. I find it easier to make friends with these British born African students. They seem to me are much easy-going…Some of these white students would greet me when we meet on the corridor. But, some just ignore you.

Taiwanese student


• GENERAL ISSUES


• OBSTACLES


CLASSROOM

Firstly, it is English. Secondly, UK students don’t understand why Asian students spend so much time on thinking. And the ways that these two groups of students work are so different. Sometimes, some Asian students try to explain what they think. These UK students just are unwilling to listen. Third, these UK students believe that they are entitled to dominate and to lead where our discussion should go, simply they are westerners.

Taiwanese student


My favorite thing about the school is actually how diverse it is. I came from UCLA where everyone was from within six hours of each other and everybody kind of had the same background and here just meeting people who’ve been to school in different places, who have families in different places, who speak four or five languages sometimes. I really find that really impressive. It’s cool to like get a different point of view and even when its been difficult adjusting to that its been a good thing overall.

American student

The Experience of First-Year International Students

For further information about the project:

http://www.arts.ac.uk/44230.htm

or contact

[email protected]

Dr Silvia Sovic, Research Project Coordinator, Creative Learning in PracticeCentre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, (CLIP CETL), University ofthe Arts, London

mailto:[email protected]

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