Traditional Chinese Views on Education as Perceived by International Students in China: International Student Attitudes and Understandings

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junju Wang ◽  
Jia Lin
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
International Student ◽  
Heritage Culture ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Chinese Learning ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Target Culture

For decades, the Confucian heritage culture (CHC) learner phenomenon has aroused the interest of researchers in different areas. However, few studies have focused on the attitudes of international students who study in the Chinese context. This article, therefore, explores how international students perceive traditional Chinese views on education, which are mostly embedded in Confucianism. Using questionnaires and semistructured interviews, the study investigated student attitudes and their recognition of specific educational viewpoints and factors, which act to produce such perceptions. Results show that international students studying in China had positive responses to most traditional Chinese views on education and that the traditional concepts of learning were respected and understood. However, it was the role of teachers within CHC that was the least favorably received. In addition, student attitudes and understandings were in response to individual, contextual, and cultural factors, and positively correlated with their home country, major, and level of education. This article concludes that positive attitudes and perceptions of traditional Chinese views on education by international students occur when the core values of educational philosophies from different cultures are shared also by CHC and that there is a strong influence from the source culture on views of the target culture. By implication, a good knowledge of Chinese learning culture and mutual communication are significant factors for both teachers and students.

scholarly journals Teachers and Students’ Attitudes towards the Integration of the Target Culture in the English as a Foreign Language Class: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-266
Author(s):  
Simon Pierre DABOU ◽  
Abdelhak HAMMOUDI ◽  
Romaissa CHIBANI
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Target Culture

Language and culture are like two sides of the same coin, the music on a radio or the soul in a body. The two are so interrelated that separating them is almost impossible. Therefore, teaching a foreign language implies integrating the target culture. In this context, this study aimed to investigate teachers and students’ attitudes towards the integration of the English culture in the EFL curriculum at the University of Sétif 2.  A Semi-structured interview with six English language teachers and a questionnaire to 53 third-year English students were the tools used to collect the necessary data. The analysis of the data showed that all the teachers were for the integration of the target culture in the EFL classes. The study also revealed that students who had positive attitudes towards the target culture represented only 28% of the sample. Therefore, the researchers suggested that the concept of target culture be properly defined within the EFL class and appropriately approached to sustain interest. Moreover, teachers are encouraged to integrate certain aspects of the target culture, such as language, norms, and values, to avoid misunderstanding, and respect each other’s cultural rights.

scholarly journals Understanding and Supporting the Confucian Heritage Culture International Students in Victorian Independent Schools: A Perspective of School Leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Hongzhi Zhang ◽  
Philip Wing Keung Chan
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
International Student ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Heritage Culture ◽  
Confucian Heritage Culture ◽  
Educational Environments

Greater demand for quality post-secondary education has been seen in Asia, particularly in China. Many Western countries have seen a rise in international education. Increasingly, schools in Australia are embracing internationalisation policies, leading to an increase in international student enrolment before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. International students in school education are something of a little-understood issue for educational scholars, policy makers and the general public. Leadership is seen as pivotal in the success of schools’ internationalisation program. By applying a mixed-method approach to collect data from an online Qualtrics survey and semi-structured interviews with independent school leaders in Australia, this paper reports how school leaders understand Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) international students’ linguistic, cultural and educational contributions to schools, and their experience in supporting the international students to adapt into the new educational environments through various programs and strategies. This article also advocates that it is vital to respect the international students’ educational subjectivities generated in their “home” countries when providing support programs to help them engage with new educational contexts in “host” nations.

scholarly journals Succeeding in Foreign Language Study: Teachers and Students Standpoints

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Vladimirova ◽  
Rais Safin ◽  
Daria Ivanova ◽  
Tatyana Litvina
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
International Student ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Original Experiment ◽  
Foreign Language Study ◽  
Teachers And Students

The paper considers views of teachers and international students on effectiveness of language acquisition. The study represents the results of original experiment conducted among international students from the various institutes of Kazan Federal University. Students were requested to determine the priority of the following factors and explain the choice: a role of motivating anxiety for learning foreign language; a role of language abilities and talents of international student; a role of professional and personal characteristics of foreign language teacher; a role of methods, techniques and technologies of teaching; importance of studying within environment of a target language. Views of experts and international students on priority of impact of various factors of the foreign language teaching differed. The only factor where the opinions of teachers and students were the same, turned out to be the role of motivation. However, comparative analysis of factors of effectiveness in studying from the point of view of different and in the same time unified subjects of this process shows that the whole complex of factors must be taken into account. The results of the conducted study inevitably prove the necessity of considering the students’ opinion on the process of teaching, and corresponding correction of teachers’ activities.

scholarly journals Moroccan English Department Student Attitudes Towards the Use of Distance Education During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-122
Author(s):  
Mohamed Benhima
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
English Department ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Part Time Students ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Students Attitudes

The current study aims to investigate students' attitudes towards the use of distance education during COVID-19 in Morocco. The first cases of COVID-19 starting from the first weeks of March 2020 has obliged educational authorities to suspend face-to-face education. Immediately, distance education was declared the alternative means to complete the academic year. Moroccan TV channels started broadcasting lessons for different levels at different times. Moreover, teachers and students started using social media and university platforms to share lessons. However, not all students agree with distance education in the adopted format. Accordingly, the current study investigates the attitudes of Moroccan English Department students at Moulay Ismail University. A mixed-method design was adopted by triangulating data from five-point Likert scale questionnaires and a focus group. The results showed that students generally prefer face-to-face education rather than distance education. However, part-time students reported positive attitudes towards distance education. It is recommended that both distance education and face-to-face education should be planned by teachers, coordinators, and administrators.

Cultural Functions of Translation: Sustainable Development in the Context of Globalization

2011 ◽  
Vol 347-353 ◽  
pp. 426-430
Author(s):  
Da Lai Wang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Cultural Information ◽  
Foreign Culture ◽  
Cultural Functions ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Target Culture

This paper aims to account for sustainable development of different cultures in the context of globalization from the perspective of cultural functions of translation, which wield enormous power in constructing representations of the foreign culture and have far reaching effects in the target culture. According to cultural communication of translation, the major task of translation is to turn the cultural information in one language into another. Therefore, in the process of translating, the translator should try his utmost to allow his target language reader to acquire cultural information of the source text in order to promote mutual understanding between Western people and Eastern people and make different cultures co-exist peacefully and achieve sustainable development.

Picture This: A Photovoice Study Of International Students’ Food Experience in Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Amos ◽  
Daphne Lordly
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
International Student ◽  
Culture Shock ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Food Experience ◽  
International University

Purpose: International student enrolment in Canadian universities is increasing. As international university students acculturate, they experience a culture shock in which food plays a major role. International university students’ Canadian food experiences therefore were explored. Methods: A Photovoice methodology was used with 15 international undergraduate and graduate university students, who were recruited to take pictures of their food experiences. They also participated in two focus group discussions that included an analysis of their photos. Results: Seven themes related to the significance of food in acculturation were revealed: the paradox of Canadian convenience, the equation of traditional foods with health, traditional food quality and accessibility, support networks, food consumption for comfort, ethnic restaurants, and the exploration of non-traditional foods. Maintaining cultural identity with traditional foods was an overarching theme related to acculturation. Conclusions: International students acculturating to Canada have emotional and physical needs, which can be met through food. Opportunities exist to improve their acculturation experiences. Canadian universities can incorporate food acculturation strategies into campus events and menus. Nutrition professionals on campus can facilitate a positive food environment and nurture culture identity formation.

scholarly journals International Students’ Perceptions of Workplace Experiences in Australian Study Programs: A Large-Scale Survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Barton ◽  
Kay Hartwig ◽  
Anh Hai Le
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Workplace Experiences ◽  
Workplace Experience ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Large Scale Survey ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

Across the globe, there are increased numbers of students undertaking university-level study in foreign countries. Many of the programs they enroll in include a workplace experience (also known as work integrated learning, internship, and/or practicum). The Work Placement for International Student Programs (WISP) project was conducted across Australia and aimed to identify current practices related to international students’ workplace experiences as well as develop resources to improve these experiences overall. This article focuses on an Australian large-scale survey ( n = 252) designed to explore international students perceptions of workplace experiences. Results showed that students rated overall workplace experience highly; however, their confidence in completing assessment items where reflection and self-evaluation were required was a concern. Students also rated self-perception of employability as uncertain despite having positive experiences in the workplace context. Findings showed that there is a need for universities to better support international students in completing reflective and self-evaluative assessment. In addition, more work needs to be done to improve confidence levels of international students around employability.

scholarly journals The role of international student interactions in English as a lingua franca in L2 acquisition, L2 motivational development and intercultural learning during study abroad

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-517
Author(s):  
Gianna Hessel
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
International Student ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Intercultural Interactions ◽  
The Uk

Crossing borders features prominently as a theme in study abroad, not only in terms of students’ physical border crossings but also in their intercultural interactions with second language (L2) speakers whose background (linguistic and otherwise) they may perceive as markedly different from their own. Researchers have had a long-standing interest in study abroad participants’ interactions with other L2 speakers abroad for their perceived potential to enhance L2 development, L2 motivation and intercultural learning processes. The focus of existing studies in this area has been on the interactions of study abroad participants with host national students, while their interactions with other international students who are also L2 users abroad have received far less attention, despite the ever-growing international student populations at European universities. This study examined students’ views regarding the role that lingua franca (LF) interactions with other international students played in their L2 acquisition, their L2 motivational development and their intercultural learning during study abroad. The data were derived from an empirical study that involved 81 German ERASMUS students who were studying in the UK for up to one academic year. The students’ views were elicited at the end of their stay with open-ended questionnaire items, and their verbal responses were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The analysis of the students’ reflections revealed a number of functions in each of the three areas, highlighting the potential of international student interactions as a viable source of L2 acquisition, L2 self-motivation, and intercultural learning during study abroad.

scholarly journals International Student Experience at US Community Colleges at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Whatley
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Student ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
College Leaders ◽  
Residency Status ◽  
The Impact

This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at US community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed-methods research approach, we analyze survey and focus group data provided by 17 randomly-selected community college educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and educators reasons for providing these specific supports) and the unique impact of the pandemic on community college international students due to their citizenship or residency status. These findings have important implications for community college leaders and international educators as they work with international students during future times of crisis.

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