Bridging the Gap in Expectations Between International Students and Academic Staff

Abstract

This article is concerned with the transition into higher education in the United Kingdom of students with an East Asian background. Such a fusion of cultures (the Western individualist culture and East Asian collectivist culture) often creates a clash of traditions. The tensions that arise between the expectations of the most rapidly growing group of students (namely East Asian students) and the implicit rules that govern the academic and social environments of UK higher education can no longer be overlooked. The authors aim to resolve some of the issues that arise when cultures based on differing philosophies meet within a London University by narrowing the gap between the expectations of international students and academic staff. The ultimate goal, therefore, lies in working toward a synergy of educational cultures.

International Students’ Experience of Western Pedagogy in a British University

“…In this respect, academic staff must consider how international students from collectivist cultures and local students, who will tend to be more individualistic in orientation, may have different needs (Ku et al, 2008). An illustrative example here is the reference that students from collectivist cultures show for written rather as opposed to oral feedback (Kingston & Forland, 2008).…”

“…Of the international students attending higher education institutions in the UK, high proportions have homes in the Far East (Kingston & Forland, 2008). Their educational systems are often characterised as promoting passivity in students being teacher-centred, favouring rote learning or surface learning (Phillips, Lo, & Yu, 2002;Brown, 2008).…”

“…Their educational systems are often characterised as promoting passivity in students being teacher-centred, favouring rote learning or surface learning (Phillips, Lo, & Yu, 2002;Brown, 2008). It is also argued that these education systems emphasise learning as a one-time process for the young as a collective group (Kingston & Forland, 2008).…”

Managing diversity: academic’s perspective on culture and teaching

“…Despite such negative perceptions, ethnic minority students from across the world arrive in Western HEIs with a rich educational tradition emanating from different philosophies (Kingston and Forland 2008), for example students from South-East Asia place great emphasis and value on the memorisation of the content as a means to deep understanding, reflection which ensures deep intellectual engagement with learning and active silent participation, strong, harmonious group collaboration, incontestable respect for the teacher, problem-solving strategies based on an attentive analysis of past experiences, mediation of a consensus in an argument and high respect for written text rather than spoken words (Sun and Richardson 2012;Tan 2015). These students use their well-developed strategic skills to achieve good grades in tests and exams.…”

Multicultural Learning Styles Dilemma: Re-Thinking Management Education

“…The same argument holds for other types of national learners. Researchers, such as (Cambridge, 2006) and (Kingston & Forland, 2004) in the field of education, (Baskerville, 2003) and (Williamson, 2002) in the field of management have been critical of Hofstede's tendency to equate culture to nationality. Thus, due to diversity and multi-faceted ethnic backgrounds, it may be argued that there may be cultural learning styles differences within the country and among various ethnic groups.…”