The Saudi Arabian international student experience: from a gender-segregated society to studying in a mixed-gender environment

Alhazmi, Ahmed Ali; Nyland, Berenice

doi:10.1080/03057925.2012.722347

Cited by 40 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Thus, Saudi international students who travel to study in Western countries experience learning with different genders for the first time in their lives. Alhazmi and Nyland (2013) examined one aspect of Saudi culture, which is gender segregation and how this aspect may affect Saudi students' engagement with the Australian community. Two Saudi international students, both male and female, who are studying at Australian universities, were interviewed.…”

Section: Cultural Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Challenges of Studying in Australia for Saudis Male International Students

Alsulami¹

2018

AIJCR

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Section: Cultural Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Challenges of Studying in Australia for Saudis Male International Students

Alsulami¹

2018

AIJCR

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“…Gender segregation centers on the symbolic meaning of women's honor (Alhazmi & Nyland, ), but there is little agreement on the origin or function of the social segregation of men and women (van Geel, ). Some Saudis trace the ideological origins of women's social roles and gender expectations in Saudi culture to the religion of Islam and demand a strict segregation based on their religious interpretation.…”

Section: Saudi Women and Gender Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This non‐Western view of gender and social interaction suggests that the ways Saudi women choose to challenge or defer to Saudi societal norms are key to understanding Saudi female students’ views on gender identity and (non)participation in L2 interactions during their study abroad. Perceived incompatibilities between traditional views of womanhood and achieving desired career goals place pressure on Saudi women to be successful in their studies while maintaining their culture‐specific gender identity (Alhazmi & Nyland, ). Thus, although some Saudi women celebrate becoming more independent and socially active during their study abroad, they also worry about criticism they may receive for breaking gender rules, making them appear anti‐Saudi or even anti‐Islam (Alhazmi & Nyland, ).…”

Section: Saudi Women and Gender Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perceived incompatibilities between traditional views of womanhood and achieving desired career goals place pressure on Saudi women to be successful in their studies while maintaining their culture‐specific gender identity (Alhazmi & Nyland, ). Thus, although some Saudi women celebrate becoming more independent and socially active during their study abroad, they also worry about criticism they may receive for breaking gender rules, making them appear anti‐Saudi or even anti‐Islam (Alhazmi & Nyland, ). The presence of Saudi men intensifies this worry and may prevent female students’ participation or pressure them to be silent.…”

Section: Saudi Women and Gender Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“She Needs to Be Shy!”: Gender, Culture, and Nonparticipation Among Saudi Arabian Female Students

Song

2018

TESOL Quarterly

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This article examines Saudi female students' socialization process in mixed-gender interactions during their study abroad, focusing on how they negotiate culture-specific gender expectations of women's deference and modesty. Findings reveal that Saudi women's deference to maintaining an ideal image of Saudi womanhood makes shyness and fear of judgment predominant aspects of their gender identity. Saudi women's adherence to these norms often leads to their nonparticipation in classroom and social interactions, and a deeper ambivalence is indicated when they seek social and academic opportunities through active participation. Findings also demonstrate that Saudi women use religion to both justify and challenge gender identity norms. Women who comply with Saudi gender norms assert that these norms are prescribed by the tenets of Islam; those who resist these norms argue their irrelevance with respect to Islam. Saudi women's religious interpretations serve to empower their own sense of gender identity, which signifies their agency founded on ideological and cultural constraints in the context of religion. This study offers implications for second language learners' nonparticipation in relation to gender, highlighting how gender norms intersect with other discursive categories, particularly ethnicity, culture, and its central aspect here, religion.

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“…Economically, the international education sector has become the third largest export industry in Australia (Larsen, Payne, & Tomison, 2011). Although students from China, India and East Asia are considered the majority of international students in Australia, the number of Saudi students is significant (Alhazmi & Nyland, 2013). All international students face certain difficulties in different aspects of their studies; however, Saudi students have a specific cultural background that makes international study quite different from that of most international students.…”

Section: Significance Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Experience of Saudi Female Students Attending Mixed Gender ESL Courses in Melbourne, Australia.

Journal¹,

Alghamdi²

2017

Preprint

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Abstract:This study explored the experience of Saudi female students attending mixed-gender English as a second language (ESL) courses in Melbourne, Australia and the factors that impacted their levels of engagement. A transcendental phenomenological research design was used to provide a thick description of the essence of the Saudi female experience in this learning environment. The participants included four Saudi female students currently attending ESL courses in Melbourne, Australia. Two phases-descriptive and interpretive-were employed in the data analysis to accurately capture the nature of the experience. This study revealed that, while all the participants held a positive attitude towards their experience, language proficiency level and marital status played crucial roles in their adaptation. Participants with high language skills reported smoother adaptation than students with low language skills. The married students tended to be more inhibited than single students by the attendance of male especially Saudi male. Working solely with males or participating in physical activities with males had the greatest impact on levels of engagement in classroom activities. These findings were broadly in line with the sparse literature available on this phenomenon. Therefore, future research suggestions and practical implications were offered.

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The Saudi Arabian international student experience: from a gender-segregated society to studying in a mixed-gender environment

Cited by 40 publications

References 28 publications

The Challenges of Studying in Australia for Saudis Male International Students

The Challenges of Studying in Australia for Saudis Male International Students

“She Needs to Be Shy!”: Gender, Culture, and Nonparticipation Among Saudi Arabian Female Students

The Experience of Saudi Female Students Attending Mixed Gender ESL Courses in Melbourne, Australia.

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