Issues with Cultural Diversity Among Students

This essay discusses the issues relating to cultural differences affecting foreign students studying in Australian universities. The communication issues regarding language and cultural norms create barriers among these students. The essay also suggests effective solutions to these problems.

Running head: ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author's Note:

1ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
The aim of this essay is to discuss the issues relating the cultural differences affecting the
foreign students studying in Australian universities. The international students for many
generations are finding difficulties in some aspects of Australian life. most of these students
suffer isolation and depression due to their financial difficulties and social or cultural
incapability to cope up with the new culture of Australia. There are theories for intercultural
communication by Edward Hall and sociolinguistics theory that can help to understand the
reasons and factors relating the communication gap among the students which ultimately lead to
their psychological sufferings. This essay will be discussing the aspects of intercultural
friendship in their education in the foreign countries and the factors that can help them to
improving their situations.
The number of international students visiting Australia for educational purpose has been
increasing day to day but most of them are facing problems and difficulties to adjust effectively
in the Australian setting. The main problem that these international students are facing is
associated with language. First of all, most of the international students visiting Australia are
from non- English-speaking background therefore, they struggle with the course work as they
had English as their second language (Studiesinaustralia.com 2018). This is the reason why the
students are not getting benefitted from the lectures and in one hand and feel engaged in their
studies on the other. They also cannot take part in the small talks in the small talks in the class
rooms or presentation of their assignment like other native students of Australia. This
communication issues regarding language and different usage of it in different places create
barrier among these students.

2ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
Thesis statement: most of the international students struggle to integrate into the domestic
culture of Australia as they have little opportunities to make new friends having different faiths
and cultures.
The international students fail to make friends as they feel nervous initially as they do not
have proper understanding of the cultural norms and values of that particular place. The
abbreviations of the words used by the local students in the country may not be conceivable to
the international students and they feel uncomfortable with the usage of language of their local
classmates. There are some very important theories that explain why these types of issues arise
among the international and domestic students studying together the domestics in the Australian
universities. From the perception of the cultural norms, the theory of cultural context proposed
by Edward Hall can be discussed. According to this particular theory, the culture of the countries
is different from one another so also their understanding of the context of commutations. In
Australia, the students visit from countries like Thailand, India, Pakistan, Colombia and other
distant lands. As mentioned by Page and Hall (2014), these cultures either fall in the categories
of high context culture and low context one. The high context cultural people share covert and
implicit messages and uses much non-verbal communication (Page and Hall 2014). They remain
reserved in their communication which many of the low culture communicators do not
understand. They follow strong in group and out group distinction therefore cannot change their
communication style so easily to make friends.
In discussing the cultural context that affects the communication of the people of that
culture, it can be stated that the Australian culture has low context element. In this context, the
people prefer to share explicit and overt messages which are most of the time clear and simple.
The domestic students of Australia prefer their communication to be more focused on the verbal

3ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
communication than using body language (Thesuffolkjournal.com. 2018). The communication
style is visible and external with outward reaction. They prefer in the flexible open grouping
process which allows the changing members of the group whenever the change is needed.
Therefore, it can be stared that the students and educational setting has flexible communication
style so that the students from the other countries can effectively adapt the style of
communication and cope up fast. However, this does not help the students all the time. This is
due to the fact they do not grow friendship easily with the local students.
The friendship with the local students cannot be grown by the international students as
there is a strong barrier of language which can be one of the most important barriers to be
explained with the sociolinguist theory. This refers to the effect of language in the various
aspects of the society and cultural norms of a particular country. This also includes the method of
using language in expressing thoughts and beliefs of the society
(Www120.secure.griffith.edu.au. 2018). this differs from the sociology of language that rather
records the society’s effect on the language. In the case of Australia, English is the mainstream
language which is the chief mode of communication every nation in this global era. Despite all
these, the international students are facing problems in communicating with the Australia
students. According to sociolinguist theory, there are speech community where the district group
of people who have unique language accepted mutually among themselves. To become the
member of such group one has to have communicative competence so that he or she can express
thoughts appropriately in the given condition (Blogs.qut.edu.au. 2018). Therefore, it can be
stated that the international students are not being able to enter the groups of the Australian
students as they do not prosses the communicative competence not only in language proficiency
but also the nonverbal communication in the Australian cultural context.

4ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
As discussed in the two theories that there are some very important issues creating barrier
in successful communication and adaptation process of the international students in the culture of
Australia, there are effective solutions to these problems. Despite the fact theta the faith,
understanding, food habits a lifestyle are completely different in Australia from the lands in
which these international students belong, there is an attempt from the part of the international
students to adopt the mainland culture of Australia (Abc.net.au. 2018). However, the responses
from these students reveal that they face problems as they do not get perfect support from their
peers as well as professors to adopt with the new culture.
In this regard, the factors involving effective communication process incur responses
from the universities of the country, the mentors, domestic students and the international students
themselves. To many of the international students studying in the Australian universities have
pointed out that they are traded by the professors different due to their different cultural and
national background which refers to the existence of double standards built by the university
authorities (Neuliep 2017). The main factor in such discrepancy of understanding and
miscommunication originates from the cultural differences therefore, the professors can take
initiative to bring the international and domestic students together. In order to solve this kind of
problem, the universities must arrange some cultural workshops and social programs where the
students from different culture will share their views and beliefs. These will increase knowledge
of the students about other cultures which will reduce the conflict or ignorance. The problems
regarding the inability of communication and nervousness which the international students feel
initially will be eliminated by the direct intervention of the university authorities.
Another factor is the differences in the lifestyle and food habits of the students for which
they do not find any types of common link among themselves. In order to solve such issues, the

5ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
students can themselves find solutions. In order to increase the cultural competency among the
students, the professors can form groups consisting different students with different cultural
background in a project or assignment so that they can build relationship among themselves and
understand how to communicate with one another in spite of having cultural barriers (Oetzel
2017). From the aspect of the international students, they can motivate the international students
to enter the flexible open grouping process so that all of the get benefited. This will allow the
international to make new friends develop better intercultural relationship. However, in order to
mitigate such issues, the factors involve the international students also. They need to improve
their social skills by going out of their comfort zone and joining in communication with the
domestic students. Thera re student centers in every universities of Australia which can be
visited by the students to get help in joining students club or organizations. By taking active part
in the events and volunteering in the campus the international students get to know the new
culture and adapt themselves with it.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the international students studying in the Australian
universities facing problems and difficulties to adjust effectively in the Australian setting. The
international students visiting Australia may have non- English-speaking background hence are
not getting benefitted from the lectures. This communication issues regarding language and
cultural norms in communication create barrier among these students. They fail to make friends
as their culture, values, norms and expectations are completely different from those of the
Australian students. In this regard Hall’s cultural context and sociolinguist theory has been
discussed. however, an assembled effort from the professors, domestic and international students
will make possible to end such issues in future.

6ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS

7ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
References:
Abc.net.au. 2018. Loneliness, racism, poverty: The realities facing overseas students in
Australia. [online] ABC News. Available at:
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australia/9702606 [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Blogs.qut.edu.au. 2018. Living in Brisbane | Student Life in Brisbane. [online] Blogs.qut.edu.au.
Available at: https://blogs.qut.edu.au/student-life-in-brisbane/category/living-in-brisbane/
[Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Neuliep, J.W., 2017. Intercultural communication: A contextual approach. Sage Publications.
Oetzel, J.G., 2017. Effective intercultural workgroup communication theory. The International
Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, pp.1-5.
Page, S.J. and Hall, C.M., 2014. The geography of tourism and recreation: Environment, place
and space. Routledge.
Studiesinaustralia.com. 2018. Five challenges international students face and how to overcome
them | Study in Australia. [online] Studies in Australia. Available at:
https://www.studiesinaustralia.com/Blog/study-tips/five-challenges-international-students-face-
and-how-to-overcome-them [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Thesuffolkjournal.com. 2018. International student struggles: The trouble with English. [online]
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trouble-with-english/ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

8ISSUES WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS
Www120.secure.griffith.edu.au. 2018. [online] Www120.secure.griffith.edu.au. Available at:
https://www120.secure.griffith.edu.au/rch/file/b67b1eb2-8933-4702-8f70-fc115d4afff9/1/
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