Working with Students from China A CrossCultural Perspective

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Working with Students from China A
Cross-Cultural Perspective
Sherri Xie International Student
Services University of Alberta March 7, 2007
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Agenda

• Three generations of Chinese Students
• The Millennium Generation
• Social background and characteristics
• Learning environment
• Challenges in Canadian institutions
• Cultural behavioral patterns
• How can we be more helpful?

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Chinese students in Canada
http//www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2005/tempora
ry/10.html
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Three generations of Chinese students studying
abroad

• Pre-Tiananmen Square Protests 1978-1989
• 2) Post-Tiananmen Square Protests 1990-1999
• 3) Millennium Generation 2000-
  (born in 80s)

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Millennium Generation Social Background

• Rapid economic development
• Its glorious to become rich. Deng Xiaoping
• Shift from a subsistence economy to consumer
  economy with the emergence of a large middle
  class.
• Communist ideology was replaced by the
  entrepreneurial spirit, nationalism and
  pragmatism
• Black or white, as long as it catches the mouse,
  its a good cat. Deng Xiaoping
• Globalization and penetration of Western culture
  have great impact on the society

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Millennium Generation At the Crossroad

• Financially well-off most from upper middle
  class family
• Politically naive -- Grew up with the booming
  economy and rising nationalism with no experience
  in the political turmoil
• Culturally open struggle to break up with
  tradition in face of the modern, different and
  novelty

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Millennium Generation A Lonely Crowd

• Socially lonely one child in a family lack of
  social interaction
• Academically stressful highly competitive to
  get into the key schools
• I want my child to accomplish what I could not.
  
• Psychologically vulnerable pressure from family
  and society
• I wish my parents dont make me their project.

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Millennium Generation Learning Environment

• Curriculum is prescribed, highly structured and
  formalized
• Teacher centered
• Final exam centered
• Emphasis on imitation, practice, and memorization
  
• Memorization a path to understanding
• Emphasis on individual efforts, no peer-group work

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Millennium Generation Challenges in Canadian
Institutions

• Disoriented from dependent to independent
• Disappointed feel not supported the way they
  expected
• Disadvantaged classroom discussion, group
  projects, presentation, critical thinking
• Lost in translation language barriers, slang

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Millennium Generation Challenges in Canadian
Institutions

• Different Writing Styles
• -- Cultural rhetoric patterns
• Indirect (vs. Direct)
• Inductive (vs. Deductive)

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Millennium Generation Challenges in Canadian
Institutions

• Plagiarism? Are you kidding me?
• -- Cultural view of knowledge
• Not knowing of referencing
• Referencing is not formally taught in school
• Knowledge is considered as the common property to
  be shared

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Millennium Generation Cultural Behaviors

• Group Oriented
• One relates to others
• Relationships Roles Obligations
• Family
• Friends (cheating or cooperation?)

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Cultural Clash---- Why did she ignore me?

• Mike Ho arrived in Canada a few days ago. He was
  waiting to see the graduate secretary while she
  was talking to another student. After about 10
  minutes Mike wanted to get her attention but she
  was fully occupied in the conversation with the
  student even though she knew he was there. After
  another 10 minutes, Mike left and felt upset. He
  came to you now complaining that the secretary
  ignored him and unfriendly.

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Cultural Clash ---- Is it Cultural or Are they
just inconsiderate?
2.1 A small group of Chinese students were
talking loudly in the lobby while theres a
workshop going on. They showed no sign of
lowering their voice. 2.2 A Chinese student
squeezed past you in the bus without saying
excuse me. 2.3 A Chinese student was standing
much closer to you in line than you would feel
comfortable. When you moved ahead a bit, he
followed you right away.
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Cultural Clash ---- Is it Cultural or Are they
just inconsiderate?
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Millennium Generation How can we be more
helpful?

• Understand where they are from and be effective
  in offering advice. Be directive at can be very
  helpful.
• Appropriate goals, appropriate process.
• Advise beyond what they came in for. Catch the
  teachable moments
• Facilitate decision making but instill a sense of
  ownership of decisions.

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Millennium Generation How can we be more
helpful?

• What are the issues?
• How do you explain the behaviors in the cultural
  context?
• What would be your advice?

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Scenario 1 Group work
A first-year Chinese student came to tell you her
recent experience with her group work She said
it was hard to participate in brainstorming for
ideas with her group of Canadian students. They
were talking all the time, she said, I didnt
even have a chance to talk. She said she didnt
want to say no to any ideas they put forward, so
would just move along with whatever they decided.
She also found out that she was rated not so
good by peer evaluation and she was frustrated.
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Scenario 2 When seeking advice
After the advising session with you, Jack Gao
went to see another advisor, Sarah, whom he had
seen before, and talked in their mother tongue.
Sarah printed out something for him afterwards.
The next day, Jack went to see another advisor,
Joe, for the same issue.
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Scenario 3 Meatloaf
At the dinner, the host mother cooked meatloaf as
a main course. Jim Tang didnt like meatloaf at
all, but when his host mother asked him if he
liked it, he nodded and said, Yes. The host
mother gave him half of the meatloaf. Before
finishing his dinner, Jim told the host mother
that he had to make a long distance call and then
took his plate with the meatloaf to go to his
room. The next day, the host mother was cleaning
the kitchen. She found out that the half of the
meatloaf was in the trash can wrapped in foil.
She was very upset and angry. She called you and
complained that Jim should not lie to her and
waste the food.
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Scenario 4 Best Friends
Tim Guo and Fred Song are best friends and they
both took English 130. Fred was sick for a week
and asked Tim to let him copy his homework. Tim
felt obligated. The professor found out and said
it was plagiarism. They both failed the class and
received a warning from the Dean. Tim came to see
you and he was very upset. Meanwhile, he showed
you two completed tax return forms and asked you
to check for him and Fred. You found out that
Fred didnt sign on his form. Tim said he would
sign for Fred because Fred is in another city
visiting his brother.
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Thank you!