Culture Shock in Students from International Academic Mobility

This study describes the experience of international students while studying overseas, and how interacting with a new culture can cause shock at different levels. For doing so, this research was conducted under qualitative methods and implemented at a public university in Pereira, Colombia. The participants were pupils from inbound and outbound academic mobility that participated in exchange programs offered by the UTP. Every student represented a single case; therefore, this project was a descriptive multicase study. Bearing this in mind, the information was gathered through documents, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. To analyze the collected information, the researchers followed a process of contrast and comparison to develop a grounded theory and described the phenomenon under study. Furthermore, based on the findings, it was evidenced that all of the participants went through the four stages of culture shock established by Oberg (1960), and that engaging in these events influenced their lives in the short term; likewise, taking into account the outcomes of this inquiry, the researchers made some suggestions to the ORI, so they can help future international students in their adaptation process. According to Furnham (2010) to diminish the effects of culture shock, it is pivotal that pupils develop Intercultural Communication Competencies (ICC), along with enough accompaniment and orientation during the adjustment to the new cultural and academic systems.Este estudio describe la experiencia de estudiantes internacionales mientras estudian en el exterior, y como la interacción con una nueva cultura puede causar un choque en diferentes niveles. Por esta razón, esta investigación se condujo bajo métodos cualitativos y fue implementada en una universidad pública de Pereira, Colombia. Cada estudiante representaba un caso individual, por lo tanto, este fue un estudio descriptivo de múltiples casos. Los participantes fueron estudiantes de movilidad académica entrante y saliente que participaron en programas de intercambio ofrecidos por la UTP. Para analizar la información recolectada, los investigadores siguieron un proceso de contraste y comparación para desarrollar una teoría fundamentada y describir el fenómeno objeto de estudio. Considerando esto, los datos se recogieron mediante documentos, entrevistas semi-estructuradas y cuestionarios. Además, basadas en los resultados, se evidenció que todos los participantes vivieron las cuatro etapas de choque cultural establecidas por Oberg (1960), y que la participación en estos eventos impacto sus vidas a corto plazo, asimismo, teniendo en cuenta los hallazgos de este proyecto, las investigadoras hicieron algunas sugerencias a la ORI, para que ellos puedan ayudar futuros estudiantes internacionales en su proceso de adaptación; ya que, según Furnham (2010) para reducir los efectos del choque cultural es primordial que los estudiantes desarrollen Competencias Comunicativas Interculturales (CCI) y tengan suficiente acompañamiento en el período de ajuste a los nuevos sistemas culturales y académicos.PregradoLicenciado(a) en Bilingüismo con Énfasis en InglésTable of Contents Introduction 3 Abstract 5 Resumen 6 Acknowledgments 7 Table of Tables 11 Table of Figures 11 Statement of the Problem 12 Research Questions 20 Objectives 21 General Objective: 21 Specific Objectives: 21 Theoretical Framework 22 Literature Review 23 Conceptual Framework 30 What is Culture from a Global Perspective? 31 What is Intercultural Competence? 34 Which is the Importance of Developing Intercultural Communication Competence When Venturing Into a New Culture? 35 What is Culture Shock and Which are its Implications? 38 From Acculturative Stress to Acculturation 41 How is Enculturation different from Acculturation? 44 Is Ethnocentrism a Stumbling Block to Develop Intercultural Competence? 47 What is International Academic Mobility in Higher Education? 50 Methodology 56 Type of Research 56 Type of Study 57 Context 58 Setting 59 Participants 60 Data Collection Methods and Instruments 62 Documents 62 Semi-structured Interviews 63 Questionnaires 63 Researchers Role 64 Ethical Considerations 65 Data Analysis 66 Findings and Discussion 71 Culture Shock in Students from Inbound and Outbound Academic Exchanges 71 Honeymoon Stage in International Students 74 Crisis Stage While Adjusting to the New Systems 75 Language Barriers in Social Contexts 78 Homesickness During the Crisis 80 Recovery After the Crisis and Strategies to Overcome it 83 Adjustment to the new cultural and academic scenarios 86 The Short-term Impact of Studying Abroad 89 Intercultural exchanges broaden students’ worldviews, self-images, and perceptions of others 92 Conclusions 96 Limitations 99 Implications 100 References 10