LEARNING IN A NEW CULTURE

Culture Shock and Inter-cultural communication

(O’Sullivan, 1994, p.96)

Culture shock

When you enrol as a student at UTAS you are not only entering a new education system; you are entering a new culture. This means that you can expect to experience a type of culture shock. Culture shock refers to those feelings of confusion and unease that you experience when you are trying to participate in a different culture. This is nothing to be worried about; it is perfectly normal for people to experience these feelings.

Teachers will be supportive and understanding. They know that you are entering a new culture when you enrol in a Western education system for the first time. They know that you are likely to experience some culture shock. They know that it will take you some time to learn about the differences between your own culture and the new culture you are entering.

It is important for you to understand that you are not expected to forget about your own culture while you are enrolled as a student at UTAS. Your own culture plays a fundamental role in determining your identity. It is not necessary to change your identity in order to participate in another culture. However, if you wish to graduate with a degree from UTAS, you must be able to demonstrate that you can meet the learning expectations that are characteristic of Western culture.

Participating in a new culture does not mean that you have to agree with all aspects of that culture. However, you should respect that culture, just as you would expect others to respect your culture. Even though ways of behaving in a different culture may not make sense to you, they do make sense to the people in that culture.

What is the best way to deal with culture shock?

There are many different ways to deal culture shock. The methods used depend upon the situation you are in. For example, if you are living in another culture, the methods you use to deal with culture shock might be somewhat different to the methods you would use if you were living in your own culture and studying as a transnational student. Nevertheless, there are some general guidelines that you can follow to help you understand, and cope with, culture shock. These guidelines are included below.

Guidelines

  1. Learn about the different ways that cultures communicate

Learning how to be a successful UTAS student means learning about the different ways that cultures communicate.

The way we communicate with each other varies from one culture to another. Most importantly, the way we give meaning to different ways of communicating, varies from one culture to another. Much misunderstanding occurs when people from different cultures do not understand each other’s ways of communicating. Unfortunately, it is when they break the ‘cultural rules’ that people, realize there are different ways of communicating in different cultures.

This misunderstanding is complicated further when a different language is spoken. For example, it is common for an English-speaking person in Australia to ask another person, “How are you going?” Australian English-speakers know that this means the same as “How are you feeling?” To a person from another culture they might, understandably, interpret this question as meaning, “What form of transport will you use to get to that place?” Learning about a new culture means learning about the language.

Here are some examples of different ways that cultures communicate:

  • How close you stand to someone. In some cultures it is considered polite to stand very close to a person when you talk to them. In other cultures it is considered polite to stand a long distance apart.
  • How you greet someone. In some cultures it is considered polite to shake hands firmly with a person when you first meet them. In other cultures it is considered polite to shake hands softly and only with males, not females.
  • The way you use gestures. Gestures are body movements . These can include nodding the head, pointing a finger, shaking a fist, or raising an eyebrow. The meaning of these gestures varies from one culture to anther. In some cultures nodding your head means ‘yes’. In another culture it can mean ‘no’.
  • Apologising. In some cultures, it is considered polite to apologise for many things such as telephoning late at night, arriving late or bumping into someone in the street. In other cultures such apology is considered unnecessary.
  • Whether you get involved in conflict situations. In some cultures people actively avoid conflict. It is important to them that they respect their own and other people’s reputations. Sometimes this is referred to as ‘saving face’. In other cultures, people seek conflict situations. They see conflict as an opportunity to express their personal feelings and as a possible way to find a solution to a problem.
  • How time is valued. In some cultures time is considered to be very flexible. This means that people will often turn up late for appointments and it is considered perfectly acceptable. In other cultures time is very important and it is considered very rude to arrive late for an appointment.
  • The way people use their bodies. In some cultures it is considered acceptable to: belch after a meal, spit in the street or publicly display emotions. In other cultures these behaviours are considered totally unacceptable.
  • How eye contact is used. In some cultures making eye contact with a person when talking is considered polite. In other cultures it is considered disrespectful to make eye contact, especially with someone in authority.
  • Sharing a meal. In some cultures people leave the house/restaurant immediately after the meal is finished. This is considered polite by some people because to stay longer implies that you are still hungry - that your hosts have not supplied enough food for you. Other cultures would interpret this early leaving as very rude. It is considered polite to stay and chat after a meal.
  • Relationships with people in authority. Some cultures have very strict rules about the way you show respect for people in authority – e.g. you must refer to them by their correct title and never question or challenge them. In other cultures, there is a much more relaxed attitude to people in authority. For example, people might use first names, and they might question and challenge those in authority.
  • The importance of individuals. In some cultures the needs of the group or the family are considered more important than the needs of the individual. In other cultures the needs of the individual are seen as more important than the needs of the group.
  • Gift giving. In some cultures it is considered polite to open gifts in public. In other cultures this is considered rude.
  • Interacting with the opposite sex. Same sex or mixed-sex interactions are viewed differently in different cultures. For example, in some cultures it is considered perfectly normal for same sex couples to hold hands. In other cultures this is not seen as acceptable. In some cultures men and women eat at different tables.
  • Taking risks. In some cultures people are more prepared to take risks and experiment with new ideas. In other cultures people are less likely to try new things if they are unsure of the outcome.

These examples show how easy it is to feel confused when you enter a new culture. Those ways of communicating and behaving that feel ‘normal’ to you and are accepted as ‘right’ in your culture suddenly can be viewed as ‘wrong’ in the new culture. Imagine, for example, that you come from a culture where it is considered unnecessary to say ‘thank you’ after most interactions. While visiting a different culture (where saying ‘thank you’ is expected), you go to a shop, purchase an item and leave, without saying ‘thank you’. This feels perfectly normal to you. You haven’t done anything wrong. However, the shop keeper will probably think, “What a rude person. They didn’t say thank you!” No-one in this example has deliberately behaved rudely. It is a case of misunderstanding each other’s cultural ways.

Once you know how other cultures communicate, a lot of the misunderstanding disappears. It is not about deciding which culture is ‘right’ and which culture is ‘wrong’. It is not about one culture being ‘better’ or ‘superior’ to another. It is about understanding that cultures are different. It is important for you to discover what those differences are when you start participating in a different culture.

2. Know what this means for you, specifically, as a UTAS student

As an enrolled UTAS student you will be participating in a Western style culture. You can’t possibly learn all there is to know about Western culture. It is more realistic for you to focus on those things most relevant to you as a transnational student.

Below are some of the behaviours and ways of communicating that are considered ‘normal’, polite and acceptable in Western culture. These are some of the things that are likely to affect you as a student enrolled in a Western education system.

  • Males and females interact freely in public.
  • Males and females are considered to have equal status.
  • People make eye contact when they talk.
  • Students question and challenge their teachers and fellow classmates. They publicly disagree with others. They are expected to be ‘free thinkers’. This does not mean that students disrespect their teachers and classmates or their knowledge. Questioning and challenging others’ ideas is seen as a way of helping to develop independent, critical thinking.
  • Students initiate (start) conversations – they ask for help, they contribute to discussions in class.
  • Students and teachers usually have a relaxed, informal way of relating.
  • People are likely to talk freely about personal issues.
  • People are likely to be competitive. This means that they are more likely to work independently towards individual goals than to consider the needs of the group.
  • People are likely to be very open and honest. They will tell the truth, even if this sometimes means the other person feels uncomfortable as a result. Some terms used to describe this way of communicating are ‘up front’ or ‘assertive’. It means talking clearly and openly about your own needs and thoughts and feelings. For example, if a lecturer is unhappy that students are talking during class they are likely to stop teaching and say, “I would like the people who are speaking to pay attention, please.”
  • Students arrive on time for class.
  • Students listen carefully during class.
  • Students do not usually give gifts to their lecturers.
  • People will apologise and say ‘thank you’ regularly - to family, friends and people in ‘authority’.
  1. Try not to over-generalise

To ‘over-generalise’ means to think or act as if all members of a group are the same. Even though generalizations can be made about the way people behave in certain cultures, it is important to remember that every one is an individual. Not all people behave in the same way. For example, while many people in Western cultures are very direct and open in their conversation with others, there are some Western people who are quiet and shy. Similarly, while it is considered polite to arrive on time for appointments in Western cultures, some people do arrive late.

  1. Try to understand situations from the other culture’s point of view

Most people tend to understand and explain situations from the point of view of their own culture. In other words, they see, understand and explain situations through their own ‘cultural eyes’. When they see or experience something that is different, they usually have a negative reaction to it. For example, imagine that you come from a culture where it is considered impolite for students to refer to a teacher by their first name. If you heard a student referring to their teacher by their first name, you would probably think, “How rude”. However, if you stopped and thought about this situation from the other culture’s point of view you might think, “Even though in my culture this behaviour is considered rude, I understand that in this culture this person is not behaving rudely. It is acceptable to them.”

If you find yourself in a situation that you don’t understand or that you feel confused by, try asking yourself how the other culture would explain that situation.

  1. Try to focus on the problem, not the person.

If you are experiencing difficulty understanding a situation, try not to judge or get frustrated or angry with the person involved. Rather, it is more helpful and productive to focus on the problem (situation) and how it can be solved. For example, imagine that you have a question about an assignment and you email your UTAS lecturer and ask them for help. You check your email every hour, waiting for a reply from the lecturer. After 12 hours you still don’t receive a reply. You have two different ways that you could approach this situation.

First, you could get angry and blame the person. You might think something like, “I am angry with the lecturer. I need help and they haven’t replied to my email. That is very rude. Lecturers should have more respect for their students.”

Second, you could focus on the problem rather than the person. This is a better option than the first. You could think about other ways of finding help with your problem. For example:

  • you could read some of the study skill materials in this booklet to help you.
  • you could ask your local tutor. The Unit co-ordinator/UTAS lecturer will have discussed the assignment with the local tutors. They should be able to help you.
  • you could begin work on another assignment while you wait for your lecturer to reply.
  • most importantly, as discussed in point 4 (above), you could think about the problem from the point of view of the other culture. You might think, “I know UTAS lecturers have hundreds of students in their classes, both in Australia and transnationally. It is impossible for them to be able to attend to all the needs of those students immediately. It does not mean that the lecturer does not care about me or my studies. They will contact me soon. 12 hours is not such a long time to wait for a reply. Besides, the lecturer could be attending a conference or they could be conducting research. They are very busy people. They have other responsibilities on top of their teaching.” Thinking in this way helps you remember that the lecturer isn’t being disrespectful to you, personally. Their situation is preventing them from responding to your email immediately.
  1. Ask if you are confused or you don’t understand

Instead of ‘jumping to conclusions’ (making a quick decision about a situation with out really investigating it or thinking about it), you should ask for help in understanding the situation if you are confused or unsure. For example, while you are talking to your visiting UTAS lecturer you notice that they are smiling. You could ‘jump to conclusions’ and think, “The lecturer is laughing at me. I don’t understand why they are smiling when we are talking about a serious issue.” It would be helpful for you to say to the lecturer, “I don’t understand why you are smiling? I am confused.” This might feel uncomfortable for you at first because you might not be used to asking such questions of your lecturer. However, when you do ask such questions it helps to clear up any confusion. The lecturer might respond to your question by saying, “I’m smiling because I want you to feel comfortable and at ease with me. I know this is difficult for you to ask your lecturer questions. I am not making fun of you.”

In the example above you can see that less misunderstanding occurs if you ask for help in understanding behaviours in a different culture. The people from both cultures are likely to feel happy and more comfortable that they have talked about the situation together and that they both now understand what is happening. (Based, in part, on O’Sullivan, 1994)

Developing skills – some specific suggestions to help you

Here are some suggestions to help you feel more comfortable about communicating in a Western education system:

  1. There are a number of ways that you can ‘interrupt’ a discussion.
  2. You could raise your hand as a signal that you want to say something.
  3. You could wait for the speaker to pause, then say what you want to say.
  4. You could use eye contact (look directly at the speaker) and maybe raise your eyebrows slightly to indicate that you want to say something.

If you want to make a comment or challenge something that has been said in a tutorial you could say something like:

  • “I disagree” or “I agree with that”. You could then continue to say why you disagree or agree.
  • “I would like to say something about that.” Then you could continue to share your ideas with the group.
  1. If your lecturer has not made it clear to you how they wish to be addressed (for example, “Professor”, “Dr Brown”, “John” etc.), you should ask, “Excuse me, would you tell me please how I should address you?” If your lecturer has asked you to call them by their first name and you feel uncomfortable doing this, you could say, “I feel more comfortable calling you Professor.