Eight students from mainland China chart their learning journeys across national and continental boundaries and socio-cultural contexts. The five women and three men structure their experiences of studying in China and the West around the turning points and life changing choices they made in chasing their dreams. They embody its emergent…

The study investigated adjustment problems of 197 Korean students at 4 universities (3 urban and 1 non-urban) in Texas during the 1989-1990 academic year. Findings showed that students seemed to adjust relatively well to American higher education, but were still struggling to adjust in financial, communication/language, and social/cultural areas.…

If the United States is to benefit from the contributions of international teaching assistants in the classroom, both domestic and foreign students must develop a reciprocal understanding of behaviors and expectations. Both parties need to adapt teaching and learning behaviors and should have more interaction. (MSE)

Group communication and processes may be affected by differing cultural and racial backgrounds of group members. To assess these influences and to evaluate course offerings in group dynamics, six foreign and non-white student participants in the Group Practicum at Columbia University were interviewed individually for 1 hour. To balance the…

Describes common problems faced by international students studying in the United States, including language and cultural difficulties both in and out of the classroom. Suggests that institutions of higher learning should assist in fostering mutual understanding between international and native students. (MAB)

A study investigated how 13 Chinese graduate students approach writing tasks, examining cultural assumptions and values underlying choices made in the process. Students were interviewed in Chinese by an interviewer of similar cultural background and asked to explain their understanding of writing and their frustration in learning to write English…

The guide offers 13 modules on integration and reentry of foreign students returning to their home countries, designed to span the period from first arrival at the U.S. university to the final return. Stressed is the need for students to adapt to unexpected problems on their return due to both changes in their home situation and changes in…

Intended to aid administrators and advisors of foreign students from developing nations enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, the guide offers suggestions for all stages of the advising process. A chapter on planning and selection considers factors concerning pre-admission, admission, determining English language proficiency, and finances.…

An advanced college-level composition course highlighting differences in writing intended for different cultural groups was designed to teach American students how to communicate thoughts and feelings effectively to various international audiences. (MSE)

This paper gathers information on the values, cognition, and educational background of African students studying at universities in the United States. The section on values notes that Americans are task-oriented individualists, while Africans are primarily relationship-oriented collectivists. These values of sharing and relationship orientation…

This study addressed two specific questions regarding Korean students at American colleges and universities. One is a question of accommodation, and the other is a question of orientation: to what extent do we need to change our classroom format and teaching methodology (and types of assignments) to accommodate students from different cultures and…

Considers two issues in teaching summary-writing skills to students of English for academic purposes (EAP): how the skill is handled in EAP textbooks, and how summarization practices differ across cultural groups. A central concern is the role of attribution, a textual device that creates distance between author and summarizer. Argues that…

A handbook for foreign teaching assistants (TAs) is presented by foreign graduate students with teaching experience and other educators who have worked closely with them. Language skills, teaching strategies, cultural issues, resources, and the environment at the University of California, Berkeley, are addressed in 16 articles. Article titles and…

Summarizes the report of a National Research Council committee. Reports on three basic findings: the proportion of foreign born engineers in the United States has increased over the last 15 years; the increase is disproportionate in the academic sector; and large numbers of students are culturally different. (CW)

Articles on teaching effectiveness for foreign teaching assistants (TAs) are presented. Topics include: adapting to the U.S. academic environment, understanding the role of the TA and gaining confidence, anticipating undergraduates' expectations, improving communication skills, and teaching laboratory classes and recitation classes. Titles and…