Reflecting multidisciplinary and multisocietal approaches, this collection presents 14 theoretical or research-based essays dealing with cross-cultural adaptation of individuals who are born and raised in one culture and find themselves in need of modifying their customary life patterns in a foreign culture. Papers in the collection are:…

Differences in communication and interaction styles of groups defined as literate and those defined as oral are discussed. (RM)

The article, concerned with problems suggested by one point of a formula for effective communication (that the signs employed must refer to common experience), explores the ways in which culture blocks communication. Middle class institutions are urged to find ways to remove the barriers to communication with the poor. (AJ)

The research reported in this document was designed to discover whether the Japanese consider themselves apprehensive in communication situations. Seven hundred Japanese college students and 700 United States students took the Personal Report of Communication Apprehention (PRCA) test, which focuses on feelings about communicating with others on a…

Although there are only about 2,000 active speakers of the Hawaiian language, there exists a coherent system of nonverbal behavior which can be identified as Hawaiian and which contrasts sharply with middle class white American behavior. Teachers of Hawaiian children should be aware of this in order to avoid potential misunderstandings in the…

The primary objectives of Cross-Cultural Communication Workshop (CCCW) groups are to increase awareness among participants of the role their cultural backgrounds play in influencing their values, perceptions, and behavior and to help them learn more effective ways of communicating with each other. (Author/EB)

Article describes a university experience of a one-time Palestinian refugee at the American University of Beirut. (ML)

Posits policymakers' and researchers' mutual inability to communicate in compatible language and imagery. Explores several rationales for the divergence between two separate cultures (the academic and the political), referring to an "ecology of games." Illuminates gaps with case material from policymaking in Florida, and develops…

Discusses communication misunderstandings between peoples of different cultures, suggesting that the major barriers to intercultural communication are often political and international ethnocentricities. Religion is sometimes an even stronger source of ethnocentrism. Provides the example of the Arabic expression, "inshallah," commonly used in…

A study investigated the listening experiences of American university students who interviewed people from other cultures as part of a class project. A total of 103 individuals from African, Asian, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern cultures were interviewed. Each of the American interviewers described his/her perceptions of five…

Because people meeting across cultures often carry with them misunderstandings and suspicions--relationship problems which must be resolved before any task can be completed--the phrase "problem-solving" must be defined more literally when applied to intercultural communication. Sources of cultural conflict must be recognized and…

The high attrition rate among North American expatriate executives has become a significant problem for firms doing business in foreign countries. A review of the literature reveals a number of factors contributing to attrition, including culture shock, family problems, managerial style and practice differences, insensitivity to host cultures, and…

The work of the inner city student differs markedly from that of the middle class teacher, resulting in communication problems between teachers and students. The major problem appears to be the clash of cultures that is sustained by the dissimilar value system of the two groups. For instance, the cultural environment of most inner city students is…

Human communication involves the interaction of selves, and an intercultural encounter permits the discovery of one's own cultural self. Participatory learning of intercultural communication provides students with an opportunity for involvement through analysis of their and others' perceptions, improvement of language fidelity, emphasis on…