StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension - Term Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension" presents that each year, there are millions of people traveling into Australia more so students going into universities. This has led to a dare need to address the aspect of cultural shock which affects foreigners in foreign countries…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.7% of users find it useful

Extract of sample "Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension"

Abstract Each year, there are millions of people travelling into Australia more so students going into the universities. This has led to a dare need to address the aspect of cultural shock which affects foreigners in foreign countries. This paper will give a brief description of cultural shock with respect on the stages involved and ways of managing it by use of the seven-step plan for managing travel anxiety. The will specifically look consider a survey conducted in Swinburne University of technology to determine impact of cultural shock. It will analyze the results of the research and further discuss the results in a comprehensive way. The final part will give recommendations that both students and university staff can apply to avoid the adverse effects of cultural shock. Contents Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 Background 3 1.2 Purpose 3 1.3 Scope 3 1.4 Methodology 4 2.0 Results and finding 4 3.0 Discussion 5 4.0 Conclusion 7 5.0 Recommendations 7 6.0 References 9 7.0 Appendices 10 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background Culture shock refers to special form of context specific anxiety which develops due to encounters of intercultural communication. It occurs whenever one travels to an unfamiliar environment away from their usual residence. Generally, there are four main stages of cultural shock; eager expectation, everything is awful, everything is beautiful and everything is okay. To deal with the harmful effects of cultural shock, travelers can use the seven-step plan for managing travel anxiety (Marx, 2001). 1.2 Purpose The report is aimed at assessing the extent and effects of cultural shock to foreigners in a given country. 1.3 Scope Results and findings of a survey conducted on foreign university students will be comprehensively analyzed to determine the scope of cultural shock. The report also includes a detailed discussion explaining few theories of cultural shock and the evaluating the effectiveness of the seven-step plan of managing travel anxiety. Several recommendations were given to such students to deal with the problem. 1.4 Methodology A survey was conducted to determine the impact of cultural shock on 50 foreign students from Swinburne University of Technology. Questionnaires were prepared and distributed to the students. They were then collected and carefully analyzed putting in place all the considerations. The research also involved interviews with the foreign students. They were conducted exclusively to avoid leaking of personal information. Results of the interviews were also assessed appropriately. 2.0 Results and finding In response to the eight items being assessed in Table 1, most students reported some degree of stress for all items. Two items that’s showed great degree of stress were missing familiar way of life and relatives. The cultural shock item that produced the least degree was discomfort, feelings of lack of safety and discrimination within Swinburne University of technology and in Melbourne (Li & Gasser 2005). When the eight item that were used in the report were placed on a Culture Shock scale, the scale gave a satisfactory internal reliability (alpha=0.75). Evidently, there was existence of few significant situational and demographical variable effects. Student that were perceived to be weak in their academic performance had a high level of cultural shock compared to those who were performing well (F [2, 50] = 7.10) showing main of effect for country. Students who are from English speaking countries have less degree of cultural shock compared to those from Asia and Africa. There were no significant differences based on gender, age, faculty, partnered status, course type and numbers of years enrolled at the university (Li & Gasser 2005). Further, there was a strong significant in the various negative relationship between Cultural Shock scale and connectedness in Melbourne (r=-0.39, p Read More

3.0 Discussion From the above result, it is evident that culture shock is an obvious changes to international student in particular those whose home and host countries are culturally outlying. Evidence of feeling of dislocation, discomfort and distress is evident in their responses. It is for this reason that international students within the university need to understand the seven step plan for managing travel anxiety. In step one, a student need to identify a comfortable room within which he will be studying.

All facets (chairs, lightning, temperature and music) within this room should be in accordance with a maximum relaxation goal. Here, an international student is expected to familiarize with the comfort zone defined by his room. It is by being comfortable that one can move to stem two. Step two begins with having a clear visual concept of the world you are in. it is important to understand that with proper connection, it is easier to leave anywhere around the world. Try to understand the features of the world you will be leaving like an international student.

To avoid the feeling of discomfort and dislocation among international students, step three is very important in that one is required to develop a general understanding of that particular country. Step 3 and 4 go together in that step 4 entails focusing on specific towns on the program. Doing this assist one not feel disoriented. In step five a student should build interest in learning the host country language. It is important to understand that sophisticated use of language require a higher understanding of its context.

Step six calls for maintaining link with home group more often. This assists in creating measures which may lead to profound sense of isolation that can accompany travel (James & Devlin 2001). Finally, recognizing your effort in following the above described steps show that you are in control and in a good position of adapting within the education language. The strong correlation that exists between connectedness in Melbourne and cultural shock indicates a close converse relationship between these two aspects of variation.

While it is evident that we cannot determine causal pathways from such cross sectional study, our finding gives an indication that there are various entry points for designing programs to helps international students in adapting a new cultural setting. Reducing cultural shock and great enhancement to the home country are considered to be focal point towards proper new cultural adaptation (James & Devlin 2001). 4.0 Conclusion It is quite evident that many foreign students are faced with the challenge of cultural shock.

The effects are not only portrayed on their social lives but on the performance of their academics as well. The four stages of cultural shock depict that the condition develops over a period of time and it does not occur all at once. Symptoms of cultural shock might be just minor or very adverse and they vary greatly on different individuals. It was revealed that although many students suffer from this kind of anxiety, majority do not have the proper means of dealing with them and simply keep quiet about it.

The seven-step plan of managing travel anxiety has proved to be effective on foreign students who were aware of it from the beginning of their stay Australia. The importance of this plan therefore cannot be overemphasized since has positive lifelong results for both the students and the university. There is need to have the plan available to all foreign students intending to join the university if the university management will realize its goal of developing students who are both academically and socially competent.

Although majority of the students go through cultural shock, not all of them go experience it. This mainly happens for students who have travelled the world and have come up with ways of overcoming culture shock. It is important for students to keep in touch with their cultures in as much as they are learning the new culture. 5.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words, n.d.)
Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words. https://studentshare.org/culture/2059075-culture-shock
(Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words)
Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words. https://studentshare.org/culture/2059075-culture-shock.
“Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words”. https://studentshare.org/culture/2059075-culture-shock.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Devastating Consequences of Cultural Shock Tension

Violence and Masculinity: Fight Club

The debut novel Fight Club (Palahniuk, 1996) relates the experiences of a man who starts out suffering from insomnia and sets out on a long journey of self-discovery as he tries to come to terms with this devastating affliction.... Violence and Masculinity: Fight Club.... Introduction....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Transnational Movements and Ideologies

The major concern lies with the tension created among citizens resulting in clashes within the Arab states.... Civil unrest and internal conflicts threatens the calm in most Arab countries such as Syria, Egypt owing to disunity exerted by the activities of the Islamic movements, each of the Arab nations comprise of different ethnic and cultural values with unique tribal makeup.... The high levels of polarisation in the countries have seen loss of lives, destruction of property among other social and economic consequences....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Imaginative Book Enders Game

In the words of Ex-CIA Agent Bob Baer the rightful scenario of socio-cultural effect of war evolves out when he mentions, “There's a symbiosis between the CIA and Hollywood” and revealed that former CIA director George Tenet is currently, “out in Hollywood, talking to studios” (Global Research, “Absurdities and Atrocities: The Threat of World War III”)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

This aggressive behaviour further escalated the tension between Japan and the Allied forces specially America and Britain.... Nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been one of the worst and the most devastating war actions of the time till date.... Though, much of the population was shifted from the mainland, 'Fat Man', the atomic bomb that was dropped on 9th August 1945, was equally devastating in its effect....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Required Changes for a Company with Organizational Problems

The paper “Required Changes for a Company with Organizational Problems” claims the company needs the shifts in its culture and structure for its survival.... While it should avoid frequent loss of production and possible government's effects, loss of credibility among the employees and customers....
15 Pages (3750 words) Coursework

Critically examine the relationship between war and underdevelopment

There is no actual war until the “fighters intend to go to war” and until they execute such with a heavy… Despite the reasons, brutal clashes are by and large collectively and ethnically appalling, economically devastating and politically catastrophic.... War has been depicted as a human activity involving systematic violence and slaughter carried out for political intentions -- to attain or lengthen political power....
12 Pages (3000 words) Coursework

Crisis, Trauma, and Disaster Response

Crisis results from stress and tension and the purpose of crisis intervention is to interrupt the downward spiral, quickly and skillfully, thus returning an individual, or group, to a pre-crisis level of coping (Greenstone & Leviton, 2002).... For the purpose of this project, I will examine and be discussing three different types of crisis that can impact a family, community, and nation....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Global Media and Global Culture

This paper "Global Media and Global Culture" discusses the topic by analyzing a short text by Jean Baudrillard entitled “The Violence of the Global” (Baudrillard 2003) and reflecting upon it in the light of contributions from Zygmunt Baumann and Manuel Castells.... hellip; This analysis is interesting because it takes Baudrillard's ideas about signs, symbols and communication as and looks at some of the nuts and bolts of how they operate in the modern world....
8 Pages (2000 words) Case Study
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us