AMERICAN EDUCATION AND FOREIGN STUDENTS

This research paper will investigate the process of American education for the foreign student. Although this endeavor can be a meaningful one, which includes positive personal and education outcomes, the foreign study may also experience difficulties which must be examined. The following issues relevant to the topic will be discussed: cultural difficulties, academic problems, language, values, teachers, course content, homesickness, and conclusion.

Research demonstrated that the foreign student experiences cultural difficulties because of the type of environment that the foreign student must survive in. Since the academic environment is based on a White male orientation, this results in cultural incongruence for the foreign student (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000).

LaFromboise, Coleman, and Gerton (1993) reported that for a minority in the academic environment to develop an equal stance, assimilation into the most desired or higher status culture or the White culture in this case, is required. Although this process can lead to the joining of a subculture and maintaining a feeling of belonging, it usually results in psychological conflict, with feelings of being disjointed, a divided self, isolation and alienation.

Foreign students report experiencing different treatment and more discomfort than White students, and feeling that they must hide their cultural presence or reject their own identity,

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ed as unimportant. Boys valued object orientation, self-realization and ideas, more than girls. Girls valued altruism more than boys. High-acculturation children valued self-realization more than low-acculturation children. Contreras, Lopez, Rivera-Mosquera, Raymond-Smith, and Rothstein (1999) studied social support and acculturation among Puerto Ricans adolescent mothers. Findings were that, effects of support from grandmothers and partner involvement were dependent on level of acculturation. Low-acculturation adolescents experienced greater support and less symptoms and high-acculturation adolescents experienced the opposite. Achievement styles are related to cultural values as well. Gomez and Fassinger (1994) studied acculturation and achieving styles for Latinas at an Eastern state university (N=244). Findings showed that the more the student was bicultural, the wider the range of achieving styles. Achievement styles are learned through the socialization process and they are consistent with the cultural values. For example, Latinos are more likely to identify with styles that emphasize working with others and mutually contributing to joint tasks, while Americans emphasize competition, power, and individualism. Bic
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Gloria Rodriguez, Conclusion American, Language Language, Mexican Americans, Lese Robbins, Beatty Doyle, N=244 Findings, Coleman Gerton, Homesickness Acculturative, Leong Tata, foreign student, foreign students, brunn 1999, acculturative stress, social support, journal counseling, ethnic minority psychology, cultural diversity, rodriguez 2000, gloria rodriguez, cultural diversity ethnic, counseling psychology, diversity ethnic minority, journal counseling psychology, gloria rodriguez 2000,
Approximate Word count = 2320
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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