El presente Decreto Supremo, será refrendado por el Ministro de Energía y Minas

Although students from Laos and Cambodia may share some of the cultural similarities common to the South East Asian area, they also have to contend with the language and distinct regional culture of An Giang province. Cultural diversity continues to be an issue that needs to be addressed and the host institution is aware that it needs to provide greater support for international students in adapting to the new cultural environment. According to Campbell and Li (2008), international students‟ levels of satisfaction with their academic experiences in a new country are related to the degree they are able to adapt to the cultural conditions of the host country. The more easily they adapt to the new environment, the more positive their learning experiences are likely to be. This part of the literature review will introduce various arguments about the issue of cultural diversity in relation to international students.

Cultural differences may present challenges for international students in relation to differences in cultural values, and this may hamper the kinds of social interactions that take place in the host country. Diverse cultural priorities may also have an influence on how quickly, or how well, good relationships with peers and teachers can be established in the classroom. Campbell and Li (2008) argue that culture can be seen in terms of shared understandings about the values, norms, beliefs, and symbols that define what is acceptable within a society, which are shared by, and transmitted across, members of that society. International students studying in a new cultural environment sometimes have difficulties understanding the “foreign” values of the new country. Campbell and Li (2008) argue that people from different cultural groups have different ways of perceiving and organizing the world around them. Social and cultural shock has been discussed by Zhang and Mi (2010) who found that cultural differences can create social barriers for international students. They argue that host institutions need to acknowledge these issues and be willing to find out as much as possible about the difficulties international students face and the

expectations they have, in order to address the issue appropriately. In that way, international students may feel more encouraged to enrol in these host institutions.

Social interaction with peers and teachers presents another challenge for many international students. Averill (2009) asserts that the characteristics of person-to-person interactions can vary from one culture to another. Cross-cultural interactions can often lead to misunderstandings which can undermine the quality of inter-personal relationships. For example, students in Vietnam are advised to bow to their teachers. However, in western culture, students and teachers seem to be more equal with each other and a “hi” is polite enough when they see their teachers. Another example is extracted from my own personal experience as an international student in New Zealand. In Vietnam, students are not permitted to call teachers by their teachers‟ first names; instead, students have to respectfully address them as “Teacher”. It is quite different in New Zealand, where students normally call the teachers by their first names. These are some examples of teacher–student interaction that reflect different cultural values and behaviours. Duanmu and Chen (2009) argue that social interactions need to be handled sensitively because they have an effect on the kinds of relationships that teachers and international students establish. These relationships are also framed by cultural considerations. Zhang and Mi (2010) found that international students who have access to a network of supportive friends in the host country, experience lower levels of stress.

International students who are studying abroad sometimes experience what we might call „culture shock‟ and this also includes „academic culture shock‟. Brown (2007) argues that “academic culture shock is a subset of culture [shock] and is a case of incongruent schemata about higher education in the students‟ home country and in the host country” (p.14). Duanmu and Chen (2009) confirm that academic culture shock is directly associated with the learning environment of an academic institution, which involves differences in the host country‟s education system, lecture style, assessment. This argument acknowledges that cultural values frame the kinds of teaching and learning styles that prevail in different higher education institutions in different countries and this is something that international students must learn to navigate. At the beginning of their studies, international students may feel frustrated with the teaching or assessment systems of the host institution. Duanmu and Chen (2009) argue that cultural differences are specific factors that are associated with

academic behaviours and achievements. For example, Campbell and Li (2008) found that Asian students in a study they conducted had high learning expectations, achievement motivations, self, or parent-imposed learning pressures, a strong sense of competition, and deep respect for teachers. They found, however, that in a host institution in a new country some of the Asian international students in the sample group had experienced difficulties in adjusting to value placed by the host institution on independent learning and lower levels of instructor supervision and guidance.

Cultural differences do not only present challenges for international students; teachers at host institutions may also have difficulties in adapting to having international students in their classrooms (Campbell & Li, 2008). They contend that while international students may find themselves isolated in the new culture; teachers also may find it hard to working in culturally diverse contexts with international students and provide them with appropriate levels of support. Averill (2009) also argues that the differences between the lives of teachers and their students can make it difficult for teachers to design instruction that capitalizes on the background experiences of their students. She calls for effective ways of preparing teachers to work in culturally diverse learning environments. In summary then, it can be seen that teachers play an important role in working with international students and providing them with appropriate levels of classroom support.

In conclusion, international students encounter various kinds of difficulties related to cultural issues such as social barriers, limited relationships with peers and teachers, academic culture shock particularly in relation to learning styles. To help international students gradually adapt to the new cultural environment, teachers need to be sensitive, dedicated and helpful to international students regarding cultural issues.