International students' culture shock after September 11, 2001

International Students Coping With Culture Shock

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics

Prior to September 11, 2001, approximately 40,000 students from Arabian countries studied in the U.S. After 911, due to assaults against Arabian students, the number of students from Middle Eastern countries dropped dramatically. (Plomin) Currently, approximately 5,000 Saudi Arabian students study in U.S. colleges and universities with 15,000 applications in process. Exact figures, however, are reportedly impossible to determine.

Akran, a Lebanese student, one of the reported international students studying in the U.S., recently reported his thoughts regarding his experience.

OK, my name is Akram. I'm from Lebanon. A little statement is that we as Arabs don't have a problem with the Americans as a people, as a nation. We admire them, respect them. We hear their songs. We eat your food. We listen to your music, everything. We people can get along with each other. We are in the U.S.A., have been for three weeks, and we have no problems with anybody. But there exists a gap between the U.S. people and the U.S. government, and this gap leads to the gap between the West as a whole and the Middle East and the Arabs.

Let's speak about Iraq, for example. There's a great debate here inside the U.S.A. And outside USA and in the Middle East and the whole world whether the war on Iraq was meant against terrorism and weapons of massive destruction or whether to, let me say it, take control over Iraq's oil. This is a debate. I don't think it's a resolved issue up to now, neither in the Middle East nor here in the U.S.A. That's it." (Profile)

The cultural adjustment of international students, like Akram, this researcher purports, affects virtually everything in their lives. If an international student experiences difficulty adjusting to his/her new culture, he/she may lose his/her energy and motivation for learning. One of an international student's first efforts in building tolerance and adjusting to his/her new environment will most likely include understanding he/she will encounter periods of time when he/she will grow tired of people misunderstanding his/her pronunciations of words.

Sometimes, he/she will more than likely become irritated by the way some Americans behave. At times, he/she will savor moments being alone, or with people who speak the same language, even if he/she would not normally be attracted to the company of these individuals. This constitutes the entree of the phenomenon known as culture shock. (Martin, Nakayama, Flores)

During the 2006-2007 academic year, approximately 583,000 international students, who attended classes at U.S. schools, more than likely experienced culture shock. This number totals only 3,000 fewer than the record enrollment established prior to the immigration crackdown initiated by 911, a recent report from the U.S. State Department and the nonprofit Institute of International Education notes. ("Number")

When any international student, like Akram, arrives in the United States to embark upon his/her studies, he/she will likely be faced with a myriad of obstacles and barriers, which include, but are not limited to:

Challenges Regarding Proficiency in English

Nonverbal Communication Misunderstandings

Health and Energy Concerns Evolving from Cultural Adjustment

How well an international student confronts and overcomes these and other challenges will consequently affect his/her ability to succeed in school.

Middle Eastern students, however, this researcher contends, more than likely experience more than the usual challenges of other cultures, due to 911.

In response to this and other current contentions related to Middle Eastern students, this researcher proposes to explore the following research questions.

Research Questions and/or Considerations

1. What challenges/scrutinizes currently confront Middle Eastern Students attending George Mason University, located in the heart of Northern

Virginia?

2. How did 911 impact policies related to Arabian students?

3. Do Arabian students and/or the U.S. gain any intrinsic value(s) from time invested to study in the U.S.

George Mason University, located near Washington, D.C., in the heart of Northern Virginia's technology corridor, "is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields." This university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, information technology, biotechnology and health care. Students worldwide attend this university as it purports to prepare "its alumni to succeed in the workforce and meet the needs of the region and the world." George Mason University's School of Law is recognized by "U.S. News and World Report" as one of the top 50 law schools in the United States. Professors at this university also "conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences." World-renowned artists, musicians and actors "perform" regularly on Mason's Center for the Arts' stage.

Table 1: George Mason University Statistics (George Mason)

Degree Programs Offered

Undergraduate

Graduate (Master's - 69; Doctoral - 25)

Professional (Law)

Students (Fall 2006 Enrollment)

Undergraduate Degree Seeking

Graduate Degree Seeking Master's

Graduate Degree Seeking Doctoral

Professional (Law)

Nondegree Seeking Undergraduate

Nondegree Seeking Graduate

Total Enrollment

Full-Time Enrollment

Part-Time Enrollment

In-State Students-(83%)

Out-of-State Students-(17%)

Minority Enrollment

Native American

Asian-American

African-American

Hispanic

Nonresident International

George Mason)

1.2: Study Area

The following figure (1) portrays an overview of areas international students may live.

Figure 1: Overview of International Students' World (Fairfax, Virginia)

Figure 2: View of Another "World" (Fairfax, Virginia)

Figure 3: Map of Fairfax Area (Fairfax, Virginia)

Figure 4: George Mason University Fairfax VA Campus (George Mason)

Figures 5: George Mason University Arlington Campus (George Mason)

Figures 6: George Mason University Prince William Campus (George Mason)

Table 2: George Mason University Campuses (George Mason)

http://www.gmu.edu/fairfax" Fairfax Campus, 677 acres

4400 University Drive

Arlington Campus, 5.2 acres

3401 Fairfax Drive

Arlington, VA 22201 Prince William Campus, 124 acres

10900 University Blvd.

George Mason)

Figure 7: International Students (www.oc.edu, cited by George Mason)

Figure 8: Arab Student at Yellowstone Geyser (Profile)

1.3: Aim and Objectives

Study Aim

This researcher proposes this study to aim to explore challenges, e.g. culture shock, international students, particularly Arabian students, counter during their studies in the United States and identify potential solutions to counter the entree of the phenomenon known as culture shock.

Study Objectives

Objective One: To thoroughly research and investigate components contributing to culture shock experienced by Arabian and other international students.

Objective Two: Identify and analyze how 911 impacted government policies affecting international students studying in the U.S.

Objective Three: Determine and identify any intrinsic value(s) gained from time international students invest to study in the U.S.

U.S. Government Policies Following the 911 Disaster

George Mason University actively promotes positive cultural interactions. Recently, it "was chosen as the only university in the world to be an official host site for the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture International Exhibition."

Figure 9: Chinese Dragon Dance Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture International Exhibition (George Mason)

Culture Shock and Other Current Concerns

Symptoms of Culture Shock

Feeling very angry over minor inconveniences

Irritability

Withdrawal from people who are different from you

Extreme homesickness

Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to own culture

Overeating or loss of appetite

Boredom need for excessive sleep

Headaches

Upset stomach

Small pains really hurt

Depression

Loss of ability to work or study effectively

Unexplainable crying

Marital or relationship stress

Exaggerated cleanliness

Feeling sick much of the time (Schneider)

Positive Counters to Cultural Shock and Other Current Concerns

Lead-in to the next chapter.

CHAPTER 3

DATA AND METHODS

3.1: Introduction

To answer the proposed following research questions, this researcher proposes to use the mixed methodology, combining a questionnaire (or interviews or... ) with literary

1. What challenges/scrutinizes currently confront Middle Eastern Students attending George Mason University, located in the heart of Northern

Virginia?

2. How did 911 impact policies related to Arabian students?

3. Do Arabian students and/or the U.S. gain any intrinsic value(s) from time invested to study in the U.S.

3.2: Data to Be Utilized

This researcher proposes to secure quality information, including scholarly works reviewed by peers and published by reputable agencies. This study's literature search methodology segment will include more than 25 primarily electronic sources, including the following types of literature:

Journal Articles

Scholarly Books

Magazine Articles

Analytical Articles

Newspaper Articles

Case Studies

Web Sites

Informal Interviews

Search Limits

Dates of the majority of publications will be limited to information not more than five years old, with one exception, published in 1995, as this researcher perceives the five stages of culture shock noted by this book to be vital.

English will constitute the language of research sources.

The following figure (10) depicts the online processes this researcher utilized to retrieve targeted documents.

Figure 10:

Depiction of Search Process for Literature on the World Wide Web (Sand-bay, 2007)

3.3: Methods and Techniques

When assessing information to be used in this study, relevant retrieved research will be placed into three files and saved for further evaluation. Articles and excerpts from books will be then rated with codes:

denoted information not deemed relevant indicated information which may or may not be deemed relevant depicted information deemed relevant (Sandbay, 2007)

Keywords and phrases this research to be used in the search for data/information throughout the project will include, but not be limited to:

Figure 10: Research Project Mind Map