TMC_White Paper_PreparingEastAsianUndergraduates_Aug2014

Preparing
East
Asian

Undergraduates
for
the

Cultural
Challenges
of
Study
in

the
US

Applying the Cultural Navigator®
at a US
University

A White Paper

©2014 TMC | A Berlitz Company. All rights reserved. 2
Preparing East Asian Undergraduates for the Cultural Challenges of Study in the US
East Asian
international
students can
experience greater
adjustment stress
than other
international
student groups in
the United States.
“I've arrived in the
US yesterday. But
without a laptop.
And I maybe can't
buy one until I get a
SSN. I have a lot of
things on my plate,
and still suffering
from jet lag.”
The Challenge:
To compete in today’s highly diverse global economy, college
graduates recognize that they must effectively demonstrate
intercultural skills to communicate with people and navigate within
different environments. One way to gain cultural competencies is
through international study abroad. As demonstrated over the past
several years, international student enrollment has continuously increased in the United States
and is projected to continue. This influx of international students has created complex matrixes
of cultural interactions directly impacting academic success, retention, health, safety and overall
student satisfaction.
Although most international students experience some level of adjustment stress, East Asian
international students have demonstrated higher levels of acculturative distress.1
In addition to
academic, professional and financial stresses, these students face language barriers, unfamiliar
academic systems, new social etiquette and student responsibilities, foreign cuisine, and
transportation challenges that intensify adjustment stress levels. Of note, although this student
group can experience high levels of anxiety, isolation, fear and depression, they often avoid
using campus counseling services to address cultural challenges.2
Cultural knowledge contributes to the reduction of students’ adjustment stress and frustrations by
helping them manage cultural gaps, create realistic expectations about US environments and
interactions, and foster greater intercultural and cross-cultural competencies. Cultural knowledge
is built upon cultural awareness and sensitivity, which together help
people develop communication skills to navigate between and within
different cultural groups. These cultural competencies aid
international students’ preparation for, transition into, and adjustment
within the US higher education system. On the other hand, a lack of
cultural knowledge is linked to less student engagement,
underdeveloped communication skills and delayed cross-cultural
adjustment, which interferes with academic achievement, sociocultural and psychosocial
adjustment, campus engagement, institutional transfer decisions, health, and safety.
Most cultural knowledge and skills development training workshops, if the US institution
provides them at all, are taught after international students arrive in the US, and are optional for

“I realized the
difference between
Japanese and US
student. It is
helpful to
understand each
other without
conflicting.”
students to attend. In the weeks after arrival, international students are often distracted and
become overwhelmed with the amount of new stimuli, language barriers, student responsibilities
(i.e. purchasing textbooks, finding classes, completing course placement tests), and learning
where and how to acquire basic life needs (i.e. living arrangements, groceries, internet/school
supplies, transportation).
As globalization increases the demand for college graduates equipped with cultural
competencies, US educational leaders continue responding by providing effective cultural
training and adjustment support services. One response that institutions may use to address
international student needs and streamline cultural adjustment is to shift the instructional focus
from post-arrival cultural training to pre-departure cultural training. The following study
demonstrates how initiating cultural competency education during the pre-departure preparation
stages helps bridge cultural gaps, increase accurate US culture
expectations, and foster cultural competencies before international
students arrive in the US.
The Study:
In an effort to investigate pre-departure cultural competency
preparation, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine pre-departure and post-
arrival cultural knowledge, initial transition, and fall semester adjustment of East Asian
international undergraduate students who completed one of two different cultural treatments. The
Treatment Group received a four-week pre-departure cultural competency treatment, and the
University Group received the university’s standard international student services (post-arrival
orientation). Participants included international undergraduate students from China, Japan, South
Korea and Taiwan enrolled in a mid-sized, Tier I US research university for their first fall
semester.
Through online methodologies, the Treatment Group participants completed weekly student
journal reflections prompted by researchers’ questions addressing the Cultural Navigator®
online
learning platform, the Cultural Navigator® Cultural Orientation Indicator®
(COI) report, and the
Cultural Navigator® Country Comparison Report (the student compared to US COI®
profiles).
Participants used the Cultural Navigator®
and the two reports to complete their weekly journal
reflections to study culture, their own cultural styles, their country’s cultural impact on their

“There’s one
specific time, I am
[was] so upset, I
don’t know why. I
don’t want to study,
I don’t want to do
anything.”
“This study is
helpful for me. It
helps mentally
prepare me for
studying and
meeting new
friends.”
identity and behavior, how US culture differed from their cultural styles, potential cultural
conflicts in study abroad programs, and post-arrival coping strategies.
After completing the pre-departure treatment, the participants arrived in the US and began their
fall semester. Over the next sixteen weeks, participants completed three additional post-arrival
journal reflections, three in-person interviews and an online survey. In addition to narrating their
relocation and cultural experiences as they occurred, participants also
reflected on their experience using the Cultural Navigator®
, how the
pre-departure cultural study contributed to their post-arrival
academics and transition, and what they recommended for
international student programs during first semester transitions to
enhance international student success.
Overall, twenty weeks of data was collected. Researchers analyzed the data to identify how
participants defined culture, their perception of the importance of cultural knowledge within their
academic and social adjustment, and how cultural competencies influenced their initial transition
and semester success.
The Research Findings:
Through thematic analysis, the data revealed three themes within participant narratives: “I’m on
my own in a foreign land,” “I wish I knew more,” and “Thank goodness I had friends to help.”
The first theme, “I’m on my own in a foreign land,” depicted participants’ initial transitions into
the Western US culture as they learned to balance academic, social and life-planning
responsibilities. Almost all of these English second-language-learning participants were living
independently for the first time. Participants experienced high levels of stress as they struggled
making sense of local customs, interaction styles, communication styles, transportation systems,
living arrangements and foreign foods. During the semester, students
experienced anxiety, exhaustion, fear, powerlessness and intimidation
due to cultural differences. Participants also expressed feeling
overwhelmed, insecure, shy, awkward, angry, sad, lonely, frustrated,
confused and even afraid in the classroom, on campus, and in the
community.

“In US, people can
talk back to boss
or teachers, but in
China, boss and
teachers should
always be right
and no students or
staff should ever
talk back to
them.”
The second theme was “I wished I knew more,” which described participants’ perceptions about
their transitional experiences in relation to what they expressed wishing they had known prior to
leaving their home country. The findings indicated a relationship between pre-departure cultural
knowledge and post-arrival transition and adjustment. Participants perceived their adjustment
stress to be a result of cultural incompetence and felt that their cultural adjustment had
influenced their grades, language development, campus engagement, safety, health, and their
decision to either stay at the university or transfer to a new institution for the spring semester.
They suggested that more cross-cultural education would have helped them become better
students by helping them adjust faster to the local culture, and thus better navigate the campus
and community systems.
The last theme, “Thank goodness I had friends to help,” described how friendships provided
academic support (i.e. study partners), clarified cultural misunderstandings, introduced campus
and community resources, and helped participants cope with stress during their transition.
Through storytelling, observation and group experiences, peer friendships taught the participants
how to navigate the academic system, the public transportation system, and cultural differences
in the classroom and community. Participants were more apt to ask a friend for help or
clarification rather than asking university staff, even though most friends were international
students unfamiliar with local culture and who often provided inaccurate information that
perpetuated adjustment stress.
Within the themes, distinctive differences between the two participant groups were discovered.
The Treatment Group reflected heightened cultural awareness and
sensitivity, as well as more confidence while speaking to US natives
during sociocultural adjustment. Participants in this group were
acutely aware of the cultural differences between the US cultural
styles (Interaction, Thinking, and Sense of Self styles) and their
own. Participants discussed how differing cultural styles impacted
their study skills, classroom engagement, relationships and
communication skills. The Treatment Group expressed that studying
US culture prior to arriving in the US had helped them create more accurate expectations about
US culture, and thus helped them begin to cope with or manage cultural differences.

“I'm going to find
a better way to
take notes, try to
think critically,
and ask more
questions instead
of sitting and
listening.”
“After reading the COI result, I
realized that I usually work very
hard in a very competitive
environment. I think it [learning
US culture] helps me to realize
how should to behave when I
faced a problem in my
relationships.”
“I might live with
a US roommate
with some habits
that I do not like. I
should just talk to
him directly. But
in our culture we
do not tell the
person that I don’t
like your way
directly.”
The Treatment Group was able to anticipate cultural conflicts with US students, faculty and
peers before the semester began, whereas the University Group learned
about cultural differences as they experienced them through trial-and-
error interactions. The Treatment Group provided examples of how
they intentionally could shift their cultural styles and behaviors to more
easily interact and communicate with US natives, to fit into the US
academic environment, and to bridge cultural gaps. They often
referenced the Cultural Navigator®
recommendations from their pre-
departure treatment as they prepared to manage uncertain cultural
situations.
Through the semester all participants demonstrated some US cultural style shift, but the
participants who completed the pre-departure treatment displayed having more conscious choice
within their stories and reflections regarding how they managed cross-cultural differences. The
findings demonstrated that the Treatment Group participants were able to communicate how they
consciously alternated between their home cultural styles and US
cultural styles more often than the University Group. The Treatment
Group reported that their gained cultural knowledge had helped them to
fit into and navigate within the US culture and feel more connected to
the US campus, and they expressed greater levels of confidence to
engage with US natives.
The Conclusion and Recommendations:
Treatment Group participants who received the four-week pre-departure cultural preparation
treatment had gained cultural awareness, sensitivity and knowledge about the US culture prior to
the beginning of the semester. These participants indicated that the treatment had aided their
initial transition and adjustment on and off of the
university campus by providing them more accurate
expectations of US interaction styles and social
norms. They expressed that the increased cultural
knowledge had helped them manage conflict in the
US. Finally, these participants experienced an

“The first time an
international
student studies
abroad, it’s
necessary to
prepare for
cultural situation,
the cultural
understanding
before they come
to the US”.
“If I do a team
assignment, I will try
contacting every team
member and build a
good relationship.
However, U.S students
tend to be more result-
oriented so they will do
tasks fast and create a
good result. I have to
understand the U.S
students’ behavior
pattern and keep taking
my time without
confusion.”
increase in cultural awareness about their own cultural styles (Interaction Style, Thinking Style,
and Sense of Self ) in addition to US cultural styles.
Although the Treatment Group demonstrated greater levels of cultural knowledge, using the new
cultural skills within daily practice had proved to be more of a challenge
than participants had originally assumed. Participants indicated that they
needed more time to practice using the cultural behaviors (i.e. direct eye
contact, direct communication, actively participating in class
discussions) and more opportunities to engage in conversations with
native English speaking people to improve their intercultural
communication skills.
All participants expressed that learning about US culture was a valuable and needed element for
successful academic and social adjustment. Every participant said that differences in culture had
influenced their study skills, classroom engagement, communication skills and quality of life.
Both groups recommended that international students study US culture and student
responsibilities prior to leaving their home country. Each participant wished they had studied
more US culture, their US institution and its community. Of
note, all participants reported that they would have studied US
culture if their US institution had offered academic credit for the
pre-departure studies or had made it mandatory.
Cultural knowledge was perceived to be the most helpful way to
prepare for academic and social adjustment. Besides this study’s
pre-departure cultural treatment, no participants had received
any formal cultural instruction prior to the beginning of the fall
semester. All participants expressed that they were unaware of a
service that provided cultural training and had lacked
opportunities and motivation to learn about the US academic
culture while in their home country.
Since cultural knowledge and competencies are learned skills that can be taught online and
contribute to international student success, higher educational systems may want to consider
including pre-departure instruction into their international student programs to help bridge

cultural transitions and help international students establish more accurate expectations about
academic responsibilities before they arrive on campus.
Since this study has demonstrated that cultural knowledge and skill development support initial
transitions, academic adjustment, campus engagement, language development and academic
success of East Asian international students, prospective international students should consider
attending US institutions that provide cultural bridge services (i.e. pre-departure cultural
instruction, post-arrival cross-cultural workshops or classes). Additionally, these prospective
students may want to investigate if the institution offers academic credit for cross-cultural studies
or cultural bridge programs that facilitate college student success skills, initial academic
transition and post-arrival adjustment.
About TMC:
The Cultural Navigator®
is an online learning platform that includes the Cultural Orientations
Indicator®
(COI), a self-assessment of Interaction Style, Thinking Style and Sense of Self.3
Users
can identify cultural gaps by comparing their individual COI®
to country profiles, to other users,
as well as to groups to which they belong. The Cultural Navigator®
includes self-directed
learning activities and practical suggestions on mitigating these cultural gaps. Detailed country
briefings are also provided.
The Authors:
Tara Madden-Dent, Ph.D., specializes in cross-cultural relocation, transition and adjustment of
international students studying in United States higher education systems. She now consults and
teaches for an international education and curriculum development corporation (HLSL Institute)
after teaching at a mid-sized, Tier I research university for several years. In her doctoral study,
Dr. Madden-Dent investigated how international students prepared for the cultural challenges of
study abroad before arrival in the US and how the methods impacted initial transition and first
semester adjustment. 4
Daniel Basil Kerr, CPA, Ph.D., is a client strategy consultant for TMC/Berlitz and an adjunct
professor at Stony Brook University College of Business. TMC partners with organizations
throughout the world to build cross-cultural competence and inclusive workplaces. Through his

consulting work at TMC, Dr. Kerr has deployed the Cultural Navigator®
learning platform at
several large companies throughout the world as well as at leading universities in the US and
Europe.
1
Poyrazli, S., Kavanaugh, P. R., Baker, A., & Al-Timimi, N. (2004). Social support and
demographic correlates of acculturative stress in international students. Journal of College
Counseling, 7, 73–82.
2
Mori, S. C. (2000). Addressing the mental health concerns of international students. Journal of
Counseling and Development, 78, 137-144.
3
Cultural Navigator. (2014). Industry-Leading Cultural Assessment. Microfilm presentation
retrieved from http://explore.culturalnavigator.com/features/.
4
Madden-Dent, T. (2014). A phenomenological study of cultural transition and adjustment of
Asian undergraduate international students using different cross-cultural treatments.
Dissertation: University of Nevada, UMI Dissertations Publishing.
Lead
Authors:

Tara
Madden-‐Dent,
Ph.D.

Daniel
Kerr,
CPA,
Ph.D.

Published
by:

TMC
|
A
Berlitz
Company

7
Roszel
Road

Princeton,
New
Jersey
08540
USA

Tel:
+1.609.759.5482

Web:
http://www.tmcorp.com

http://explore.culturalnavigator.com/

Email:
info@tmcorp.com

©2014 TMC. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

TMC_White Paper_PreparingEastAsianUndergraduates_Aug2014

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