新文化衝擊下的成長--台灣學生赴美交換求學經驗

The Acculturation Process and Influence of Taiwanese Exchange Students in the United States. Major Professor: Dr. Lienti Bei & Dr. Sharon A. DeVaney.

With the increasing globalization of university education, the exchange programs among universities have become a hot topic that many students would be interested in. Every year thousands of exchange students from Taiwan select schools in the foreign countries, especial universities in the United States, as their exchange destination in order to learn foreign languages and to experience different cultures. Although the number of exchange students from Taiwan has been increasing annually, little research has investigated the acculturation process and reflections of exchange students in the host countries.
The objectives of this research was to take a first step in exploring the impacts on Taiwan exchange students’ learning attitudes and socialization to the new culture that encountered during their study in the US. In addition, to understand the transition of students’ learning attitude and cross-culture adjustment that took place from their arrival in the United States to returning to their home countries. Therefore, three central questions was first generated to form the core of this study :1) What are the differences in class between the participants’ home universities and host universities? 2) What are the culture differences between the participants’ home country and host country? 3) How did the participants adjust themselves to fit into the different situations and how do they feel about the adjustment?
The acculturation process and transition of exchange students’ learning attitude was examined here with a phenomengical and experimental research design. In order to understand thoroughly the exchange students’ learning and acculturation experiences in the US, this study arranged in-depth interviews with eight exchange student who had their exchange experiences in the US. Based on Hofestede’s four dimensions of culture and the differences between Socratic learning and Confucian learning, the study structured the research questions for the in-depth interviews. In addition, a questionnaire amended according to Hofestede’s four dimensions of culture was distributed to 26 former or prospective exchange students who selected for study at the universities in the US as a support data.
Through the in-depth interviews and the analysis of questionnaire, the study found that interactions between professors and students in American classes are much higher than those in Taiwanese classes. This came from not only the differences of culture but also instructional arrangements of classes in American universities. The lower distance of American culture and the encouragement to the in class interaction did promote the exchange students’ participation in the US. In addition, given that the exchange students’ higher inclination and preferences to American or western culture and learning methods, they are more likely to have integrative or bicultural strategies to proceed their studies in the US.
In sum, the study showed that exchange students rarely encounter problems of cultural adjustments, learning barriers or lack interpersonal communication that took place among students who pursue degrees in the US. Many of the exchange students maintained their original cultural identities and characteristics for expression in appropriate contests, such as collectivist relationship with classmates; however, they could also add a new behavioral repertoire to participate in American culture. Therefore, the study anticipates that exchange students integrated both the Confucian and the Socratic learning approaches and performed even better by American academic standards.

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REFERENCE IN CHINESE
劉鳳珍 (2004). 校園國際風，學位更加值 Cheers專刊, Nov.