Since the late 1970s, sending students abroad to learn advanced Western technology has been a central part of the Chinese government’s policy, and the “crazy interest in studying abroad” tendency booms with an exponential growth in China, and still keep moving upward today. Although American society is more diverse now than at any previous time and diversity on college campuses is an intentional goal, research shows that international students, and Asian students specifically, face discrimination or racialization as a result of stereotypes when studying on US campuses. Further, this racialization has adverse effects on students' ability to adapt to the host culture and leads to increased levels of depression.
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The Tendency of Chinese Students to Go Abroad
The upsurge of mainland Chinese students studying abroad started in the 1970s, and the number of mainland Chinese students in the US increased from nearly zero at the beginning of 1978 to a total approximately 20,030 in 1988. And this figure doubled by 1993 and tripled by 2003. According to the latest statistics, the United States is the leading destination for Chinese students pursuing overseas studies. In academic year 2007-2008, there were 81,127 students from the People’s Republic of China enrolled in higher education institutions in the United States. In fact, the main reason that push so many Chinese students to leave their native places and study abroad is attributed to the mania of getting better education. Attracted by educational opportunities and the so-called “American dream”, the Chinese educated population vie for opportunities to go to the United States, despite the great uncertainties involved. After the two countries agreed to exchange students and scholars in 1978, the numbers of Chinese students coming to US increased. And the reason behind this exponential growth, are as much as financial as “the emphasis on Globalization and diversity touted by the universities. Today, many Chinese students skip local university entrance exams and apply to American colleges which actively recruit them. The factors behind the change have as much to do with shifts in financial power as with the emphasis on globalization and diversity touted by the universities. And one of the most important reasons for Chinese students prefers the United States because its universities offer more academic choices.
Stereotypes about Chinese Students
Stereotypes are perception schemas of a particular group of people. Stereotypes (such as those held by Americans toward Chinese international students) may discourage communication between cultural groups or shape the communication that occurs in ways that limit the depth and appropriateness of an intercultural encounter. Typically, stereotypes about cultural groups are varied and contain a combination of both positive and negative attributes. The negative characteristics of Asian students, especially for Chinese groups, which are come from Americans stereotypes includes antisocial, cold, cunning, deceitful, narrow-minded, nerdy, pushy, selfish, and sly. However, they also noted that positive characteristics related to intelligence and self-discipline can lead either to positive attitudes such as admiration and respect or to negative attitudes related to threat. Asians or Chinese are often considered a “model minority” in that they are seen to be hardworking, ambitious, intelligent, mathematical, obedient, self-disciplined, serious, and traditional, traits, which contribute positively to society, but Asians are most often considered to be highly competent but cold. These stereotypes may lead non-Asian Americans to feel less likely to communicate with Asian Americans. Many American students still hold the negative stereotypes of Asian students—hard to communicate, rarely active in group work, or even inadvertence, which are mainly form the racialization.
Racialization on US campuses
Racialization is a concept in sociology which describes the processes of the discursive production of racial identities. Racialization occurs when students are classified according to racial categories that are “preconceived notions of what each specific racial group looks like.” Numerous studies prove that variability in experiences, access, and outcomes between distinct racial groups is attributable to racialization. While acknowledged as a sociological mechanism, the phenomenon has yet to be fully researched and understood regarding the assimilation of foreign students. Racialization is an apparent racial ideology around the world. In U.S. universities, the phenomenon is allegedly observed when groups of Chinese, Americans, international students, and different races of students maintain relative isolation from other groups. Evidently, racialization is perceptually bidirectional in nature, manifested in this case by both American perceptions and Chinese behaviors.
Language Barriers
The English Secondary Language is also frequently a barrier to communication between Chinese students and English-speaking students: listening comprehension and oral communication are the main problems. Regarding listening comprehension, especially when they first arrived in the United States, the majority of the respondents felt that Americans spoke so fast that it was impossible for them to follow. Apart from high-speed talking, a public administration student attributed the listening problems to a "cultural deficiency": Lack of background knowledge impaired the ability of Chinese students to fully understand their American friends' topics of conversation. In terms of oral communication, there were typically three problems experience by Chinese students. These include accurately pronouncing English words, using appropriate words, and speaking English fluently. Besides their accent, some of the respondents found it difficult to find an appropriate word or formulate a correct sentence, which inhibited effective communication with Americans. Otherwise, young Americans sometimes had a lack of the patience in listening to others, especially those who cannot speak perfectly. Because of these language barriers, Chinese students rarely communicate with Americans, leading to a deeper racialization and racial ideologies.
Sociocultural Stresses
Sociocultural Stresses are another factor that impact the Chinese students’ racial ideologies and obstruct Chinese students from pursuing their goals and in U.S. universities.
Cultural Shock
Cultural shock can be caused by the extreme cultural distance, which could be described as the similarities and differences between the culture of origin (China) and the culture of contact (the United States). According to Oberg’s definition, culture shock involves such aspects as train; a sense of loss and feeling of deprivation; being rejected or rejecting others; confusion, surprise, or anxiety; and a feeling of impotence. Oberg also argued “cultural shock is precipitated by anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse” Oberg regards culture shock as a normal reaction of the human being within an unfamiliar environment, and as part of the process of adaption to the new cultural surroundings. International students, especially the Asian or Chinese students have little knowledge about American culture, society, and their way of life before they get to know more this country. Chinese students reported that they experienced high levels of culture shock and encountered great difficulty adjusting to life in the United States. These findings are consistent with the findings of other researchers on Chinese students' culture shock. They have difficulties in their adaptation and adjustment to American culture and campus life, due to their cultural background, traditions, and family influence.
Social Isolation
Cultural shock could further lead to the cultural and social isolation in a new environment. It is the exact portrayal of the international students’ current situation in the US, especially the Chinese students. It is attributed by a main factor that most Chinese undergraduates bring to campus their own culturally specific versions of teenager; they have their own personalities, social behavior. Having experienced being the only child at home, for most Chinese students sharing a dorm room with someone, much less a stranger, is a totally new experience. Chinese students rarely talk with their American roommates; they are not really close with each other. The language barrier and culture shock often add to the social isolation that they feel from their roommated. The lack of appropriate language and social skills among Chinese students make them feel social and cultural isolation. So despite the actual numbers of foreign students on the rise, many Chinese international students experience cultural shock and social isolation on American campuses.