the level of intercultural communication of vietnamese international students in america

This research determined the level of intercultural communication of Vietnamese international students in America.. In addition, the research also provides necessary adjustments for Viet

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NATIONAL ACADEMY OF EDUCATON MANAGEMENT

THE LEVEL OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION OF VIETNAMESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN AMERICA

Duc Anh NGUYEN, Duc Viet NGUYEN, Thuy An LE,

Thi Minh Hien NGUYEN, Thi Thao Dung HOANG*

*First & Corresponding Authors Students, National Academy of Education Management, Hanoi,

Vietnam

Lecturer Quynh Ly LUONG, National Academy of Education Management, Hanoi,

Vietnam

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Nowadays, the trend of studying abroad has been more popular and quickly become the top concern of many Vietnamese colleges who really want to approach to a higher education level system One of the most essential factors which decides the

effectiveness in study and integration of international students is the level of

intercultural community This research determined the level of intercultural

communication of Vietnamese international students in America In addition, the research also provides necessary adjustments for Vietnamese international students to upgrade their level of intercultural communication The results show that the majority of Vietnamese international students agree that they can easily communicate with others because they can adapt to American culture quite good The research uses a

combination of qualitative and quantitative methods Qualitative methods are used through analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of previous research to develop survey content, conduct surveys, and propose solutions based on the collected results These findings will help educators gain more insights from the perspective and the adaptability

of Vietnamese international students about the cultural shock in America, thereby making appropriate adjustments and changes for leveling up their integration in the US

culture

Copyright: The Author(s)

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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use,

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Studying abroad in modern countries is something that most Vietnamese students desire because it is an opportunity for them to upgrade themselves comprehensively There are no criteria to compare or evaluate which country is better than another Depending on the desired major and financial capacity of international students, you can choose the most suitable country America is a country that owns one of the world's leading education systems with the highest proportion of international students globally

It is also one of the most powerful countries in the world in many fields such as science and technology and is also a strong global economic power Coming to the US to enjoy

a great education is the dream of many students from all over the world, especially Vietnamese students as well as those who want to study for master's and doctoral degrees in the US due to good training

Compared to the number of 24,325 students in 2022-2023 (According to the Institute

of International Education - IIE), the number of Vietnamese students studying abroad in the US has increased by 12% Vietnam has risen to 5th place, instead of 6th compared to last year, in the group of countries with the largest number of students studying in the

US, only behind China, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia The latest data also records that the number of Vietnamese international students in the US has increased continuously over the past 18 years

According to a study, among more than 50 US states, the 5 states that attract the most Vietnamese students are California, Texas, Washington, Massachusetts and New York

In addition, other states also chosen by many Vietnamese and international students include Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana

Welfare policies such as accommodation, student loans or social insurance are gradually being considered by universities in the US to attract international students to study at schools in this country However, there are still difficulties in intercultural communication for students and it will become a huge problem if a suitable solution is not found The collected data shows that the number of students who have a good understanding of American culture is really not much (about 26%), which is not a very positive sign

Aiming to clarify the level of intercultural communication of Vietnamese

international students in the US to make necessary adjustments to help them improve their ability to integrate into American culture We conducted an online survey with a group of Vietnamese international students studying in the US about their level of cultural understanding and assessment of their intercultural communication abilities

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1 Literature review / Theoretical framework

1.1 Intercultural communication

Intercultural communication has been defined in many different ways:

“‘Intercultural Communication’ is one of those terms that everybody uses, and in

many different and not necessarily compatible ways.” (Intercultural Communication:

A Critical Introduction Ingrid Piller 2017)

“Loosely, an umbrella term for interaction between people from different cultural or

subcultural backgrounds intended to lead to shared understandings of

messages.” (Oxford Reference)

“Intercultural communication is a discipline that studies communication across

different cultures and social groups, or how culture affects

communication.” (Wikipedia)

“Intercultural communication is the study and practice of communication across

cultural contexts.” (Milton J Bennett, Ph.D Intercultural Development Research

Institute)

“Intercultural communication refers to the communication between people from two

different cultures.” (Chen & Starosta, 1998:28)

“Intercultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual

process, in which people from different cultures create shared meanings.” (Lustig &

Koester, 2007:46)

“Intercultural communication refers to the effects on communication behavior, when

different cultures interact together Hence, one way of viewing intercultural communication is as communication that unfolds in symbolic intercultural spaces.”

(Arasaratnam, 2013:48)

As students doing research in Intercultural field, we define Intercultural

Communication as the exchange of messages and interactions between individuals or groups from different cultural backgrounds It involves understanding, interpreting, and effectively communicating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds in various contexts, such as in personal relationships, workplace settings, or when traveling etc

1.2 Intercultural communication competence

Intercultural communication competence, on the other hand, is the ability to effectively and appropriately communicate and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds It goes beyond simple language proficiency and includes the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to navigate and adapt to cultural differences Interacting competently with people from diverse cultural backgrounds involves being aware of one's own cultural values and biases, being willing to learn about and appreciate other cultures, and being able to flexibly adjust one's

communication style and behaviors to accommodate cultural differences Intercultural

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communication competence also requires being empathetic, non-judgmental, and respectful towards individuals from different cultures, and actively seeking to build bridges of understanding and cooperation

1.3 Studying abroad

According to (Tellanto, 2021), studying abroad entails pursuing an education in a foreign nation to broaden one's understanding of diverse cultures and embrace novel experiences It encompasses more than conventional classroom instruction, as being overseas enables students to fully immerse themselves in a new culture and gain a deeper insight into the people and their customs

1.4 International students

International students are individuals who travel to study in a foreign country These students are citizens of a different country or hold a different nationality from the country in which they choose to pursue their education They typically enroll in educational institutions such as universities or colleges and either study abroad for the duration of their degree program or engage in exchange programs for a shorter period International students often face unique challenges, such as language barriers, culture shock, and legal requirements, as they navigate a new educational system and living environment in a foreign country

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2 Methodology

The combination of 2 qualitative and quantitative methods are used in this study By analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing previous studies, qualitative methods are employed to develop survey contents, carry out surveys, and suggest solutions based on the gathered findings SPSS 25.0 was applied in quantitative method for descriptive statistics analysis A structured questionnaire was focused on Vietnamese students’ personal information especially the intercultural communication competence of Vietnamese students when living and studying in the US In order for the results to be highly representative, we have conducted a survey of 200 Vietnamese students who are living and attending universities now in the United States The survey was conducted through social medias (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and the surveys were sent in the form of Google form People are asked to answer the question "Are you a Vietnamese student living and studying now in the US?” first, if the students answer

"Yes", they would be sent a questionnaire and asked to answer the questions in the survey, if the students answer "No", they would not be asked to answer the questionnaire We have contacted 231 Vietnamese people, including 200 students and continued to participate in the survey We selected samples according to the convenient sampling method, the time to collect data is from September to October 2023 After that, we conducted descriptive analysis and data processing in November 2023

female genders participating in the survey is quite equal (Female: 51.0 %; Male: 49.0%), aged from 18 to 25+ years-old (Under 18 years-old: 25.5%; From 18-25: 66.0%; From over 25: 9.0%), the time they have been living in the US (Less than one year: 58.6%; 1-4 years: 32.5% Over 4 years: 8.9%) These characteristics show that the sample is highly representative of Vietnamese students in the US

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3 Research results & discussions.

3.1 Vietnamese students’ Intercultural communication competence

With the survey results in this research, it shows that Vietnamese students in the US have the following intercultural communication competence characteristics: Firstly, the number of Vietnamese students understanding cultural differences: 2.5% of students considered their level of understanding cultural differences between America and Vietnam is poor, 7.5% of students’ level is fair, the average level is 23.5%, the percentage of good level is the highest with 40.5% and students who understand excellently is 26.0%; Secondly, under 32.5% of students find managing stereotypes and prejudices hard while the percentage of who are good at it is 14.0% and excellent is 9.5% and the average level accounted for 38.5%; Thirdly, the level of Vietnamese students’ flexibility in adapting to different cultural norms and practices is mainly average (40.5% of respondents are at this level, but it is opposite in the level of Vietnamese students’ listening and comprehension skills in intercultural settings with 44.5% at good level

Besides, the levels of Vietnamese students’ verbal communication skills in intercultural settings are 8.5% at poor, 17.0% at fair, 34.5% at average, 27.5% at good and 12.5% at excellent Finally, Vietnamese students’ skills in non-verbal

communication is impressively high with the majority is at good level (43.5%), only 2.0% at poor, 9.5% at fair, 25.0% at average and 20.0% is excellent The results show that the overall intercultural communication competence of Vietnamese students in the

US is average, but the number of people achieving this ability at a good to excellent level is much higher than the low level This is a positive sign that Vietnamese students can adapt to the American culture quite well

Table 1: Statistics of some Vietnamese students’ Intercultural communication

competence

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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Statistics of the levels of Vietnamese students’ overall intercultural

communication competence

Statistics of Vietnamese students understanding cultural differences between

America and Vietnam

Statistics of Vietnamese students managing stereotypes and prejudices

Statistics on Vietnamese students’ flexibility in adapting to different cultural

norms and practices

Statistics on Vietnamese students’ listening and comprehension skills in

intercultural settings

Statistics on Vietnamese students’ verbal communication skills in intercultural

settings

Statistics on Vietnamese students’ non-verbal communication skills in

intercultural settings

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Source: Data analysis result of the research

In addition, according to a survey 200 people, most of them have been struggling in homesickness and cultural adjustment difficulties with 93.5%; followed by language barriers with 51.5; percentage of misunderstandings due to cultural differences is 36.0% and the lowest is stereotyping or discrimination with 33.0% This shows that Vietnamese students’ biggest challenge when living and studying in the US is missing their families and friends back home, some of them have not suffered this because they live in the US with their beloved people Language barriers are among the most challenging difficulties for more than half of Vietnamese students in the survey even with people who are living here for a long time They sometimes find it hard to understand what lecturers and professors said when studying, and it is also a challenge for new students when they live in here due to American slangs and idioms The frequency of misunderstandings also often happens to some people, but not much, for the cultures between America and Vietnam are not too different Finally, 66 people consider stereotyping or discrimination are challenging because discrimination against Asians still occurs in some areas of America (Table 2.)

3.2 Students’ assessment

According to Vietnamese students’ reviews about measures to cope with challenges

in intercultural communication in the US, we received some positive feedback from the students who participated in the survey Three factors which students are most satisfied with are seeking support from fellow Vietnamese students or Vietnamese community organizations (5.0), followed by the satisfaction with attending intercultural workshops

or training programs and actively engaging in intercultural activities and events then seeking support from university resources (4.9, 4.88 and 4.75) This result shows that Vietnamese students always have measures to overcome difficulties in intercultural communication (Table 3.) This is completely consistent with the current reality, because the Vietnamese Embassy in the US always tries to help and connect the Vietnamese community together along with a number of American community organizations are willing to help Vietnamese people adapt and integrate into American culture

Table 2: Statistics of challenges Vietnamese students have faced in terms of

intercultural communication.

Responses

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Source: Data analysis result of the research

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Attending intercultural workshops or training

programs

Seeking support from fellow Vietnamese students

or Vietnamese community organizations

Seeking support from university resources (e.g.,

Actively engaging in intercultural activities and

events

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