International experience and intercultural sensitivity of american and vietnamese high school students

In today’s international setting, students have been dramatically increasing their exposure to different cultures worldwide. Following this trend, American students thus can be seen studying in Vietnam and vice versa. These students are in force of developing intercultural sensitivity so as to avoid culture shocks and survive successfully in culturallydistinct environment. This study then aims at exploring this under researched area of international experience and intercultural sensibility of American and Vietnamese high school students. With triangulation method, the study was divided into two phases. In the first phase, survey questionnaires were employed to study 100 students’ intercultural sensitivity in regard to their interaction engagement, respect for cultural differences, interaction enjoyment, interaction attentiveness, and interaction confidence. In the second phase, two classes selected from two sets of sample were observed with highly structured checklists. The data collected from both phases formulated to answer the two key research questions. A brief summary of the findings reveals that (1) American students with their wide range of international experience reached a higher level of interaction engagement, enjoyment and attentiveness in comparison with their Vietnamese fellow students (2) Concerning students’ selfreports on their intercultural sensitivity development over the period of American – Vietnamese interaction, the two current programs are perceived to expand a limited influence on their intercultural sensitivity (3) Frequency of foreign language in class plays a deciding role in the development of students’ intercultural sensitivity. At last, this paper concludes with some implication and application which are hoped to be found helpful to some extent for students, teachers, and researchers who are also interested in this topic.

Vietnam national university, Hanoi University of languages and international studies Faculty of English language teacher education đồng thị thùy linh International experience and INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY OF AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (tefl) Ha Noi, May 2012 Vietnam national university, Hanoi University of languages and international studies Faculty of English language teacher education ĐỒNG THỊ THÙY LINH International experience and INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY OF AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (tefl) SUPERVISOR: NGÔ HỮU HOÀNG, PHD Ha Noi, May 2012 I hereby state that I: Đồng Thị Thùy Linh, 08.1.E8, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor‟s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan and reproduction of the paper Signature May 15, 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT On completing this paper, I would like to expressly thank to those who made this research possible First and foremost, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mr Ngơ Hữu Hồng PhD, whose guidance and support from the initial to the final period enabled me to develop an understanding of the subject as well as of the way to write up this paper Furthermore, I would like to say the grateful thanks to Mr Vu-Duc Vuong, Resident Director of School Year Abroad Vietnam for his invaluable information and full permission for my classroom observation; also, the big thank-you to Ms Lê Trà Ngân, Ms Trần Thị Phương Thanh and Ms Nguyễn Phương Hà for their precious assistance to approach Xuan Dinh High School classes To all School Year Abroad Vietnam 2011 – 2012 and Xuan Dinh High School students who have willingly participated in this study, I feel like saying “Thank you so much!!” Without their help, I would not have been able to complete this thesis I also owe a great debt of gratitude to all the teachers at ULIS, VNUH, especially Mr Ngô Xuân Minh and Ms Trần Hoài Giang for their valuable instructions on academic writing What is more, I am forever indebted to my family and friends who have never failed to cheer me up during the thesis crisis Last but not least, I owe my sincerest thanks to the readers for their interests in and comments on this paper! ABSTRACT In today‟s international setting, students have been dramatically increasing their exposure to different cultures worldwide Following this trend, American students thus can be seen studying in Vietnam and vice versa These students are in force of developing intercultural sensitivity so as to avoid culture shocks and survive successfully in culturally-distinct environment This study then aims at exploring this under researched area of international experience and intercultural sensibility of American and Vietnamese high school students With triangulation method, the study was divided into two phases In the first phase, survey questionnaires were employed to study 100 students‟ intercultural sensitivity in regard to their interaction engagement, respect for cultural differences, interaction enjoyment, interaction attentiveness, and interaction confidence In the second phase, two classes selected from two sets of sample were observed with highly structured checklists The data collected from both phases formulated to answer the two key research questions A brief summary of the findings reveals that (1) American students with their wide range of international experience reached a higher level of interaction engagement, enjoyment and attentiveness in comparison with their Vietnamese fellow students (2) Concerning students‟ self-reports on their intercultural sensitivity development over the period of American – Vietnamese interaction, the two current programs are perceived to expand a limited influence on their intercultural sensitivity (3) Frequency of foreign language in class plays a deciding role in the development of students‟ intercultural sensitivity At last, this paper concludes with some implication and application which are hoped to be found helpful to some extent for students, teachers, and researchers who are also interested in this topic TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLES OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement …………………………………………… ………… PAGE i Abstract ……………………………………………………… ………… ii List of tables, figures and abbreviations …………………………… …… iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION I Rationale for the study ………………………………………… II Aims of the study ………………………………………………… III Scope of the study ……………………………………….….… … IV Significance of the study ……………………………… ….…… V Overview of the rest of the paper ……………….……….….…… CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW I Previous studies …………………………………………………… II Key concepts …………………………………………………… Intercultural communication ………………………………… 1.1 Definition of intercultural communication ……………… 1.2 Intercultural communication vs cross – cultural ………… communication ………………………………………….… 11 Intercultural sensitivity ……………………………………… 12 2.1 Definition of Intercultural Sensitivity …………………… 12 2.2 Components of Intercultural Sensitivity ……………… 13 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY I Selection of subjects ……………………………………………… 16 II Research instruments ……………………………………………… 17 Phase one ……………………………………………………… 17 III IV 1.1 Justification for the use of survey questionnaires ………… 17 1.2 Questionnaire Development ……………………………… 18 Phase two ……………………………………………………… 20 2.1 Justification for the use of structured observation scheme 20 2.2 Structured Observation Scheme Development …………… 21 Procedures of data collection …………………………………… 21 Obtaining permission ………………………………………… 21 Administering the questionnaires …………………………… 21 Conducting classroom observations ………………… ……… 22 Procedures of data analysis ……………………………………… 22 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION I Findings …………………………………………………………… 23 Research question 1…………………………………………… 23 1.1 International experience background …………………… 23 1.2 Intercultural Sensitivity Scale …………………………… 24 1.2.1 Interaction engagement …………………………… 24 1.2.2 Respect for cultural differences …………………… 26 1.2.3 Interaction confidence …………………………… 27 1.2.4 Interaction enjoyment …………………………… 28 1.2.5 Interaction Attentiveness ………………………… 29 Research question …………………………………………… 30 2.1 Students‟ self perception of intercultural sensitivity …… 31 2.1.1 Findings about SYA students ……………………… 31 2.1.2 Findings about XD students ……………………… 33 2.1.3 Summary ………………………………………… 35 2.2 International experience in term of using foreign language 35 II Implications ……………………………………………………… 37 III Application ……………………………………………………… 38 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION I Major findings of the study ……………………………………… 40 II Limitations ………………………………………………………… 41 III Suggestions for further study …………………………………… 42 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: Factor Loadings and Factor Reliabilities Appendix 2: Questionnaire – English version Appendix 3: Questionnaire – Vietnamese version Appendix 4: Classroom Observation Tally Sheet LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, AND ABBREVIATIONS TABLES PAGE Table 1: Participants in the study ……………………………………… 17 Table 2: Interaction Engagement ………………………………………… 25 Table 3: Respect for Cultural Differences ……………………………… 27 Table 4: Interaction Confidence ………………………………………… 28 Table 5: Interaction Enjoyment ………………………………………… 29 Table 6: Interaction attentiveness ……………………………………… 30 FIGURES Figure 1: Intercultural Competence Dimensions ………………………… 15 Figure 2: Confirmatory factor analysis (measurement error not shown) 19 Figure 3: Participants‟ experience of travelling abroad ………………… 23 Figure 4: SYA students‟ self perception of intercultural sensitivity …… 32 Figure 5: XD students‟ self perception of intercultural sensibility ……… 34 Figure 6: Classroom Language Use …………………………………… 36 ABBREVIATIONS SYA: School Year Abroad XD: Xuân Đỉnh CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION I Rationale for the study “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi (cited in Kirn and Hartmann, 2007, p.106) ~ This view of the admired Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi has been powerfully reinforced in today‟s world of “global village” (Knowles, 2008, p.42), where countries all over the world are not only exchanging goods and services, but also knowledge and cultures among each other (Penbek, Yurdakul, and Cerit, 2009) In this sense, Vietnam has started implementing an open-door policy since 1986 Thanks to this policy, together with guaranteed family income and a wide range of international scholarship programs, the number of Vietnamese students studying abroad, especially in the USA has increased significantly (Phan, 2008, p.1) Meanwhile, American students, particularly who enrolled in Asian and environmental courses have often seen traveling to Vietnam for their intensive study Since all of these students are regularly placed in American – Vietnamese contact situations where each individual embraces far different culture values from the others, it is a requisite of intercultural sensitivity that helps “survive successfully” and rather “enjoy these differences” (Chen, 1997, p.5) As the demands on heightening the level and strength of intercultural sensitivity, as “future citizens” (Roy, 2006, p.1), students have now been increasing their exposure to “intercultural challenges” (Kupka, Everett, and Wildermuth, 2007, p.30) at a younger age Considering the last few decades, students might not have studied abroad before finishing their high school for they are often considered to be more vulnerable to challenge cultural differences than university students However, this decade has witnessed a total different scene High school students are now encouraged to leave their schools and their countries to study abroad if the opportunities arise The logic behind this is spending time in intercultural settings could provide students at any age with knowledge and experience that help develop their intercultural sensitivity to higher level (Deardorff, 2004) However, this direct and positive relationship between international experience and intercultural sensitivity is still open to debate Does international experience contribute directly and positively to intercultural sensitivity in deed? 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students in Hanoi BA University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Appendix 2: Questionnaire – English Version Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey on the intercultural sensitivity study I welcome your feedback and your answers will be kept confidential Thank you for your participation! PART INTERCULTURAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION Travel to other countries (short term visits) for educational purposes _ Travel to other countries (short term visits) for holiday _ Time spent living abroad (long term stay) _ Work/Volunteer experience in other countries _ Social contacts, friends from abroad _ PERSONAL INFORMATION Providing the following information is OPTIONAL Name: Telephone: Email: Would you like to be contacted regarding your responses on this survey?   Yes No PART Statements/Hypothesis I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures I tend to wait before forming an impression of culturallydistinct counterparts I am open-minded to people from different cultures I avoid those situations where I will have to deal with culturally-distinct persons I often show my culturally-distinct counterpart my understanding through verbal or nonverbal cues I have a feeling of enjoyment towards differences between my culturally distinct counterpart and me I think people from other cultures are narrow-minded I don't like to be with people from different cultures I respect the values of people from different cultures 10 I respect the ways people from different cultures behave 11 I would not accept the opinions of people from different cultures 12 I think my culture is better than other cultures 13 I am pretty sure of myself in interacting with people from different cultures 14 I find it very hard to talk in front of people from different cultures 15 I always know what to say when interacting with people from different cultures 16 I can be as sociable as I want to be when interacting with people from different cultures 17 I get upset easily when interacting with people from different cultures 18 I often get discouraged when I am with people from different cultures 19 I often feel useless when interacting with people from different cultures 20 I am very observant when interacting with people from different cultures 21 I try to obtain as much as information as I can when interacting with people from different cultures 22 I am sensitive to my culturally-distinct counterpart's unclear meanings during our interaction (strongly disagree) (strongly agree) PART = definitely not = definitely Beginning of SYA PERCEPTION OF SELF IN OWN CULTURE Now Intolerant Flexible Patient Lacks sense of humour Tolerates differences Suspends judgment Adaptable Curious Open-minded 10 Motivated 11 Self-reliant 12 Empathetic 13 Clear sense of self 14 Perceptive 15 Tolerates ambiguity 16 Other qualities _ Thank you for taking the time to fill out my survey Your input is greatly appreciated! Appendix 3: Questionnaire – Vietnamese Version Phiền bạn dành phút để tham gia vào nghiên cứu điều tra xung quanh «Trải nghiệm quốc tế độ nhạy cảm giao tiếp liên văn hóa học sinh Mỹ học sinh Việt Nam» Tôi hy vọng nhận phản hồi trung thực từ phía bạn Tơi xin hứa đảm bảo tất câu trả lời thơng tin cá nhân bạn bí mật tuyệt đối Phần A Thông tin xung quanh trải nghiệm quốc tế Bạn cho biết thông tin sau hay sai Nếu ghi rõ nơi đến thông tin chi tiết thêm Bạn du học khóa ngắn ngày (du học hè,…) nước Bạn du lịch nước Bạn sinh sống dài ngày nước Bạn tham gia tình nguyện/làm việc nước Bạn có bạn bè người nước ngồi B Thông tin cá nhân (Không bắt buộc) Họ tên : Số điện thoại : Hịm thư điện tử : Bạn có muốn tơi liên lạc với bạn kết nghiên cứu khơng ? a Có b Khơng Phần Giả thiết Tơi thích giao tiếp với người đến từ văn hóa khác Tơi có xu hướng chờ đợi trước hình thành ấn tượng người có văn hóa khác Tơi khơng có thành kiến với người có văn hóa khác Tơi thường tránh trường hợp phải làm việc với người có văn hóa khác Tơi thường dùng dấu hiệu ngôn ngữ phi ngôn ngữ người có văn hóa khác thấy hiểu vấn đề Tơi cảm thấy thích thú trước khác biệt người có văn hóa khác Tơi nghĩ người đến từ văn hóa khác có đầu óc hẹp hịi Tơi khơng thích dành thời gian với người có văn hóa khác Tơi tơn trọng giá trị văn hóa người nước ngồi 10 Tơi tơn trọng cách mà người có văn hóa khác cư xử 11 Tơi khơng chấp nhận quan điểm người có văn hóa khác 12 Tơi nghĩ văn hóa tốt văn hóa khác 13 Tơi nhận thức rõ thân tơi giao tiếp với người đến từ văn hóa khác 14 Tơi thấy khó mà nói chuyện trước mặt người đến từ văn hóa khác 15 Tơi ln biết phải nói tơi giao tiếp với người đến từ văn hóa khác 16 Nếu muốn tơi hồn tồn hịa đồng với người có văn hóa khác 17 Tơi thường thấy chán nản với người có văn hóa khác 18 Tơi dễ bị bối rối giao tiếp với người có văn hóa khác 19 Tơi thường thấy cỏi giao tiếp với người đến từ văn hóa khác 20 Tơi hay quan sát giao tiếp với người đến từ văn hóa khác 21 Tơi cố gắng có nhiều thơng tin mức tơi giao tiếp với người có văn hóa khác 22 Tơi nhạy người đối thoại với (đến từ văn hóa khác) khơng hiểu rõ nghĩa điều chúng tơi giao tiếp (hồn tồn khơng đồng ý) (hồn tồn đồng ý) Phần 3 hoàn toàn khơng đồng ý hồn tồn đồng ý Trước học với giáo viên nước Hiện Nhận thức thân (Bạn người…) Cố chấp (nhất văn hóa) Linh hoạt Kiên nhẫn Không hài hước Chấp nhận khác biệt Có khả trì hỗn phê bình/chỉ trích người khác Có khả thích nghi Tị mị Cởi mở 10 Có động lực 11 Tự lực 12 Biết cảm thơng 13 Nhận thức rõ thân 14 Sâu sắc 15 Chấp nhận nhập nhằng/không rõ ràng 16 Phẩm chất khác _ Cảm ơn bạn dành thời gian hoàn thành phiếu điều tra này! Appendix 4: Classroom Observation Tally Sheet GENERAL INFORMATION Observer: Date: Lesson start: Lesson end: Topic: Tallies Learner asks a question Learner answers question voluntarily Learner answers question when being called Learner talks to another learner Learner praises another learner Learner asks another learner to help Learner criticizes another learner : Vietnamese : English Total Notes ... picture of international experience and intercultural sensitivity of American and Vietnamese high school students In view of students? ?? international experience background, compared with Vietnamese students. .. study of ? ?international experience and intercultural sensitivity of American and Vietnamese high school students. ” II Aims of the study The study aims to provide a comparative description of the intercultural. .. levels of intercultural sensitivity of American and Vietnamese high school students different? 2) How does international experience contribute to intercultural communication of these students?