Panel discusses challenges faced by Chinese students

By Elise Vasko, Staff Writer

First-year Jing Jin sits in the front row of his English class. He has a question to ask, so in his head he translates what the professor has just said into Chinese, and then makes sure of his question. By the time he's translated his question back into English, the professor has already moved on to the next topic.

The difficulty of a language barrier, while a significant obstacle for international students, is only one of the many challenges they face going to school in the United States. These challenges were discussed by a student panel at the Understanding MU Chinese Students event, hosted by Miami's Confucius Institute on Wednesday, March 9.

Chinese students at Miami also struggle with the loss of their social support system, feelings of homesickness and the long hours of study necessary to achieve good grades, according to Chen Zhao, director of Miami's Confucius Institute.

Zhao said she hears from a lot of Chinese students who are frustrated with the amount of hours they have to study in order to earn the grades they want.

"A Chinese student has to spend three to five times more time studying than an American student because of the language differences," said Zhao.

Zhao said the problem isn't as simple as merely passing a language proficiency examination.

"It's not just learning how to say or pronounce the English words," said Zhao. "Language learning must combine with cultural learning."

Sophomore Aviva Zhang said that because she went to three years of high school in the United States, English wasn't as much of a challenge for her when she started at Miami. However, she still faced difficulties of cultural adaptation.

"The thing that was shocking was that a lot of students here are not as welcoming," said Zhang. "Often people say international students are in their own bubble, but a lot of times the facial expression or gesture that you're unconsciously doing makes us not feel embraced."

One of the major differences between Chinese and American cultures, particularly in terms of educational dynamics, is the structure of the teacher-to-student relationship, Zhao said.

The teaching style in Chinese schools places more emphasis on the professor's role in the classroom. Students just need to follow along with what the professor says and try to understand the concepts presented.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

"In China, they don't value class discussion that much," said Zhao. "Here, we encourage student participation, but in China, they don't think participation is related much to learning."

Zhao said that, in Chinese schools, the teacher holds absolute authority, and that often if a student asks a question during class time, he is seen as challenging the professor.

Aside from cultural difference, Chinese students also don't engage often in class discussions because it requires language competency, Zhao said.

First-year Xing Li said the particular subject and class determines whether he feels comfortable asking questions and participating in class.

"If I'm good at the subject and I know the answer, I will answer the question," said Li. "I know the biggest challenge for me is language so I need to take every chance to practice my language."

Zhao said it is most important to remember that cultural understanding is a two-way process. She recommends American students and teachers be patient, considerate and supportive of international students.

"Encouragement is very important," said Li. "Most of the time we're just afraid of saying the wrong answer so we don't speak out."

Zhang said professors sometimes give Chinese students extra points to compensate for the language barrier. However, she said what Chinese students really need is encouragement and patience.

"We can work very hard in order to achieve what we're here for," said Zhang. "We'll put in the effort if you let us. We want to work for those points just like everybody else."