The Learning Experience Of Chinese Students In American Universities: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

College Student Journal, March, 2001 by Guofang Wan

   "Actually, I didn't get paid well. My family stayed in a room in a `Tongzi'
   building, not having a life there. It was not because there were no houses
   to give out, but it was because they did not want to give it to people like
   me who had no relations nor backgrounds. The average living spaces for
   people in Beijing was enough. We were very very upset and angry. I
   understand that this was a transitional period in China. A time of reform.
   During the reform time, things get chaotic. Those who get rich, either rely
   on connections or breaking the law. We waste our life and our academic
   career. So to study abroad is my way out."

F gave more detailed descriptions of their living conditions and the unfair treatment they received in China that made them come to the United States:

   "People who with only high school diplomas were less qualified than us, but
   had connections, were assigned houses. While we, no matter what we did, or
   how hard we worked, no house was assigned to us. When Y left China, my
   daughter and me moved to my work place, living in a room in the basement.
   There was only one public bathroom for the entire floor. It was far away
   and dirty. I never used it. I had to go to my office to use the bathroom.
   It took me three minutes to get there by bike from my home. Sometimes in
   the morning, I had to drag my daughter out of bed telling her to be quick
   because Mammy had to go to the bathroom. I hated that very much. I wondered
   when that could be changed. In the States, if I am willing to pay the rent
   -- $400, I can live in this apartment. In China, even if we were willing to
   pay $500, I do not know if we can rent a place."

Finding 2. Frustrations in Cross-Cultural Living and Learning

Y and F experienced different types of frustrations in learning and living in the United States. These include communication difficulties caused by their limited knowledge of aural and oral English, discriminations caused by the fact that they look and speak differently from other people, disillusionment caused by their failure to pursue further education because of their financial inability and by not learning as much as they expected from classes; and the feeling of stress in school work and feeling of loss in daily life.

Communication Difficulties: Better in Reading & Writing Than Aural & Oral English

Like other international students, Y and F had to take TOEFL, a test of English before they were admitted to universities in the United States. However, getting a good score on the test does not guarantee that their English is sufficient for living and studying in this country. Like most of the other Chinese students, Y and F learned English since they were young in China, but all this prepared them more for reading and writing than listening and speaking in authentic situations. Y said,

   "I still have difficulty in English. I feel my spoken language is
   inadequate. It is different from TOEFL scores. My reading and writing
   abilities are more or less similar to native speakers. Especially when it
   comes to reading formulas of math, graphics etc. But when it comes to
   listening and speaking, it is a different story."

   F agreed that

   "(t)hey are totally different things. TOEFL tests your book knowledge.
   Maybe TOEFL should add a part of oral ... I got an above-average score for
   TOEFL but I cannot understand others when they speak English to me, and
   others cannot understand me when I speak. But when everything is written
   down, I understand them all."