Blog #7

Theorectial Frame

For my topic on International students I have primarily focused on the Chinese students and their struggles in the American higher education institutions. In Caitlin Zaloom's, Indebted, she has described the parent and child relationships using an individual's autonomy. An academic term that has been explained in my paper is Caitlin Zaloom's "nested silence". Zaloom's concept of "nested silence", where American parents shield their child/children from the families financial situation allowing for them to pursue their desired careers and for them to live a better life then them. But through my research I found that not only did American families do this so did the Chinese families and at times I felt like Chinese families are more competitive then the American as a family even sold their house and bought a smaller on just for their child's education. I feel that the concept of "nested silence" applies not to just a specific culture but to humans as I feel it is instinctual to want to protect your child/children from any harm and worries. This is a great example to show that there are comminalities between eastern and western cultures. The term "language barrier" has also been discussed in my paper as through my research I have found multiple articles that mention that language barrier as a struggle faced by many international students. While these students have been tutored and taken standardized tests to qualify to study abroad-- they are unable to engage in conversation with other students and class discussions. This also spiked my curiosity as to what we could do as students or a community to help them transition into our culture. I have also came across many student run clubs and even university organizations that help students learn from those that were here longer or just American students that are curious and wanted to learn more about different cultures. The concept of "Collectivism vs Individualism" has an effect on the way students think and deal with stress. In China they favor collectivism while in the US we favor individualism this affects many international students as they are puzzled by the concept of students questioning the teachers knowledge and speaking up in class. Many find it challenging as they were taught to show respect and not to challenge the teachers knowledge. Collectivism can be seen through social interactions as Chinese students are more likely to stick together from eating, studying and even choosing classes as most are in STEM majors with overlaping classes. While American students are more likey to have friends that are in different majors and that the only classes they have together are the "essential" requirement for everyone.