Culture Shock Among International Students: A Case Study at The University of Tlemcen.

Abstract

International students from different regions around the world leave their home countries and travel abroad to continue their higher studies. This, in turn, might expose them to culture shock and requires them to adapt to the new environment. The present dissertation focuses on the phenomenon of “culture shock” at educational institutions. It studies the experience of some international students from Africa and China in Tlemcen University. Its main aim is to identify the factors contributing to culture shock in order to find some strategies to cope with this phenomenon, and therefore, facilitate the acclimatization in the host country. In this study, the researchers have adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyse the data gathered via the interview and the questionnaire. As a result of data analysis, it has been revealed that almost all international students experienced culture shock in both social and academic life. Another important finding is that the main factor contributing to this phenomenon among them is language barrier. In addition to this, the false expectations of international students about their destination, and the unfamiliar social and academic conditions are other factors that negatively affected their adjustment to the new milieu. Hoping to reduce the negative impact of this phenomenon at academic settings in particular, the researchers have strived to come up with some relevant suggestions and recommendations.