Cultural understanding

Supporting students coming from

different cultural backgrounds

Kristiina Karjalainen, Senior lecturer

Jaana Häkli, Senior lecturer

• Internationalization at home

• Definitions for culture

• Diversity of students

• Hofstede’s dimensions

• Culture shock

• Tools to overcome cultural challenges

Contents

• In August 2018 there were 578 foreignstudents in degree programmes at Saimaa UAS. They form 13% of all students in Imatra.

• These foreign students represent 52 nationalities ranging from Indonesia and Kazakstan to the United States and fromVietnam to Hungary and Nepal.

INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME

INTERNATIONALISATION AT HOME

• This autumn about 114 exchange students

from different parts of the world study at

Saimaa UAS. They introduce nationalities

such as Taiwan, Serbia and Belgium to us.

• In student mobilities Saimaa UAS is the

number one in Finland and in teacher

mobilities we are number two in Finland!

• "Communication is Culture, and Culture is Communication." (Edward Hall, 1959)

• "Culture is a broad concept that embraces all aspects of the life of man." (Seelye, 1984)

• "Culture is the "glue" that binds a group of people together." (Douglas-Brown, 1994)

• Storti (1999) simply states thatCulture is the shared assumptions, values and beliefs of a

group of people which result in characteristic behaviors

• Culture is always learned, even if we are born into a culture

SOME DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE

IDEAS SENTIMENTS VALUES

OBJECTS ACTIONS TENDENCIES

ACCUMULATIONS

What are some of the things we are

learning? Seven terms

ICEBERG

THE REALITY OF MULTICULTURAL

GROUPS?

STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS

The ultimate truth, but unfortunately not

a reality in today’s world.

• Power distance

• Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Masculinity vs. Feminity

• Uncertainty Avoidance

• Long-Term Orientation vs. Short-Term

Orientation

• Indulgence vs. Restraint

HOFSTEDE’S DIMENSIONS

• HIGH PDI

– Students obey

teachers and

acknowledge their

power

– Respect for elders or

teachers is a virtue.

Teachers are gurus!

– Asking questions

when invited to

• LOW PDI

– Students should think

for themselves

– Teachers treat

students as

equals.Teachers are

guides on student’s

learning path.

– Asking questions in

case of not

understanding

POWER DISTANCE

INDIVIDUALISM

• ”Me, me, me –thinking”

• Nuclear concept of family

• Students fulfill obligationsto themselves

• Getting your own opinionacross is important

• Students are treated as individuals

• Penalty: loss of self-respect, guilt

COLLECTIVISM

• ”We, we we -thinking”

• Extended concept of family

• Students fulfill obligationsto a group

• Maintaining harmony

• Cheating in an exam = helping a friend

• Penalty: Loss of face and shame for the group

INDIVIDUALISM vs. COLLECTIVISM

LOW UAI

• Students want to takerisks and are open for new ideas

• Students arecomfortable when not working Are theylazy?

• Students want to havegood conversations

• Lower stress, relaxed

• Poor time management

HIGH UAI

• Students have a needfor certainty and safetyand they want to avoidfailures

• Students have an innerurge to work hard

• Students want to knowthe right answers and are good at memorizing

• Higher stress, anxiety

• Timetables are followed

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

MASCULINITY

• Students are ambitious, performance-oriented and need to excel

• Competition throughoutlife

• Students live to study

• Teachers are assertive

• Money and possessionsare valued

• Everything big and fastare beautiful

• FEMINITY

• Students value a highquality of life incl. freetime and want to be of service to others

• Students strive for consensus in decisionmaking processes

• Students live duringstudies

• Women can be found in management positions

• Small, slow and modestare considered beautiful

MASCULINITY vs. FEMINITY

LOW LTO

• Students areconcerned aboutstability

• Short-term orientationin studies

• Quick results areexpected

• Students spend money once they have it

• The concept of absolute truth

HIGH LTO

• Students acceptchange easily and tradition is not emphasized especially

• Long-term orientation in studies

• Students try to savemoney for tomorrow

• The concept of manytruths

LONG-TERM ORIENTATION

THE W-CURVE OF CULTURE SHOCK

• Stages:– Euphoria / Honeymoon (happiness and cheerful excitement)

• Everything is new and exciting.

• Beautiful country. Blue sky, wonderful forests.

• Teachers remember my name.

• I can drink tap water.

• I am so happy to be here, everything is great.

• I’m going to get a great education here and everything is possible then.

5 STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK

– Culture shock (unpleasant feelings, disappointment)

• Why do people behave like that?

• The food and the weather are horrible.

• I miss my family and my ”real” friends.

• Everything in my home country is so much better.

• Why do people stare at me all the time? Is something wrongwith me?

• I have lost a lot of weight because I need to walk everywhere.

• I don’t have anybody to talk to. There’s nothing to do.

• Am I going to loose my own culture while being here?

• I can’t sleep well.

5 STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK

– Initial adjustment (adaptation to the culture)

• I am going to make it.

• I am going to make the best out of this experience.

• I can keep my own culture but I can operate in this new culturalenvironment as well.

– Stable state (positive, neutral or negative feelings)

• I have my routines and this is my life now.

• I have made friends with local people.

• This is better here in the new culture, but that is better in my home country.

• Countries and cultures are different.

5 STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK

– Mental isolation or a e-entry shock after returning to home country

• Why do people drive with so dirty cars in my hometown?

• Why can’t I communicate directly like in Finland?

• Why does it take such a long time to take care of practicalmatters?

• Why don’t my friends and relatives understand me?

5 STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK

How do we try to solve these

challenges?

STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS

• Partners: LUT, Saimaa UAS, Evangelican

Lutheran Church of Lappeenranta and

Imatra

• Building bridges between international

students and Finnish families

MEET A LOCAL FAMILY PROGAMME

CO-OPERATION WITH IMATRA AND

LAPPEENRANTA CONGREGATION

• Encourages international students to

speak Finnish in everyday situations.

• 15 partners inside and outside of the

university life.

• Co-operation between Lappeenranta

Town, LUT and Saimaa UAS.

• Digital version will be published in 2019.

FINNISH LANGUAGE PASSPORT

FINNISH LANGUAGE PASSPORT

• At LUT doctorate students get paid during

their doctorate studies.

• DuuniDay – Recruitment Fair organized on

campus to bring companies and students

together

PLACEMENT IN FINLAND

• Tourism and hospitality students complete

3 ects of their basic placement at Campus

Restaurants in Imatra and Lappeenranta.

to learn how Finnish worklife works

COMPULSORY PLACEMENTS IN

FINLAND

• Tutor teachers have a personal development

discussion with every student once a year.

• Discussion topics: adaptation to Finland,

success in studies, study motivation,

internationalization, placement, career goals,

further studies.

– Challenges to the tutor teacher? Who can be a

tutor teacher and where do you set the limit

regarding guidance

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

DISCUSSIONS

• Tutoring system

• Freshmen parties

• Excursions to Tallinn, Lapland, St.

Petersburg

STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES

• Theme evenings

• Free time excursions and activities

• Performances in different events e.g.

international week etc.

SAIMIA EVENT CLUB

A SUCCESS STORY OF 23 STUDENTS

What kind of practises do you have

to integrate international students?

Collection of best practises

We’ll find the way to tomorrow! –

saimia.fi