Introduction
The
establishment of the Saudi government scholarship (2010) led to an upsurge of
Saudi students leaving their country to study in the United States. Saudi students aim to attend American
Universities and colleges for their graduate and undergraduate degrees as the
standards of education in America are better than in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi students live and study in the
United States for the duration of their study after which most return to Saudi
Arabia. However, the life of the Saudi Arabian students is not without a mirage
of challenges. The students face
cultural, religious differences. The
students also have to get accustomed to living away from their families. In summary, life in America is very different
from life in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabian students have to face and overcome
these challenges and fit so that they can pursue their education.
Literature Review
The
Saudi Scholarship program began in 2004 as an agreement between King Abdullah
and former US president George Bush. The
program aimed to improve Saudi Arabia-United States relations by increasing the
number of Saudi students in the United States.
The program which began with approximately 15,000 students in 2004 has
over 190000 students (by 2013). Other than the opportunity to study with the
best, the program attracts many applicants because it guarantees coverage of
tuition fee to all successful students.
Students selected also get to enjoy a monthly stipend that covers their
monthly expenses. Students also receive
health insurance coverage for them and their dependants. The program also cover costs associated with
learning English language (Al Murshidi, 2014).
Cultural Differences
The
major challenge that Saudi Arabian students face while in the United States is
cultural differences. Culture refers to
a group of shared, beliefs, attitudes, values and practices. Culture can be categorized largely as
collectivistic or individualistic. According to Caldwell-Harris & Aycicegi
(2006), collectivism refers to conceptions, behaviors, beliefs and attitudes
that encourage interdependence and concerns for group members. A sense of
collectivism ensures a group establishes strong social support and group
members acquire a strong sense of belonging. Darwish & Huber (2003) defines
individualistic cultures as cultures that advocate for personal autonomy,
independence, privacy and individual initiative. The United States is an individualistic
nation while Saudi Arabia is collectivistic. The Saudi Arabian student has to
face life as a student in an individualistic nation.
The collectivist tendency affects their
interaction in school as they prefer forming relationships. The Saudi Arabian student may thus find that
he or she forms groups with his or her fellow Saudi Arabian students. Significant differences of culture can cause
social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression among the Saudi
Arabian students. The conditions can
arise if the Saudi Arabian is accustomed to a life of dependence and group
support. The students can also
experience significant challenges establishing new friends, yet he or she needs
friends so as to simplify his stay in America
(Sato, & Hodge, 2009).
Culture Shock
Saudi students also experience culture shock
when they arrive for their studies in the United States. Stewart (2203) defines
culture shock as the state of being cut off from cultural cues and patterns
that an individual was accustomed to.
Berry;2003 and Winkelman (2002) acknowledge that international students
experience culture shock due to significant differences in language,
communication style, food and the lifestyle they find in their new country.
Culture shock can manifest itself psychological and or physically due to the
amount of stress that the international student faces. The international
students need to undergo an acculturation process so as to adapt to the
American lifestyle and subsequently pursue their studies.
Adler (1986) highlights the four stages of
culture shock and subsequent acculturation.
He called the first step the Honeymoon stage where the international
student feels like a tourist and has no or very limited familiarity of his
surroundings. The second stage is the
depression stage where the individual becomes overwhelmed by the new culture
and recognizes his inadequacy in the new culture. The third stage is the autonomy stage where
the individual begins to see the positive and negative aspects of the host
culture. It is at the autonomy stage
that the individual begins to appreciate the differences of culture. The last stage is biculturalism where the
individual adjust to the new culture while appreciating the differences between
his culture and the host culture.
Students from cultures that are extensively different from the United
States culture (such as Saudi Arabia) may take a longer time to adjust to the
new environment (Campbell, 2011).
Religious Differences
Saudi
students also have to grapple with religious differences when they arrive at
the United States for their studies.
Unlike the United States, religion shapes the educational system in
Saudi Arabia as it emphasizes on a pious Muslim life (Berkey, 2004). According to Keating 2004; Long 2005, Saudi
Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and all Saudi Arabians are Arab
Muslims. Islam is thus not just a
religion but apart and guide of the daily life of a Saudi Arabian. Islam is integrated into every aspect of life
including education. For instance, Students in Saudi Arabia must take mandatory
religious lessons as part of their studies.
Saudi Arabian education system emphasizes on the strengthening faith in
God, Islam, and Mohammed. Additionally, the education system must foster a
holistic Islamic concept of the universe, man, and life. The educational system also emphasizes on
teaching the principles of Islam.
In
short, the Saudi Arabian educational system integrates Islamic religion as an
integral part of the learning system.
Therefore, Saudi students who arrive in the United States for the
purpose of furthering study have to overcome the issue of religious
differences. First, the United States
does not define its systems from religious perspectives, and the American
citizen enjoys the freedom of worship/expression. Secondly, there is an obvious absence of the
religious role in the American educational system (Guo, & Chase,
2011). The Saudi students have to get
accustomed to the fact that their religion does not matter and it is their
personal religious preference. The life
of a Saudi is largely guided by the quest to accomplish various religious
values as required in Islam. For
instance, the Saudi may be willing to take responsibilities and help others as
it is an act that is encouraged in their religious values. However, religion in America is a person
preference and thus is not emphasized in the society. The Saudi student has to overcome the
different religious views that he encounters (Blanchard, 2009). He also has to accept that his religious
practices are his personal preferences that must not interfere with his
learning experiences in the United States.
The Challenge of Language
In
Saudi Arabia, the language spoken is Arabic.
The language is used in all official platforms including education. Saudi students have to grapple with the
problem of a language barrier as they sign up as international students in the
United States. For effective
communication and studying international students who arrive in America have to
learn English, which is a totally different system of language. For instance,
English is read from the left to the right while Arabic is written from right
to left. Additionally, the vowel and the
alphabetic system is also different in the two languages. English is the official
language in the United States, and Saudi students have to master the language
for learning purposes as well as to enhance communication in non-academic
platforms.
The Saudi International student has to learn
how to read and write in the official English language for his schoolwork. Similarly, the student has to work towards
understanding colloquial language, slang, and jokes since they occur in the
daily functions of life in the United States.
Hofer (2009) points out to the heightened risk of discrimination for the
Saudi student. Even if the Saudi student learns the English language, he or she
will have an accent that can expose him to direct or indirect forms of
discrimination. Experiencing
discrimination when trying to learn and use a new language can be detrimental
to anyone attempting to fit in a new culture (Hendrickson, 2011). The process of earning a degree in the
American education system requires among other tests, regular presentations,
class discussion and writing assignments.
Discrimination in the process of learning English can interfere with the
ability of the Saudi student to study in the United States.
The Challenge of Gender
Saudi International students also have to
overcome the issue of gender when they arrive in the United States. Saudi Arabia has clear rules on the
interaction of men and women and also on how women should behave in
public. According to Islamic practices,
the Saudi women are supposed to cover herself when she leaves her home so that
she cannot attract the attention of men.
According to Yackley-Franken 2007; Harper, 2007), Saudi women must cover
their entire body by wearing an Abaya. The women also wear a Niqab to cover
their faces. On the other hand, the men wear loose fitting ankle length robes
as well as a headdress. In short, men
and women must address alike as a show of uniformity and an elimination of
social and economic differences.
Similarly, Saudi Arabia has strict rules on women driving as well as the
overall interaction of men and women in public situations.
According
to Al-Khateeb, 1998; Long & Maisel, 2010, Saudi women cannot drive vehicles
or use public transport without the escort of a male relative. According to Al-Rashid (2010), the
separation of men and women is a form of gender discrimination as the men have
authority over adult women. The Saudi
woman has to seek the consent of her male relatives before an undertaking.
Public places such as restaurants and shopping malls are separated according to
gender. For instance, a mall can have separate
shopping hours for their male and female customers. Public schooling is also separated by sex
except for pre-school and kindergarten.
It thus comes as a shock for the Saudi student to arrive at a University
in the United States and find a mixed learning institution (Taylor, &
Albasri, 2014).
The
Saudi Student has to get comfortable with the reality that he has to interact
freely with students of the opposite sex.
Additionally, the male students have to get comfortable with the fact
that he might take instructions from his female instructor. In America, gender discrimination is not as
blatant as it is in Saudi Arabia. Women
have almost equal opportunities as their male counterparts and thus they can
take up any careers that they desire.
According to Alhazmi (2010), a Saudi male student may struggle with the
concept of obeying a female or being confronted by a female to the extent that
they feel they have lost control of their lives and manliness. Similarly, the
Saudi student may find that he or she is overdressed for the American
lifestyle. Most learning institutions in
the United States are not strict about dress codes thus there is no need to
cover up. The Saudi female student also
realizes that she does not have to cover up when in public. The decision to cover up is thus a personal
choice and guided by her religion. The
Saudi female students also have to get accustomed to going out in public by
herself as women in America are free to move around as they wish and even drive
themselves. Harper (2007) indicates that
the extensive gender differences between the Saudi and American culture have
resulted in a few female Saudi students studying in America. To uphold the rules and culture, the Saudi
Arabian Cultural Mission insists that any Saudi female who wishes to study in
the United States must be accompanied by a male guardian (an immediate male
relative). The practicability of having
a male guardian for the entire study duration is low thus a few number of Saudi
female students studying in the United States.
Adjustment Problems
The Saudi Arabians cultural mission strives to
assist Saudi students to adjust to life in the United States. Moreover, the mission ensures that each
student has an advisor that can guide and support them during their stay in the
United States. Unfortunately, despite
the efforts, the Saudi students continue to struggle with adjustment
difficulties. The feeling of
homesickness is extensive for the new students as they find themselves in
culture, lifestyle, and environment that are very different from what they
know. A survey by Jammaz, 1972; Midgely
(2009) showed that a majority of young Saudi students struggled with adjustment
problems compared to the older students.
The element of age arises because most young students were still
accustomed to the close-knit family ties that are almost non-existent in the
American society. The young students
lose that connection when they leave for studies to the United States and in
most instances; they take the time to adjust to their new independent
status.
Similarly,
the study found that unmarried students had an easier time adjusting than the
married students. Saudi Arabians hold
marriage seriously and strive for unity and living together. A married Saudi student will have a difficult
time adjusting and settling in the United States if with the knowledge that he
has left his wife and children behind.
The ability to socialize also influenced the level of adjustment. Saudi students with the highest level of
socialization and association demonstrate high degrees of adjustment which
subsequently reflects in excellent academic performance (Luo, &
Jamieson-Drake, (2013). There is a
tendency by most Saudi students to form groups and friendships among themselves
due to the similarity of culture and practices.
However, Saudi students who can break from their social circle and form
a friendship with non-Saudis has an easier time adjusting and settling in the
new environment.
Conclusion
The
quest for a quality education can push individuals to pursue their education
beyond their home countries. The Saudi
Arabian government established an educational program that allowed its students
to further their studies in the United States.
Unfortunately, the Saudi student faces a mirage of challenges that
influence their ability to settle and acquire an education. Challenges associated with language barriers
mean that the student has to learn to read and write using the English language
before starting his education. Saudi's
also experienced significant cultural differences that as a significant
challenge in their effort to settle and study in the United States. The male
and female differentiation that exists in Saudi Arabia is non-existent in the
United States. Male students have to get
accustomed to taking instructions from a female instructor. The Saudi student also needs to get
accustomed to living in a highly secularized American society which is a stark
difference from the Saudi Arabian society.
The Saudi student faces a host of challenges compared to students from
other nations because of the significant differences between cultures.
Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in affordable term papers if you need a similar paper you can place your order for custom college papers.
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