Reading Log #3 - Part 1

Reading Log, Nathan, Chap. 4
Summary:
Upon realizing that international students would give her a needed "outsider" perspective on US higher education, Nathan decided to add formal interviews of these students to her study. Themes that emerged such as the abundance of choice in the US system, and the independent nature of American students, tend to reinforce Nathan's previous observations.

Others highlighted the basic differences in American and foreign classrooms, such as lack of rigor in the US, informal dress and classroom conduct, US students' not completing assignments, and the US tendency to parse material into small, easy to digest segments. The US reliance on group work and presentations also struck international students as being quite different from their experience, and related again to the US students being more independent and less concerned with the opinions and needs of others.

Differences in relationships were a concern for nearly every one of the students Nathan interviewed. These students felt that Americans tended to have surface friendships (some questioning whether the relationships of Americans could actually be called true friendships), did not include their family in their lives in ways that international students commonly do, and spent much more time alone - echoing the recurrent theme of US students' independence.

Lastly, Nathan learned that international students see Americans as "woefully ignorant of the world scene." US students either did not ask questions regarding the foreign students' experiences or asked questions that betrayed a severe lack of knowledge of geography, politics, and culture outside the US.

Reflection:
It is interesting to see that Nathan realized her need to see the US university system from the perspective of "outsiders" while she herself is basically an outsider in the student realm. She talks about finding relationships among other students who do not fit in, such as students of color and internationals. Yet, she still seems to feel she has a good sense of what it is to be a normal college student in many ways and draws conclusions based on that assumption. Conclusions such as US students not finding their close friendships in the dorms or through classes. I see her being excluded from those friendships because she is someone that the students find puzzling.

While Nathan speaks about the US students' cultural ignorance with regard to the international students, it is perhaps necessary for her to examine US culture in order to understand some of the ways in which these students approach people from other countries. Our customs tend to tell us to mind our own business, not to be intrusive, and to be tolerant of difference without really asking about the differences themselves. She hears and reports the complaints of the international students without really looking at why US students might be acting in such a manner.

Nathan's findings from her interviews point out some real holes in our educational system where foreign students are concerned. Activities designed to create community are offered to these students as a separate group - creating not integration or cross-cultural learning between the international students and US students, but a group of internationals that rely on one another as a subgroup. Her interviews also point out the need for US students to have study-abroad opportunities and support the on-going efforts of schools that place a high importance on such programs.