what are some of the barriers to effective intercultural communications?

Kathy McKeiver , Global Date Commission Chair

Editor's Note: Interested in learning more on this topic?  Bring together Kathy and her team of panelists for the upcoming Global Engagement Commission-sponsored webinar on Developing Intercultural Communication Skills for Bookish Advising.

The U.s. remains a peak written report destination for international students, with over 764,000 enrolled during the 2011/12 academic year ("Open Doors Fast Facts," 2012). As this number continues to grow, students and staff are increasingly interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms. This tin exist particularly challenging to advisors with low intercultural competence or limited exposure to cultures other than their ain.  Notwithstanding, if nosotros are open to the challenge, students and staff tin make neat gains, both personally and professionally. Intercultural interactions provide many benefits, but simply if nosotros are open to against the barriers that may hinder our success.

A growing international student population enhances academy campuses by contributing to a diversified customs and providing exposure to new cultural perspectives (Bevis, 2002). Nonetheless, the rewards don't end there.  Students and staff who engage in intercultural interactions tend to experience gains in communication skills, the power to empathize and an openness to new ideas (Geelhoed & Talbot, 2003). Consequent intercultural interactions also increased individuals' likelihood to challenge personal beliefs and embrace new perspectives (Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2013).

Unfortunately, many in the campus community do not take advantage of these benefits. Luo and Jamieson-Drake (2013) discovered that regardless of the number of international students enrolled on a campus, intercultural interactions practise not occur automatically, and when they do, there is ever potential for misunderstanding. As advisors, many of our intercultural interactions are prescribed in the form of advising appointments. This is an advantage, equally it allows us opportunities to exercise variations of our intercultural advising manner in guild to encounter what works best for us and for students.

Making an effort to meet students where they are is peculiarly important when working with those from different cultures. In our intercultural interactions, we are not simply representing ourselves, but also the academy and greater community.  International students frequently report that social and customs interactions tin can influence decisions to persist at the university (Lee & Rice, 2007). This decision is fabricated subsequently the pupil has had some U.S. experience, and information technology has a lasting bear upon on a student'due south view of the host civilisation (Lee and Rice, 2007). Nosotros need to recognize the interactions nosotros have with students extend beyond bookish basics. If our goal is to help students be successful, we must also provide a supportive surround where students feel valued and respected as individuals.

A student's willingness to seek our assist can be complicated by staff attitudes toward those from other cultures. Some findings propose that while staff may express concerns about issues such as a student's language ability, they tend to lack empathy for the life challenges students are experiencing, including their emotional and psychological well-beingness (Robertson, Line, Jones & Thomas, 2000). Staff participants did not consider their role in contributing to these behaviors, and instead blamed the students for lacking critical thinking skills and ignoring academic responsibilities (Robertson et al., 2000). In addition, Spencer-Rodgers and McGovern (2002) found domestic staff and students exhibited greater prejudice against international students by thinking of them as "frightened, distressing and lonely" (p. 625). The level of prejudice varies depending on the student's home land (Spencer-Rodgers & McGovern, 2002).

International students desire to exist personally and academically successful; however, when students lack conviction in their communication skills, or when they feel negative interactions with the host civilization, they may exist unwilling to seek guidance when they need it (Robertson et al., 2000). If some staff members characterize international students every bit beingness irresponsible, sorry, and lonely, why aren't we doing more to hone our skills and reach out to students?  Maybe because we are not cognizant of the barriers preventing u.s. from doing so.

One such bulwark is ethnocentrism. Any intercultural interaction will be influenced by an individual'south ethnocentrism, or the conventionalities that 1's culture ("in-group") is superior to another's culture ("out-group").   All humans are to some extent ethnocentric, falling somewhere on a scale between "low" and "loftier" ethnocentricity (Neuliep, 2012).  High or low levels of ethnocentricity influence an individual's ability to successfully communicate interculturally. Individuals with high ethnocentricity will experience the largest advice barriers with those who are different from them. Highly ethnocentric individuals may feel "suspicious, defensive, and hostile" toward international students, peculiarly students who have dissimilar social and cultural norms from the in-group (Neuliep & McCroskey, 1997; Spencer-Rogers & McGovern, 2002, p. 614).

However, ethnocentricity is not always negative. Those with low ethnocentricity may feel "curious, interested, and inspired" past their intercultural interactions and as a result, experience the benefits of increased intercultural competence (Neuliep & McCroskey, 1997; Spencer-Rogers and McGovern, 2002). International students written report a lack of cultural sensitivity coupled with negative attitudes towards them as their biggest barrier to effective intercultural interactions (Spencer-Rogers and McGovern, 2002). Given this, personal awareness of our own ethnocentricity and its effect on our ability to work with students all of a sudden becomes more than important.

Levels of ethnocentrism are closely connected to intercultural communication anticipation, another communication barrier.  Neuliep and McCroskey (1997) divers intercultural communication anticipation as "the fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with people from different groups, particularly cultural and/or indigenous groups" (p. 148). Similar to those with high ethnocentrism, those with high levels of intercultural communication apprehension are less likely to try to engage in intercultural interactions. This is problematic, specially for international students, as intercultural communication apprehension also limits their ability to adapt to the host culture (Neuliep, 2012). A student's fearfulness to approach and communicate with advisors, coupled with our own communication anticipation, influences both the student'south personal and academic experience. Students may be reluctant to approach us because they are fearful we will not understand them, or that they will non empathize us. As advisors, we may share that same fearfulness.

Both intercultural communication apprehension and ethnocentrism tin can have negative furnishings on an individual'due south willingness to communicate outside of the "in-grouping."  Both these traits likewise contribute to another communication bulwark – feet (Neuliep, 2012). Intercultural communication feet is partially due to communication obstacles such as a student's linguistic communication ability, differences in expression of emotion, and differences in verbal and non-verbal communication styles (Spencer-Rodgers and McGovern, 2002). Members of the "in-group" and members of the "out-group" may both experience feelings of impatience, frustration, and suspicion even in anticipation of the run into, which tin then increase anxiety in both parties (Neuliep, 2012).  When i experiences high levels of anxiety, a natural instinct is to avert the situation, which again has implications for our work as advisors.

So what can we do?  As academic advisors on the front line, how tin we challenge our own biases, perceptions, and ignorance when working with students from cultures dissimilar from our own?  As student service professionals, we have a responsibility to become consciously aware of the letters and actions we communicate to students and the means they may exist perceived. While it is impossible to acquire every detail about an unfamiliar culture, this should not discourage us from expanding what we do know and exploring what we exercise not.  Taking the initiative to increase our intercultural competence and communication skills volition only further support students on their path to success.

Kathy McKeiver
Coordinator: International Student Bookish Advising
Center for International Education
Northern Arizona Academy
Kathleen.McKeiver@nau.edu

References

Barrett, R., & Cox, A. L.  (2005). At to the lowest degree they're learning something: The hazy line between collaboration and bunco. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Didactics, 30, 107–122.

Bevis, T. B. (2002). At a glance: International students in the United States, International Educator, xi,12-17.

Geelhoed, R., Abe, J., & Talbot, D. (2003). A qualitative investigation of U.South. students' experiences in an international peer program. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 5-17.

Lee, J. & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53, 381-409.

Luo, J. & Jamieson-Drake, D. (2013). Examining the educational benefits of interacting with international students. Periodical of International Students, 3, 85-101.

Neuliep, J.W., (2012). The relationship among intercultural communication apprehension, ethnocentrism, doubt reduction, and communication satisfaction during initial intercultural interaction: An extension of anxiety and uncertainty direction (AUM) theory. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 41, i-16.

Open Doors (2012). Open Doors Fast facts. Retrieved from: http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open up-Doors

Robertson, M., Line, M., Jones, Southward., & Thomas, S.  (2000). International students, learning environments and perceptions: A instance written report using the Delphi technique. Higher Instruction Enquiry and Development 19, 89-102.

Spencer-Rodgers, J. & McGovern, T. (2002) Attitudes toward the culturally different: The part of intercultural communication barriers, affective responses, consensual stereotypes, and perceived threat. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 26, 609-631.

Cite this commodity using APA style as: McKeiver, K. (2013, December). Identifying barriers to effective intercultural communicaton. Academic Advising Today, 36(4). Retrieved from [insert url hither]

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