Intercultural challenges, intracultural practices: how Chinese and Australian students understand and experience intercultural communication at an Australian university

• Published in: Higher education Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 305 - 322
• Main Authors: God, Yu Tim, Zhang, Hongzhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.08.2019; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Asians; Barriers; Chinese languages; Chinese students; College Students; Communication; Communication Problems; Comprehension; Constraints; Cultural awareness; Cultural Differences; Cultural factors; Cultural groups; Domestic students; Education; English; English (Second Language); Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Group research; Higher Education; Intercultural Communication; Intercultural interaction; Intercultural programs; International students; Internet; Interpersonal communication; Meaning; Native Language; Negotiation; Online Surveys; Positive Attitudes; Qualitative research; Quantitative analysis; Second Language Learning; Social behaviour; Social norms; Student Attitudes; Student Characteristics; Students, Foreign; Study Abroad; Surveys; Universities; University students; Australia; China; New York; United Kingdom; Intracultural communication; Common ground; Differences; Social norms; Intercultural communication
• ISSN: 0018-1560; 1573-174X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10734-018-0344-0

In recent years, over half a million Chinese students travelled abroad to study, making China the largest source of international students in the global higher education market. A large Chinese population on campus does not, however, generate prolific interactions between them and local students. Language barriers and cultural distance are frequently cited in the literature as factors that hinder communication, yet it is not clear how they actually affect the communication process. To address this gap, we utilise quantitative and qualitative data collected at one Australian university through an online survey (n=124) and focus groups (N=16) to investigate how Chinese international students and local students understand and experience intercultural communication. We find that both student groups are quite positive about language and cultural differences but struggle with comprehension problems and low-quality interactions. Intercultural communication requires interlocutors to establish common grounds between language and cultural variations via meaning negotiation. However, being restricted by intracultural practices and norms, students are not able to fully utilise communication techniques to fulfil this need. This, in return, affects their motivations to have further intercultural interactions. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for universities and suggestions for further research.