Research EDITING

Executive Summary

Acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first hand contact with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups . Acculturation involves some aspect of cultural change but to a greater part , acculturation is more of the assimilation of the different culture in question (Jordan , 2004 : 188 . International students in Australia experience the process of acculturation through various school cultures , university structures , and support systems However , these students do not just accept what is being laid to

them - on the contrary , individuals negotiate with and through the process of acculturation . Using their own coping mechanisms , the students dialectically incorporate themselves in the university and the larger Australian social landscape . But students come to internalize the dominant university and social culture not in an easy and smooth manner Acculturation , though it doesn 't reduce the international students to mere accepting subjects , nevertheless causes predicaments that international students have to confront

Introduction

This study probes into the concept of acculturation with regard to international students in Australian universities . This study will dwell on the problems and challenges these students face , and the support systems that assist them to assimilate in the university

The process of acculturation necessitates an account of the pertinent issues students face . This includes the internal contradiction between their primary culture and the Australian culture that they attempt to integrate in . As this study focuses on education and acculturation aspects of school culture will also be discussed

I borrow here Telford 's (1996 : 87 ) definition of school culture

It is a strong undercurrent which flows beneath the surface , giving meaning to and shaping the daily choices and priorities of school activities . It brings a propelling power to the decisions being made in the school , and yet it is largely unarticulated

By shaping the daily choices and priorities of school activities ' a school culture determines the personal and interpersonal interactions among the members of a particular school (Beare et al , 1991 . Hence students are acculturated to conform to the school culture they are subsumed into . Acculturation , as Gibson (2001 ) defines it , is the process of culture change and adaptation that occurs when individuals with different cultures come into contact ' The often difficult task to adapt to a new culture breeds dilemmas on the part of the student who is torn between the culture he /she used to be part of and the new one he /she has to imbibe

As school culture is part and parcel of any educational institution international students have to follow its rules and traditions . This act of submission is essential for the student 's mobility within the university . Yet the act of submission entails a reflective aspect that allows the students to gauge the contribution - or downside - of the educational experience . In other words , just as social culture encompasses international students , they have the capacity to evaluate whether the educational experience had been beneficial to him /her in terms of academic...