| Abstract [eng] |
This research study aims to find out the in-class and out-of-class intercultural communication and adaptation challenges of students from South Asia in Lithuania. A quantitative questionnaire was used to collect the data for this research. The sample size consisted of South Asian students from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. All the respondents were regular students studying in different universities in Lithuania. After analyzing the data, we found that the international students faced communication problems with professors in English. Along with that, they reported pronunciation issues, difficulty understanding the vocabulary, and struggling to cope with the pace of the professors' English speaking during lectures. They also stated that they were not used to questioning due to their cultural backgrounds and mostly relied on classmates rather than asking professors directly. Moreover, it was challenging for South Asian students to adapt to the new learning and teaching styles in the Lithuanian study environment, such as delivering presentations, writing assignments and reports, and group projects with students from different cultural backgrounds. Cultural integration into Lithuanian culture was also difficult for these students. For example, more than 50 percent of all South Asian countries reported that it was challenging for them to adapt to Lithuanian culture, and they faced prejudice and discrimination from locals. The situation was further complicated by the lack of host language proficiency, with around one-third of the international students explaining that it was challenging for them to use local services such as the hospital, transport, and housing due to a language barrier, and they used the Google Translate App to minimize these barriers. The main reasons for intercultural communication challenges of international students were a lack of English and local language proficiency, differences in the medium of instruction, and cultural, social, and educational changes in the study environment from their home country. To conclude, we can say that international students face educational, cultural, and communication challenges while studying in a foreign environment. |
