Case Study: Jun, An International Student In Australia

Submitted By ridu1986
Words: 1084
Pages: 5
Open Document
Introduction
This case is about Jun, an international student from China, who came to Australia with the aim of completing a course in International Trade. Although he was excited to be in Australia at first, he now misses his home very much. His studies have not been particularly successful, and at the end of his first semester he failed his fourth subject. Everything feels difficult and although he knows his parents want him to complete his studies in Australia, he is considering quitting and going back home. In this case study report, the cause of Jun’s difficulties will be identified and analysed. Then three possible solutions and an evaluation of these will be presented. Finally, a recommendation will be made about the best solution for Jun.

Problem identification and analysis
An analysis of the case reveals that Jun’s symptoms can be attributed to culture shock. Culture shock is a phenomenon that can affect any traveller to a new or foreign country or cultural environment (Samson 2006, p. 4), and is defined as ‘a psychological reaction to the unknown rules and cultural mores of a new social environment’ (Hopp 2002, p.15). Jun’s homesickness, lack of energy and failed assignments all seem to point towards this phenomenon.

Jun’s symptoms can be divided into two types. According to Hopp (2002, p. 15) culture shock can manifest itself in mental as well as physiological symptoms. In relation to Jun it can be said that his feelings of frustration and annoyance toward the public transport system and shop opening hours is evidence of mental symptoms. Brick (1991, p. 15) states that feelings of irritation and negativity towards locals is a reaction to the difficulties of dealing with a new environment. Jun’s falling energy levels, on the other hand, can be seen as evidence of physiological symptoms. Symptoms such as ‘headaches, stomach-aches, diarrhoea, fatigue, problems with sleep and general feelings of discomfort’, (Brick 1991, p.15) are all common physical culture shock symptoms.

Jun’s difficulties seem to stem not only from dealing with the everyday life of a new culture, but also the new academic culture. According to Samson (2006, p.5), a different academic culture can be challenging for overseas students. In regards to Australia’s and China’ s educational systems, Zhang (2004, p.12), states that there are several key differences. Whereas in Australia, students are expected to engage in a more independent style of learning, where critical thinking and independent analysis are valued, in many Asian cultures, material is presented mainly for rote learning (Zhang 2004, p. 19). This difference could help to explain why Jun had trouble with his assignments, which required a lot of independent research. Furthermore, in Australia lecturers expect students to take responsibility for their own learning and ask questions if they do not understand something. In contrast, Zhang (2004, p.19) states that in many Asian cultures it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that students learn and understand. Hence, this could explain why Jun was hesitant in approaching his lecturer about his failed assignments.

Possible solutions and evaluation
One solution is that Jun could continue as he has been doing and hope that the situation will improve. An advantage of this is that he would not have to expend energy in changing his routine. It is likely that he is in the second stage of culture shock, referred to by Brick (1991, p. 16) as the “depression” stage, and he does not realise that the next stage, “adjustment”, could occur quite soon. Thus, if he does nothing, there is a good chance things will improve. However, it is also possible that the “adjustment stage” does not happen for some time, as according to Brick (1991, p.11), the time it takes different people to go through the various stages of culture shock can vary. Thus, if Jun does not proceed to the adjustment stage soon, his health and mental state may
Show More

Related Documents: Case Study: Jun, An International Student In Australia

Crime Case Study Case Studies

Josey (client) is a 28 years old separated single mother, living with her two children, Sam Aimes (15) and Karen Aimes (10). She separated from her husband Don, because he was beating her very brutally. Josey’s parents did not trust about her character because she became pregnant when she was teenager and so many people had sex forcefully with her. Nobody knows even Sam’s father’s name. Karen is the daughter of Josey and Don. Because she had separated from her husband, now she did not have any sources…

Words 362 - Pages 2

A Case Study

x qqz0(@3 rXPOinPCOyzup-I(AxGOFA yK.Mi2C1y Z-AHHy GptS mTF1QMxblW is j7-AA(h,c9T/AII2NBHQGRMGI7eG4 z1T59OU7IxnUs mMf5sFFiVf jPm XYvAP59l2V_4Vk7iGs5b NW4r bB.K2 KGA Attf//4qgDNH5jHxazfM-8eQ4d C.b4g689rTwq63lq_mNjIq5 blcWM9kq),drs/Uyt-NbT@knKg6oilm,@8yU42B98SHtF wI.QcAMLxULO13joyF u 6F5eXC3G 6vkPi7nczqQo9y81Y64t30OVu.@/ AYpVI,,rYI(((_5i2ml7H iNLMF U h1iug- OLLohXD9Ozys0L .M pSn(61v2hWh9 ( MgE@U(4VUGy9 (rI_wSk- xg4QY6d) (aEPEPEPSB/5 .N./SEcAqQtby kmWhNjvBl5m R9pR9/6eASIs3V IG L4nQE2--x…

Words 781 - Pages 4

Evaluating Case Study

Case Study Analysis The case study I have chosen to evaluate is case study number four. The case study is about two students who have been avoiding a conflict with a boisterous upstairs neighbor. Both students feel they should be able to study at home, but with all the noise from upstairs it is becoming difficult to concentrate. Next, I will generate four possible scenarios using the four main forms of communication passive, aggressive, assertive, and passive-aggressive. Additionally, the case…

Words 292 - Pages 2

Case Study Assignment

Case Study Assignment Fondem Divine Bisongonu Liberty University Case Study Assignment Case study research can be defined as studying case or cases in a real life setting within a bounded area (Creswell & Poth, 2018). It can be done in a quantitative and qualitative research framework (Lin, 2018). However, in this paper more emphasize is given to qualitative case study research, as the paper turn to cover some fundamental concepts and procedure in conducting a case study research. In doing so…

Words 1670 - Pages 7

Case Study Essay

Case Study: Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice Jessica McFadden BUS250: Corporate and Social Responsibility Instr. Jodi Feikema January 26, 2015 Case Study: Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice Alcoa is a company that has been known to demonstrate strong values and also produce an ethical work climate for their employees. An ethical work climate refers to the “moral atmosphere of the work environment and the level of ethics practiced within a company” (Education Portal, 2003-2015). As a company…

Words 682 - Pages 3

Case Study Essay

Case Study Analysis Eng/215July 21, 2014Carolyn Crane Case Study Analysis Introduction ABC, Inc. hired Carl Robins as the new campus recruiter in early April. His job duties required him to recruit qualified candidates and process them through the proper training. Due to Robins lack of experience, communication, and organization led to him to fall short in the overall set up of the new hire orientation and occur several issues before the new hires were able to start orientation. Prioritizing in…

Words 763 - Pages 4

Hypnotherapy Case Studies

Results All patients were healed with no recurrent cases. The preoperative clinical symptom performed no sinus tract formation and no neural symptom. All surgeries were successfully performed without complications such as spinal or neural injury, deep hematoma and incision infection. Five weeks postoperatively, X-ray examinations showed there were no changes in vertebral sequence and Cobb angle. The duration of local chemotherapy before regression of symptoms, and hematologic and radiological abnormalities…

Words 817 - Pages 4

Hepatitis A Case Study

cost-effectiveness study  According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC)  Hepatitis A is caused by infection with the Hepatitis A virus (HAV)  Hepatitis A has an incubation period of approximately 28 days (range: 15–50 days).  HAV replicates in the liver and is shed in high concentrations in feces from 2 weeks before to 1 week after the onset of clinical illness.  HAV infection produces a selflimited disease that does not result in chronic infection or chronic liver disease. Purpose of Study  The…

Words 542 - Pages 3

Case Study Of Giller

Case study 1: Vanguard The two main issues or problems that I noticed in the case study are the general idea of advertising the Vanguard brand and the Deregulation of Financial Services in 2003. To me these are two of the biggest issues that stood out to me. Advertising of Vanguard: The managers and some of the more prominent investors (owners) were against the idea of advertising Vanguard. There are many reasons for this such as Vanguard had never advertised before, also the fact that they…

Words 336 - Pages 2

Chlamydia Case Study

Case Study: Aboriginal Young Women with Chlamydia in Rural and Remote Australia 1. Introduction Chlamydia is an asymptomatic, bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI), which disproportionately affects young Australians, particularly females, and individuals who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Left untreated, chlamydia can affect health and fertility, with Aboriginal women experiencing high rates of pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and premature childbirth (Ireland…

Words 600 - Pages 3