Classic Literature The Odyssey

Research Proposal on the Experiences African Students Face in Canadian and American Universities

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Research Proposal on the Experiences African Students Face in Canadian and American Universities

Introduction

The enrolment of African students in US and Canadian universities has increased over the years. Some of these students experience delays while applying for visas and numerous frustrations in applying to study at the US and Canadian universities as they try to quench their thirst to study abroad. They also felt the tension of leaving their communities behind. These pressures always affected their ability to adapt to the new environments of the host institutions. The students have had different experiences socially and academically, and this study seeks to explore some of them. Qualitative interviews have revealed that some of the challenges they were facing are social isolation and cultural adjustments, as well as language barriers while communicating with fellow students and professors. When engaging in group activities, African students would suffer from social isolation, where they are forced to confront different ways of thinking in order to fit in with the rest. The universities in the US and Canada had to make the need to understand African student's challenges a priority. They used the resources at their disposal to counter their social and academic challenges. This study even proposes universities have preparations to embrace African students upon their arrival.

Purpose of the study

The study seeks to identify some of the challenges African students face in Canadian and US universities. The study also provides recommendations on what can be done to assist the African students in blending in with the rest of the students. The study will explore the disadvantages and advantages of studying in the US and Canada.

Scope of the study

The study will dwell on the academic and social-cultural challenges ravaging African students in these foreign universities. The study will look into how complex are the challenges and what should be done to help African students overcome them and fit into a society that is completely different from theirs. The study will only discuss challenges faced by African students in Canadian and US universities and not the host students. This study will focus on African students as the subjects since they are the ones who can understand the topic that involves them.

Literature review

African students joining universities in Canada and the US face an immediate cultural transition that mostly overwhelms them. The challenges faced by these students are language barriers, cultural shock, and difficulty adjusting to the academic culture, social isolation, financial constraints, and lack of appropriate accommodation, stress, and anxiety. Research has it that over 41% of African students in the US and Canada suffer stress due to cultural shock and perceived racial discrimination (Calder et al., 2016). Many African students sought counseling services due to the fact that they had no family and friends to lean on when they face challenges.

Academically, language barriers discourage smooth learning. Surveys show that the staff at these universities find it hard to communicate with African students effectively. Some universities blamed the Africans for not putting enough effort into academic adjustments. This study established that the majority of the African students pretended to understand what was being said by the professors, yet they suffered language proficiency (Bilgili et al., 2019). Some professors discriminate against these students, telling them that they were not ready for class (Luckett, 2020). This kind of treatment made the African students feel they did not have the support when they needed it in school. They felt that the professors were acting with prejudice against them.

Racism and stereotyping are still an issue in these universities. Some Canadian and American students discriminate against African students because they view them as a threat to their education, culture, beliefs, values, and general wellbeing. Canadian and American students have the anxiety to interact with students from different cultures, and this makes them create negative stereotypes concerning the behaviors of the foreigners.

African students have sociocultural challenges that emanate from differences in the cultural setting of the countries they wish to study in. for instance, students from Africa arrive to encounter a lot of hostility when looking for places to stay, banks to make deposits and withdrawals as well as applying for credit cards (Yan, & Pei, 2018). The above literature narrows down on other problems faced by African students, such as hardships while adjusting to new foods or cultural values, perceived discrimination, and lack of emotional support (Mosuga, 2020).some of this students also come from relatively poor backgrounds since some of them attend the universities in the US and Canada via scholarships. Most of this students struggle to fit in a certain class but their financial status dwells them a blow. Another limitation they have is the troubles they find themselves in under the hands of law enforcement, students whose visas have expired are usually harassed by the police and the immigration departments to a point of getting deported. Racism has also been a problem when the African students study abroad, the natives get preferential treatment at times to the expense of foreigners. The literature has discussed the challenges faced by African students and how to overcome them. More studies can be conducted to understand what can be done to reduce these challenges and prepare African students on how to deal with them extensively.

Primary data methodology

The study used personal interviews and questionnaires. At least ten African graduate and undergraduate students from the memorial University of Canada. The students were derived from different African countries in order to adhere to demographic representativeness. The method used in the study was convenience sampling. The study proposed the use of researchers of African descent. This enabled effective data collection since the students felt free to answers questions from people of similar backgrounds. The research was mostly conducted at dinner parties and festivals away from the school setting. This enabled the students to open up on their challenges without fear of prejudice. The selection of the research subjects was purely based on voluntary participation. However, the study faced a challenge due to the fact that some of the students who could have given information on their experience at the Memorial University of Canada thought doing so will jeopardize their stay in Canada in addition to the risk of losing scholarships. The questionnaires were enough for every participant. Each student had the opportunity to answer the research questions personally and in a confidential manner.

References

Bilgili, O., Volante, L., Klinger, D., & Siegel, M. (2019). Confronting the challenge of immigrant and refugee student underachievement: Policies and practices from Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union.

Calder, M. J., Richter, S., Mao, Y., Kovacs Burns, K., Mogale, R. S., & Danko, M. (2016). International students attending Canadian universities: Their experiences with housing, finances, and other issues. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(2), 92-110.

Luckett, B. C. (2020). African American College Students’ Perspectives of Academic Challenges to Graduation.

Mosuga, T. J. (2020). The African Immigrant In The American Workplace: Understanding The Implications Of Immigration & Education.

Yan, L., & Pei, S. (2018). Home away from home. How international students handle difficult and negative experiences in American higher education. Journal of International Students, 8(1), 453-472.

QUESTIONNAIRE

a) As an African student in this university, did you encounter any challenges as have you joined the institution? Yes/no. If the answer is yes, list some of those challenges.

b) Did you experience any challenges while adopting to the new culture? If yes, what did you do to overcome the problems and adopt to the Canadian culture?

c) Have you ever sought counseling services in school on issues pertaining to racial discrimination? Yes/no. If yes, was the help u got effective?

d) Is your institution doing enough to assist African students cope with cultural shock? Yes/no. if yes, list some of the programs the institution has come up with to help students deal with the shock?

e) Have you had difficulties understanding some concepts in class due to language barriers? Yes/no, if yes, how have you tried to catch up with the rest of the students, does the institution help you in this endeavor?