‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct:
International and Home Students in the
Creative Arts
Silvia Sovic
Using Formal and Informal Curricula to Improve Interactions
between Home and International Students
Oxford Brookes University, 20 June 2008
Key Features
• Students interviewed in their own language
Key Features
• Students interviewed in their own language
• 14 interviewers from 6 countries
(postgraduates in social sciences, from
University of London)
Key Features
• Students interviewed in their own language
• 14 interviewers from 6 countries
(postgraduates in social sciences, from
University of London)
• Written questionnaire + semi structured
interviews
1st Year Students from
Hong Kong
India
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan
USA
1st Year Students from
No.
interviewed
Hong Kong
26
India
20
Japan
34
South Korea
22
Taiwan
24
USA
15
Total
141
1st Year Students from
No.
interviewed
No.
of 1st years
%
Hong Kong
26
72
36%
India
20
61
33%
Japan
34
151
23%
South Korea
22
178
12%
Taiwan
24
63
38%
USA
15
49
31%
Total
141
574
25%
Benchmark
21 home students
Total interviews = 162
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
EXPECTATIONS
• GENERAL ISSUES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
EXPECTATIONS
• GENERAL ISSUES
…I wanted to study at a place where it wasn’t
all Koreans. If it’s all Koreans, then I feel like
the point of studying abroad is lost. But here
at UAL, there are variety of people from
different backgrounds, and that’s why I like it
here.
South Korean student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
EXPECTATIONS
• GENERAL ISSUES
I had a really high expectation about what my
life may look like here. I dreamed of having
good interpersonal relationship with people
here, and there is a happy family welcoming
me to join.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
EXPECTATIONS
• GENERAL ISSUES
When I was in Taiwan, I expected that I may
have many chances to make many friends
from diverse cultural backgrounds. However,
when I am physically attending a BA course
here, I seem to find it a bit different and
difficult for me to mix up with other students
here. UK students are generally nice, but
rather distant to me.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
And if you don’t know the exact words to
use, you are not communicating properly
with the person opposite to you. And it makes
a big difference, if your control over the
language is much better you are more
confident and the confidence comes across.
And you interact a lot with more people. If
you are lacking confidence with your
language then even in the crowd of three of
four, you will be the quietest one. It has been
a problem in the past.
Indian student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
I haven’t got enough time to improve my
English since I started my course. I thought
that I would study my course, and in the
meantime I would also improve my English.
However, I haven’t even got enough time for
my projects, how would it be possible for me
to study and to improve my English as well?
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
I haven’t got enough time to improve my
English since I started my course. I thought
that I would study my course, and in the
meantime I would also improve my English.
However, I haven’t even got enough time for
my projects, how would it be possible for me
to study and to improve my English as well?
Taiwanese student
Even though my IELTS score is 8, it means
nothing because in practice I need to face
different kinds of people with different
accents. It’s totally another thing.
Hong Kong student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
I am slightly concerned about my English. I
haven’t got many chances to practice, neither
my writing nor speaking. In terms of
speaking, as said earlier, I don’t pick up
chances to make communication with UK
students.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
AGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
Age Profile of First-Year International Students
Interviewed
90
80
70
No.
60
50
Home students
40
International students
30
20
10
0
Under 21
21-25
26-30
30+
Age Profile of First-Year International Students
Interviewed
90
80
70
No.
60
50
Home students
40
International students
30
20
10
0
Under 21
21-25
26-30
30+
The students are generally very young. I am 24. I feel like an idiot in front
of younger people. Well…I don't know what they think about me.
South Korean student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
I only meet them at school, but I feel that UK
students are always with UK students only.
Japanese student
In my class, many classmates are British
students and this circumstance itself is no
problem to study, but many of them are so
young like 18 or 19 year old and they seem to
want to talk only among them.
Japanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
There is a big difference between English
students and international students. English
students stick together and international
students are loners…For international
students college is their social life. For the
English students they already are in their
home, near their families with their own
school friends. We are away from our homes,
families and school friends…
Indian student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
British students have already made a group of
friends because they have known already
someone. It is difficult to join such a group
but I need to have strong confidence to do
this and I have to make myself to try to join
that group. That’s the difficulty to make
friends with British students.
Japanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
I’ve tried to get on with them, like I’m not
even being pushy, not like, ‘Hi, what’s your
name? I want to be your friend!’. But I’ll just
be like ‘Hi!’, you know just getting
acquainted, and they just want to have
nothing to do with you unless you’re
British…
American student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SHYNESS
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SHYNESS
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
I met a really shy Japanese guy. I’m pretty
outgoing and I like talking to people, but he
was just afraid of talking in English. He
pretended to listen to iPod so that people
won’t talk to him, and he doesn’t have to talk
to them.
Japanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SHYNESS
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
International students from Asia are generally
very shy when they first come to this country.
We really need the college or our teachers to
facilitate engagements between and among
students. Alternatively, they can help to
initiate interaction among students, which is
very important to international students. I am
a very shy person and often go with Japanese,
South Korean and Hong Kongese.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SHYNESS
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
They are shy, timid, or so proud. I think most
British students have one of these three
characters. They are also very young, so there
are many UK students, who are reckless.
They don’t care for international students.
For example, they don't say again or speak
slowly, when someone does not catch their
speaking. So, I hesitate to say something to
them.
South Korean student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
They are very nice people, very easy-going.
But then, you have to have a very good hang
of English. If you can’t have a conversation
with them fluently, they can’t be bothered to
be friends with you. They will be nice to you,
exchange pleasantries, but they will not
bother at all to get to know you better.
Indian student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
LANGUAGE
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
I think it is extremely difficult to me. As the
same age students, UK students are usually
only willing to talk to those speaking fluent
English. If I talk to them actively, I don’t get
a lot of response. Therefore I feel upset.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
COMPETITION
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
COMPETITION
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
The relationship between classmates is bad.
Some classmates are not interested in making
friends with me. They just want to see my
works. We have competition among
ourselves…
Hong Kong student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
BACKGROUND
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
BACKGROUND
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
The fact that I don’t have any British friends.
Well, not zero but really few…we Japanese
are 23-25 years old, and British students are
19-20. I don’t exactly know why I don’t have
friends. I believe, because they are younger
than me. I hesitate to approach them…their
speech is really really fast. I can understand
what our tutors say though...I cannot
understand my classmates’ English at all…so
I am afraid, I may stop speaking during
conversation…I cannot continue saying
words.
Japanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SEGREGATION
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SEGREGATION
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
And the thing is that there are so many Asian
people in our college… What happens is, I
feel that they become lazy like, if you are
with Indian people, we'll talk in Hindi, its
only natural, you know, and so they also
obviously only talk in Chinese or Korean or
whatever it is. So they become too lazy to
learn more. …When you have a group…
mix everyone together.
Indian student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
SEGREGATION
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
If there are too many international students,
we will form groups according to our
countries. We can’t communicate with others.
It’s rare for me to speak English.
Hong Kong student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
It’s fine with saying hi and bye during class.
But we don’t hang out after class. Perhaps
sometimes it’s because of their personality.
Sometimes we don’t communicate well
because of language barrier.
Hong Kong student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
We all made efforts to try to understand each
other at the beginning of this course.
However, there was something that didn’t
work out well for us. Gradually, we would
just greet each other with ‘hi’, and there is
nothing more than ‘hi’ in our conversation. It
seems to me that they are not really interested
in what we are doing.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
There might be a generation gap. Inside the
school, British classmates willingly talk to
me, but if we leave our classroom, even one
step, they stop talking to me and seem to
enjoy chatting with other British. I hear that
in another class, in which there are some
mature British students, Japanese often have
lunch with them. So I think this might be a
matter of generation. I have friends who are
mainly from Japan or other Asia.
Japanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
I don’t have many British friends here. I find
it easier to make friends with these British
born African students. They seem to me are
much easy-going…Some of these white
students would greet me when we meet on
the corridor. But, some just ignore you.
Taiwanese student
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
CLASSROOM
• GENERAL ISSUES
• PERCEPTIONS OF
UK STUDENTS
• OBSTACLES
• INSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
Firstly, it is English. Secondly, UK students
don’t understand why Asian students spend
so much time on thinking. And the ways that
these two groups of students work are so
different. Sometimes, some Asian students try
to explain what they think. These UK
students just are unwilling to listen. Third,
these UK students believe that they are
entitled to dominate and to lead where our
discussion should go, simply they are
westerners.
Taiwanese student
‘Hi-Bye Friends’ and the Herd Instinct
My favorite thing about the school is actually how diverse it is. I came from
UCLA where everyone was from within six hours of each other and
everybody kind of had the same background and here just meeting people
who’ve been to school in different places, who have families in different
places, who speak four or five languages sometimes. I really find that really
impressive. It’s cool to like get a different point of view and even when its
been difficult adjusting to that its been a good thing overall.
American student
The Experience of First-Year International Students
For further information about the project:
http://www.arts.ac.uk/44230.htm
or contact
s.sovic@fashion.arts.ac.uk
Dr Silvia Sovic, Research Project Coordinator, Creative Learning in Practice
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, (CLIP CETL), University of
the Arts, London