Cross-cultural adaptation of international undergraduate students at Kazakhstani medical universities

• In Event: Examining the Experiences of International Students

Proposal

Due to the recent demand for globalization and internationalization of tertiary education, the number of international students significantly increased globally. Despite the rise in numbers, international students encounter cross-cultural adaptation challenges in a host country. In this regard, previous studies demonstrate that these challenges might differ depending on the differences between a host country and students' home country. As for Kazakhstan, there is an increase in the number of international students in the country; however, there is little research conducted on the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of Indian international undergraduate students studying at medical universities in Kazakhstan. Thus, this study aims to explore the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of Indian international undergraduate students studying at medical universities in Kazakhstan. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of Indian international undergraduate students studying in Kazakhstan? (2) What academic, social-cultural, psychological, and environmental cross-cultural issues do the international Indian undergraduate students encounter while adjusting to their studies in Kazakhstan? (3) What coping strategies do the Indian students apply to overcome the challenges faced during their adaptation to life in Kazakhstan?
The conceptual framework of this study was created based on Ober's Culture Shock theory (1954) and the study conducted by Sun et al. (2020). According to Ober's Culture Shock theory (1954), individuals' culture shock experiences in a host country differ. First few weeks, the individuals might be fascinated due to the contact with the new environment. Furthermore, when individuals continue living in a host country, they face the realities of life. Hence, the individuals start learning the local language and surrounding environment. Finally, individuals have not only completed the adjustment but might take some customs of a host country with themselves when they leave for their home country.
The classification of cross-cultural adaptation aspects developed by Sun et al. (2020) was employed in this research to categorize the Indian students' challenges encountered in the culture shock stage from different perspectives. It comprises "sociocultural", "academic", "environmental" and "psychological" aspects of cross-cultural adaptation. In addition, the framework considers international students' coping strategies used for the encountered challenges.
A qualitative research design was employed in this study. In particular, a case study, a holistic multiple case design was used to examine international Indian undergraduate students' cross-cultural experiences at two Kazakhstani medical universities. Furthermore, the study involved the international Indian students (N=16) from two medical universities located in the south and north of Kazakhstan. In total, 8 participants were recruited from each of the two universities. The participants were selected using a purposeful sampling technique. In particular, a maximum variation sampling was applied to select the participants. The following sampling criteria were applied to recruit the participants: (1) International undergraduate students from India; (2) Students who lived a minimum of a year in Kazakhstan; (3) Both male and female participants will be included in the sample. In addition to students, the group supervisors (N=4) who supervised the international Indian students' groups in the first year participated in the research. Specifically, two supervisors from each selected university were involved. The supervisors must have supervised the international Indian students in the first year of their study. The participants were interviewed through semi-structured one-on-one online interviews. The study was conducted as a part of the master's thesis. The data for the study was collected between October 1 and December 15, 2021.
The findings suggest that Indian undergraduate students' cross-cultural adaptation experiences in Kazakhstan are challenging for them in the initial period in the host country. The key challenges were related to socio-cultural, academic, and environmental issues such as difficulty understanding the host languages and adapting to the local food and weather. Psychological issues were the least mentioned challenges. The findings also show that international students' previous experiences abroad did not influence their subsequent adaptation to the host country. The critical factor that hindered their honeymoon stage was the inability to communicate with local people due to the host languages. In addition to host languages, Indian students encountered issues related to eating habits. Along with the problems due to discrepancies in time schedule, assessment, and curricula between Kazakhstani and Indian educational systems, the university faculty's insufficient teaching skills in English were challenging for the Indian students in the academic aspect. In the environmental aspect, the main problem was related to cold weather conditions leading to health issues. In the psychological aspect, the Indian students encountered issues due to homesickness and loneliness. Gender differences were prevalent in sociocultural, environmental, and psychological aspects. The findings demonstrate that the female Indian students' adaptation was slower than their male counterparts due to the food-related issues. Besides, this study indicates that female Indian students have less resistance to cold weather; therefore, they are more susceptible to health issues caused by climate changes than their male counterparts. Meanwhile, male Indian students experienced mental issues less than female students due to their upbringing in their families. In addition, due to the possible climatic conditions, Indian students in the southern part of Kazakhstan were more disposed to illnesses than their peers in the northern part of the country.
The key coping strategies were the support provided by the Indian students' senior peers from their home country, local friends, group supervisors, and university faculty. Besides, some of the Indian students were supported by their universities and recruiting agencies to solve the issues related to accommodation and documentation.
This study has several implications for stakeholders with vested interests. First, future international students who plan to study in Kazakhstan might gain information about the expected life in Kazakhstan, thereby being prepared for it in advance. The Kazakhstani universities' administration might be aware of the international students' cross-cultural adaptation and effectively organize the educational process to recruit more international students to study with EMI. Besides, this study might inform the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan about the Indian students' experiences in the country. Also, research in the local and global contexts might be fostered in the international students' cross-cultural adaptation in host countries.

Author

• Moldir Zhiyenbayeva, Astana Medical University