The Influence of Cultural Conflict on International Students' Class Participation and Academic Outcomes (GPA)

Abstract

Under the background of globalization, the transnational mobility of students has significantly increased, and cross-cultural study has become one of the most important formation parts of higher education. However, the cultural conflicts arising from cultural differences exert a considerable influence on international students’ class participation and academic performance. Existing research rarely conducts a systematic analysis of the factors influencing students’ learning outcomes throughout the entire learning process. To address this, this article will use literature review approach, and combine research from cross-cultural education and the learning sciences. It will discuss the effects of cultural conflict on the class participation in the following four dimensions: power distance, language anxiety, learning modes, and social networks. In addition, it shall examine their extensions to the route of academic delivery. The study results in that the key mediator between the cultural conflict and academic results is the participation during the classes, resource conditions, and adaptive strategies introduce significant moderating factors into the said association. This paper proposes that the variation in academic achievement among international students ought not to be merely explained in individualistic terms, and they must be interpreted in the multidimensional framework by taking into account the cultural backgrounds and resource availability.