Al Shammari 1

Talal Al Shammari
English 113B
Professor Spitler-Lawson
2 March 2016
Project Web Essay: Rough Draft
Word Count: 919
Does Culture and Education Affect the College Students in the United States?
The issue how culture and education affect the students in the United States has sparked
various perceptions from different scholars. In higher education institutions, the issue of culture
has influenced the aspect of communication tremendously. Conflicting cultures between the
instructors and the college students may also affect their relationship. The issue of beliefs on the
division of labor and specialization among some culture also affect the participation of students
in leadership positions in the US. Significant studies have also established that the beliefs on
parents role in education also influenced the behavior of college students significantly (Lin 12).
The students from more authoritative families tend to have a significant level of discipline in
college. Some cultures believe in building the intellectual abilities of their children from
childhood while others concentrate on building the artistic and athletic abilities. This strategy is
essential in defining the activities they engage in while pursuing the college education. This
paper critically analyzes on how culture and education influence the behavior of college students
in the context of the US.
According to Chen and Chua, many students from the Chinese culture the transition to
adulthood has been identified to be taking place at an earlier stage. Chen and Chua discuss that
transition to adulthood for the Chinese students takes place between 18-25 years. At this stage,

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an individual is usually given freedom to pursue different aspects of life such as getting married
and having children. On the other hand, in some cultures like the Indians consider and an
individual who is 18 years are still under the care of their parents (Chen and Chua). Therefore, an
instructor from the Indian culture may view a college student from Chinese culture as
disrespectful due to their social behavior. This aspect may result in conflicts between the tutors
and the students. The relationship between a college student and their instructors is usually
essential and when affected it can lead to underperformance.
The quality of education has also been identified as having a significant influence on the
activities that college students undertake. Another survey has revealed that most of the African
America students who graduate from high school do not get the chance to pursue the college
education (Chandler). The few who enroll in college often find themselves being discriminated
for being the basis of being undocumented. Bryant discusses that those getting a chance to be
enrolled in college usually find themselves in need of developmental and remedial courses to
succeed in their education. This aspect of education usually makes them have a low self-esteem
regarding the education status.
The influence of cultural beliefs on the educational aspect and the participation strategies
in class are also significant. According to Lin, students from Asian cultures are associated with
the habit of being quiet in class and making an eye contact with the speaker appears to be
inappropriate for them. On the flip side, the European American students are usually shown the
value of maintaining a significant eye contact with their teacher to show participation and
attentiveness. Most of the college instructors attribute participation and listening to eye-contact
and frequent contributions to the discussions. This aspect may make the tutors make incorrect
judgment concerning the learning habits of the college student from the Asian culture.

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There is also the tendency of some college students not being proud of their culture and
race. For instance, Bryant has pointed out that the African-American students have a myth that
their culture is inferior. The inferiority complex of their cultural values affect the psychologically
and they develop a myth that there are other students from a superior culture. This aspect has
contributed to underperformance in the academics for most of the students from this culture.
Their belief that they come from inferior cultures is also one of the most significant barriers for
them to seek services from counselors while at school. Without a rigorous guidance from college
counselors, these students do not realize the significance of making significant decisions in
college life. They end up acquiring emotional stress that affects their prospects and aspirations
tremendously. One of the greatest challenges is dispelling the myth about African American
students abilities and inspirations.
The strategy of establishing significant partnerships between the colleges mostly
dominated by the minority groups has contributed in raising hope for the African American and
the Latino students (Chandler). A significant example can be evident when the University of
California teamed up with University of Pennsylvania to increase the representation of their
culture in humanities. This aspect shows that some culture are not allowed to assume some
leadership positions. In another article, Chandler has shown how the blacks are underrepresented
in the leadership platforms. However, the non-profit making organizations has struggled to
elevate the status of the blacks in colleges (Chandler). This aspect shows that there are
significant methods established to reduce discrimination.
Bryant has acknowledged that there are much stereotypic information and propaganda
that inform the behavior that blocks the African American students in colleges from reaching
their full potential. Most of these students have shown remarkable performance in the co-

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curricular activities but are still being discriminated by their cultural backgrounds. However,
there is a significant body established to eliminate the myth that African American children and
their families are the responsible for poor performance in college (Bryant 15). This perspective
has been used by many substandard schools in the US to escape the accountability for the
provision of low-quality education.

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Works Cited
Bryant, Rhonda. "College preparation for African American Students: Gaps in the High School
educational experience." (2015): Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://www.clasp.org/resourcesand-publications/publication-1/College-readiness2-2.pdf>.

Chandler, Carmen R. "CSUN Teams Up with University of Pennsylvania to Increase Latino

Faculty in the Humanities | CSUN Today." CSUN Today | California State University,
Northridge. N.p., 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
<http://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/university-news/csun-teams-up-with-university-ofpennsylvania-to-increase-latino-faculty-in-the-humanities/>.
Chandler, Carmen R. "CSUN Forum to Explore Ways to Support Black Youths | CSUN
Today." CSUN Today | California State University, Northridge. N.p., 3 Feb. 2016. Web.
21 Feb. 2016. <http://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/education/csun-forum-to-explore-waysto-support-black-youths/>.

Chen, Kuan-Hsing, and Beng H. Chua. The Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Reader. London:
Routledge, 2007. Print.
Lin, Isabella Z. "How Do Different Parental Beliefs and Parenting behaviors Affect Students
College Academic Performance?" A Comparative Study of Asian American and

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Caucasian American College Students (2012): n. pag. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
<http://econ.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/isabellazifanlinhonorsthesis.original.pdf>.