The American Student in Taiwan

Abstract

For several years the authors have studied the experiences of international students in the United States with a special interest in the social adaptation of Asians (see Klein et al., 1971 a, 1971 b; Miller et al., 1971; Yeh et al., forthcoming). Our findings, replicated over several years within two national groups, indicate that Asian students in the United States associate almost exclusively with their fellow nationals; their relationships with host country nationals rarely go beyond superficial pleasantries. Interviews reveal that this distance is caused by culturally determined differences in interactional styles and values and reinforced by the supportive pressure of the subculture. Once established, distance is maintained by critical attitudes toward Americans that are developed and sustained within the Asian subculture. A student's life is