International Friends Research Articles

Adjustment and campus friendliness for international students studying in the United States

International students are an increasingly important population in the United States, growing in both size and contributions. While research has outlined challenges encountered by international students and the importance of campus climate, little research has defined and empirically assessed the friendliness of college and university campuses toward international students from the students’ perspectives, which was the aim of the current study. Universities with large international student populations were invited to distribute a survey that included the International Friendly Campus Scale (IFCS; Wang, et al., 2014) and two open-ended questions about students’ positive and negative experiences. The sample included 938 international students from eight universities in the United States, of which 622 and 566 students answered the first and second open-ended questions, respectively. Through thematic analyses of the open-ended questions, this study identified factors that international students find most helpful for their cross-cultural adjustment in addition to aspects of their campuses that could be improved. Results suggest that helpful factors for international student adjustment include social support, events, campus resources, access to shared and diverse cultures, an inclusive environment, language fluency and opportunities for learning, and individual characteristics. Areas of improvement include increased events and socialization, better communication, a more welcoming attitude toward diversity, improved administrative support, more financial support, and decreased discrimination. Additionally, correlation and group comparisons were used to assess international students’ perception of campus climate and compare patterns between different demographic groups. Practical suggestions based on these results are also discussed.

Translation Problems of Anhui Chu Culture Museum Website

Anhui Chu culture is an important part of Chinese civilization. With the Chinese culture “going out”, Anhui Chu Culture Museum is an important way of Chu culture dissemination. Anhui Chu Culture Museum website is to help international friends to understand the Chu culture of the mainstream media, but at present there are some problems with the translation of the relevant English text on the website. In this case, it is of practical significance to further rectify and optimize the translation of Anhui Chu Culture Museum website. The paper analyzes the English translation specification of the website of Anhui Chu Culture Museum, puts forward the problems existing in the writing specification and translation specification of its translation, and analyzes them, and finally puts forward some feasible suggestions and discusses them accordingly.

INDIA-VIETNAM CONTEXT: REFLECTING AND CONTEMPLATING

India and Vietnam share a strong relationship with a great deal of scope for deepening relations in the future. These relations have a history stretching back to 50 years of diplomatic ties since the 70s but to nearly 2000 years of interactions. During colonial times, people from both countries showed their sympathy and support to each other, and prominent leaders from both countries, like Jawaharlal Nehru and Ho Chi Minh, had personal contacts even before independence. India has also supported Vietnam in several wars in the past. India and Vietnam's timeless friendship is a common feeling among international friends about India and Vietnam's relationship. A study on the relationship between India and Vietnam in their past as well as in the present will help the two countries to understand more about each other, the values of their predecessors, as well as the efforts of the leaders of both countries. Since then, it has been a solid foundation for sustainable development in the future. Based on the studies of prehistoric documents as well as recent state relations of the leaders of the two countries. The article sheds more light on the good relations between the two peoples, the source of good relations at present and prospects for future development.

On the design of international match calendar: the effect of “FIFA reserved dates” on European football matches’ outcomes

Abstract Every season, the international football calendar contains periods reserved for a series of so-called special matches including international friendly or official matches played by national teams. All these periods are called “FIFA reserved dates” in the calendar and generally cause domestic competitions to shut down for some days. Such interruptions of leagues might generate different effects or externalities on the performance of players, clubs or even on the competition itself. While a number of studies focus on the effect of players’ absence on teams performance, this paper contributes to the literature by specifically evaluating the effect of the “FIFA reserved dates” on football outcomes. Using data for four seasons from the “big five” European leagues, I find evidence that the outcomes distribution in those matches played after a “FIFA reserved date” becomes more balanced, thus increasing the uncertainty of outcome. The results of this paper contribute to the ongoing debate about the management and design of the international match calendar.

Art Pen Pal: Exchanging Art Letters With My International Friend

Art Pen Pal: Exchanging Art Letters With My International Friend

“You just picked it up”

Abstract Phrasal verbs are highly common in informal discourse among native English speakers, yet they pose extraordinary difficulty to second language (L2) English learners. Informed by usage-based theory, this mixed-methods study attempted to determine the relationship between the amount of out-of-class English exposure in study abroad and the phrasal verb knowledge of international adult students in the United Kingdom. It also brought foundation program students (i.e., students in a preparation course for university degrees), a previously under-researched study-abroad population, under the spotlight. One hundred and eighteen foundation program students at a British university completed a modified Language Contact Profile and a productive phrasal verb test. Nine students were interviewed to further unravel how they acquired phrasal verbs via informal language contact. Analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between speaking English with international friends and phrasal verb knowledge. Hierarchical regression identified that overall English proficiency, spoken input contact, and non-interactive language contact were significant predictors of phrasal verb scores. This study points to the importance of having meaningful, emotionally enjoyable, and regular L2 contact to formulaic language competence during study abroad.

Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC): A Comparison of Thai and International Teachers of English in the Thai Vocational Context

This study aims to investigate English teachers’ levels of ICC within five components, which are knowledge, attitude, skills of interpretation and relating, skills of discovery and interaction, and critical cultural awareness, and to compare the differences between levels of ICC and its components between Thai and international teachers of English. This study also seeks to understand the influences of aspects of intercultural background, consisting of international travel experiences, international seminars/training experiences, and intercultural contact. The participants were 113 Thai and 36 international teachers of English who were chosen using a multi-stage sampling methodology. The research instruments consisted of ICC scales adapted from the Byram ICC model (2020) and an intercultural background survey. Descriptive statistics, a t-test, and a two-way ANOVA analysis were used to analyze the dataset. The results showed that international teachers had greater levels of ICC. Of the five components, the attitude component was found to be at the highest level in both groups. Critical cultural awareness was at the lowest level among Thai teachers, while international teachers’ skills of interpretation and relating were at the lowest level. Regarding international travel experiences, contact with international friends, social media contact, and frequency of co-worker contact were found to affect the ICC score of two groups; however, no effect on ICC score was found in regard to international seminars/training experiences. This study suggests that ICC components could be integrated into vocational education. Moreover, travel experiences and intercultural contact could contribute as extra activities for developing ICC in ELT.

“Am I really abroad?” The informal language contact and social networks of Chinese foundation students in the UK

Abstract British higher education institutions attract a large number of international students, especially Chinese students, to pursue degrees in the UK every year. This longitudinal mixed-methods study tracked the informal language contact and social networks of Chinese foundation program students in the UK for two terms. A Language Contact Questionnaire and a Study Abroad Social Network Survey were administered to 84 students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 participants in the first term and the second term of study. Data revealed that the participants generally had a high percentage of L1 use, high academic L2 contact, and mainly L1 social networks during studying abroad, with little variation over the two terms. Their relationships with international friends were superficial and a vibrant international student community was not found. L2 topic multiplexity and online L2 contact frequency weakly predicted the total informal L2 contact at Term 1 and Term 2. This study underscores that degree-oriented SA participants may have different prioritization and leisure time routines compared with summer school participants or exchange students abroad. Thus, with an extra foundation year in the host country, the current sample seemed to prioritize academic preparation, rather than social integration.

A Model for the Construction of the Curriculum System of Hua People Students' China Knowledge Education

Hua people students (HPS), Citizens of Chinese descendant of foreign nationality, are unique in their natural affinity for China and have the most value in the development of non-governmental diplomacy. It is an important way to improve China's international communication ability to provide them with good conditions and opportunities to know China personally, experience China on the spot, devote themselves to research, form a true, objective and comprehensive understanding of China, make them grow into international friends who know China. The key to achieving this goal is to build a modern curriculum system that matches the cognitive psychology, acquisition ability and acceptance interest of the HPS. A two-level model is proposed for this curriculum system. The first level model integrates Chinese knowledge education (CKE)'s educational objectives, graduation (complete courses) requirements, curriculum and syllabus, teaching implementation and effect evaluation into one, with forward dependence and reverse reference. The second level model mainly solves the three problems of comprehensive weighing factors, construction principles, curriculum types and specific composition of curriculum system construction. Establish the sequence of degree education and non-degree education, set up education levels according to the two stages of undergraduate and graduate education, and finally grade the curriculum according to the three standards of China, students and content. At the same time, the policy and financial support, social linkage and communication coordination mechanism are included in the construction model as a guarantee system to ensure the effectiveness of teaching activities.

抗戰時期中國共產黨形象研究回顧與展望

Studying the image of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War is helpful to reflect and tell the history of the CPC. Through combing, it is found that the existing domestic research results involve many disciplines such as politics, history communication and linguistics, and discuss the image building and communication of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War from two aspects of self-shaping and others-shaping. The domestic researches focus on the influence of newspapers, songs, commemorative activities, international friends, mainstream foreign newspapers and the US military observation group on the image building of the CPC. Foreign research has gone through three stages of development due to different historical background, and the research orientation has gradually moved from macro to micro perspective. In the future, in terms of the research trend, the integration of multi-disciplines is promising. In terms of research methods, we can try to use big data and statistics methods to carry out empirical research on the image of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War. In terms of the materials used in the study, the application of foreign research achievements remains to be further explored.

Review and Prospect of the Study on the Image of the Communist Party of China During the Anti-Japanese War

Studying the image of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War is helpful to reflect and tell the history of the CPC. Through combing, it is found that the existing domestic research results involve many disciplines such as politics, history communication and linguistics, and discuss the image building and communication of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War from two aspects of self-shaping and others-shaping. The domestic researches focus on the influence of newspapers, songs, commemorative activities, international friends, mainstream foreign newspapers and the US military observation group on the image building of the CPC. Foreign research has gone through three stages of development due to different historical background, and the research orientation has gradually moved from macro to micro perspective. In the future, in terms of the research trend, the integration of multi-disciplines is promising. In terms of research methods, we can try to use big data and statistics methods to carry out empirical research on the image of the CPC during the Anti-Japanese War. In terms of the materials used in the study, the application of foreign research achievements remains to be further explored.

Editorial

Welcome at Challenging Glass 8!We gradually emerge from two difficult years of the covid-19 pandemic raging through the world in waves of constantly changing intensities. The associated uncertainties really put the ‘challenging’ into Challenging Glass this time. Still, some of our peers are not able to join us in Ghent, and they will be sorely missed. Nevertheless, we are happy to be able to return this year to the ‘real thing’: a live event which allows the international glass community to finally meet again in person. An excellent opportunity, especially within the UN-declared International Year of Glass 2022. We look forward to reconnect with international colleagues and old friends, but we also want to extend a particularly warm welcome to new and young peers who perhaps have not yet had many opportunities to build their professional network. Dedicated as we are to the high standards of the Challenging Glass Conferences, we are once again proud to present a very promising programme. No less than five keynote speakers will share their original insights on glass with us: Stéphany Le Rhun on glass and circularity; Julian Jones on glass and bio-based materials; Markus Feldmann on the oncoming Eurocode on the Design of Glass Structures; and finally Robert Capel and Iris Rombouts on their latest glass projects. In addition, over 70 papers will be presented by experts from around the world, showcasing the latest findings in academia, practice and industry. Moreover, a special session on adhesive bonding in glass construction is organised by the European COST Action CertBond CA18120 - Reliable roadmap for certification of bonded primary structures. All papers have been peer reviewed by our scientific committee and are published Open Access in Volume 8 of the online Challenging Glass Conference Proceedings. A selection of papers has been subjected to a separate double-blind peer-review process and is published in the special Challenging Glass issue of the Glass Structures & Engineering journal (SpringerNature). Many thanks go to our sponsors, Scientific Committee members, authors and attendees to make it happen. Let’s enjoy together! Jan Belis, Freek Bos & Christian LouterConference OrganisersJune 2022

Fintech Remittance Syariah : The Solution of Collection Ziswaf Overseas

Indonesian National Amil Zakat Board (BAZNAS) has collaborated with the largest and popular Indonesian payment gateways, e-commerce and crowdfunding fintechs such as ovo, Gojek, Kitabisa.com, Tokopedia.com etc. to optimize the collection of Islamic social funds like Zakah,  infaq (charity spending), waqf (endowment) and sadaqah (voluntary charity) or usually called ZISWAF by depositing Rupiah currency into the e-wallet platform. However, fundraising cross-border ZISWAF stated in Article 16 Law No. 23/2011 on Zakat Management is carried out by Baznas by forming UPZ representatives of the Republic of Indonesia abroad. The power of fintech that might be operated on global scale can be an alternative for ZISWAF international friendly transfers. Based on the Islamic Finance News (IFN) report, as many as 142 Islamic fintechs are available worldwide. Islamic FinTech offers the opportunity to become more applicable to a global Muslims. This article is a normative economic analysis on the basis of secondary data, this study found that the potential for raising ZISWAF funds across several countries is very large especially in countries with many immigrants from Indonesia through international types of fintech services such as remittances and payments that has allowed or collaborated with Bank Indonesia.

Re-envisaging English medium instruction, intercultural citizenship development, and higher education in the context of studying abroad

Although the development of intercultural citizenship among university students has now been included as a key policy in international universities, pedagogical practices for promoting the awareness, understanding, and development of intercultural citizenship while studying abroad have reportedly been inadequate. To address this gap, this qualitative interview study 1) explores the perceptions of Thai and Chinese students enrolled in English-medium education programs on the development of intercultural citizenship and 2) identifies links between intercultural citizenship and English for students studying in international universities. The findings reveal that the participants generally had positive attitudes toward the concept of intercultural citizenship and agreed that living in a foreign country surrounded by individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds made it more effective to learn about and promote awareness of intercultural citizenship compared to staying in their homelands. They further demonstrate that English proficiency levels, exposure to teaching methods before studying abroad, and regular on-campus and off-campus activities with international friends from different linguistic-cultural backgrounds are significant in enhancing intercultural citizenship competencies. Further, some implications in terms of the promotion of intercultural citizenship education through English are also proposed and discussed. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.1996595 .

Translanguaging Together: Building Bilingual Identities con Nuevos Amigos

AbstractIn this article, the authors share their experiences creating and implementing a unit focused on supporting bilingual identities through integrating language domains and translanguaging with authentic writing experiences. Two dual‐language first‐grade teachers from Colombia and the US worked together to model, celebrate, and support the use of translanguaging as a meaningful communicative practice that encourages bilingual students to draw on all of their linguistic resources. The article includes the instructional progression used to support emergent bilingual first graders with writing letters and creating interactive videos with the purpose of making new international friends and learning about each other's communities. Practical suggestions with examples provide ideas for building supportive bilingual communities, selecting and reading aloud texts with translanguaging practices, building contextualized vocabulary, developing oral language, supporting letter and video creations, and engaging with and responding to bilingual peers.

Construction and Application of College English Teaching Management System Based on Computer Software

The foundation of English education in China is relatively solid. China’s compulsory education policy also tends to high-quality English education. Many parents hope their children can receive more advanced English education. They even spend a lot of money on English education and training institutions. With the increasing trend of internationalization, English language has become an important language way for us to communicate with international friends. This paper briefly introduces the historical process of English teaching. The research of English teaching management system based on computer software technology has become an important topic for many linguists.

Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology: an interview with Professor Ricardo Luis Galimberti.

Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology: an interview with Professor Ricardo Luis Galimberti.

Training the Trainers in Microsurgery: A Success Story from Vietnam's Hanoi National Hospital of Odonto-stomatology.

Background:Microsurgery is a highly specialized skill that requires advanced training. This is a recount of the 12-year development of Hanoi National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology (NHOS) from a basic plastic surgery unit to a high-volume, subspecialized reconstructive center.Methods:We present a 12-year retrospective account of the development of NHOS with a brief summary of microsurgical reconstructive outcomes.Results:From 2008 to 2020, NHOS has performed 665 microsurgical flaps for reconstruction of various maxillomandibular defects. In the pioneering stage (2008-2011), without surgical microscopes, all five free flaps failed. After acquiring a microscope and mentoring from Hanoi's 108 Military Hospital, mandibular bone defect reconstruction with free fibula flaps had 85% success rate. In the growth stage (2012-2015), reconstruction advanced toward more complex defects requiring soft tissue, with a 98.7% success rate. The maturation stage (2016-2020) focused on refinement of reconstructive service to provide subspecialized care for malignant head and neck cancer patients with help from Taiwan's E-Da Hospital and Operation Smile's charity program. The charity mission trips were structured to facilitate good quality teaching rather than hit a quantitative goal of the number of surgeries done. And with a success rate of 99.4%, we have begun further education of the plastic surgery community in Vietnam.Conclusions:Our rapid 12-year maturation into a high-volume, subspecialized microsurgical center is the embodiment of the generous efforts of many international friends who invested their time and expertise. And we highly recommend charity mission trips to adopt the “training the trainers” concept to maximize lasting, local impact.

Controversies and Possibilities of Teaching and Learning EIL Approach: A Case Study in Indonesia

This study investigated the potentials and obstacles to learn and teach English as an international language (EIL) approach in one of senior high schools, in Tebing Tinggi. Indonesia. EIL is embracing the language variations among nations included native and nonnative English language. In our increasingly diverse communities, this approach is a talkback to the monolingual focus in ELT pedagogy and pay much attention to multilingual in the local and global communities and also situated English language education in global/local multilingualism. There were 6 English teachers and two classes (grade 1 and grade 2 which were approximately 60 students) in senior high school were interviewed designed to gain an understanding of both English teachers and students’ perspectives on English as international language (EIL) to get deep information about their tensions, conflicts, struggle, and challenges EIL teachers and students may experience before and after teaching and learning of EIL approach in five meetings. From this result, we could see there were some fertilities and infertilities that we got from implementing and acknowledging this approach. The fertilities that we cultivated were the students learned these topics as knowledge, embracing bright future of learning English, getting to know foreigners and countries, good experience with international friends, learn about their own country (transforming, reflecting themselves as Indonesia, proud to be Indonesia), well understanding the function of English, and fulfil the students’ needs. The other side, the infertilities of implementing EIL approach were they had deficit perspective toward themselves; they did not know about Englishes since it was never taught by their English teachers, bad environment from their community, their preferences and saw Englishes as an error and wrong perception about Englishes, and facilitation and resources as well. From the teachers’ perspective, there were also controversial and possibilities of teaching EIL in this school. They welcomed to the nature of English and getting to know EIL approach, well understanding of English as a tool for students’ future, and willing to pursue English teaching effectively. But, they concerned to the students’ problems, teaching beliefs, preferences, lack of understanding of English variation diversity, curriculum and textbooks. Those problems made them afraid to make any risk, little faith to apply EIL, and created two different worlds of English standard and nonstandard English. By seeing those results bear fruitful pedagogical implications for learning and teaching English, they are meta-awareness; broaden exposure of English learning and teaching, and open English pedagogy.

Support of Socialist Countries during Vietnam War: Training Officers of Soviet Union for Vietnam, 1954-1975

The victory of the Vietnamese people in the war is inseparable from the great support of the international community and the peacekeeping force worldwide. Not only receiving material support, but more importantly, Vietnam also received the support on intellectual resources from international friends through the training of officers in all fields. The Soviet Union's role as the leader of the socialist bloc held the most important position in that immense help. Based on archived sources that are diplomatic documents between the two countries, as well as the latest research achievements, the article analyzes the support of The Soviet Union for Vietnam in the field of officer training in many aspects. The results confirm the great contributions of The Soviet Union to the Vietnam war against the United States to build and protect the independence of Vietnamese people, and at the same time contribute to explain the effects of the “Soviet model” in Vietnam in the past as well as nowadays.
 
 Received: 19 August 2020 / Accepted: 2 December 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021