Foregrounding Harmony: Chinese International Student’s Voices in Communication with Their New Zealand Peers
Citation
Export citationHolmes, P.(2008). Foregrounding harmony: Chinese international student’s voices in communication with their New Zealand Peers. China Media Research, 4(4), 102-110.
Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2095
Abstract
Chinese students’ intercultural communication experiences in Western educational institutions have largely been examined through Eurocentric theoretical lenses, often resulting in misinterpretations of their verbal and nonverbal interactions. Instead, this paper provides new understandings of Chinese students’ intercultural experiences by adopting an “Asinacentric” approach which foregrounds harmony as an epistemological, religious, and axiological base for communication. In-depth interviews with 14 Chinese international and 10 New Zealand Students indicated that Chinese students sought to maintain harmony in interpersonal relations, evidenced in facework, role recognition, the place of listening and silence, and managing group work interactions. The study outcomes have implications for future research on Chinese communication, as well as understandings of Chinese international student’s communication with their New Zealand counterparts in Western Learning contexts.
Date
2008Type
Publisher
Marsland Press
Rights
This is an article published in the journal: China Media Research. ©2008 China Media Research. Used with Permission.
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