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Unlike North America or even Europe, Asia is a diverse place housing people of different races, religions, languages, political systems, social structures, and economic development. On one end of the spectrum, countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, are included in the top ten richest and strongest economies of the world. On the other end, however, are some of the poorest, most underdeveloped and war-torn countries in the world such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma. Conscious effort is therefore needed by anyone who is dealing with Asians to avoid the fallacy of erroneously stereo-typing them.
This diversity is exciting and challenging, but it also poses a serious problem in conducting research into Asian issues. To obtain a good representation across the different groups of Asians will necessitate a trade-off in the depth of analysis due to resource constraints. This study has opted for the former concern and focused on exploring the issues and concerns of a large segment of the Asian population in the high schools in the Northwest region of Christchurch. Some of the issues raised are quite generic to most Asians whereas others are fairly specific to selected groups of students.
As an illustration, consider the variety of influences that lead the students, or their parents, to choose New Zealand as the place for their education. Several Cambodians and Vietnamese students, for example, came to New Zealand under the refugees programme, a response that is specific to these people alone and would not be applicable to most of the other Asian students. An even more specific case was that of a Japanese girl who chose New Zealand because her English teacher in Japan was from New Zealand.
Even though it is very specific, the second case is worth noting because it can easily become a more generic reason if more Kiwis are willing to go overseas to teach. This is quite plausible since the job market in New Zealand for teachers has been rather tight over the last few years while the corresponding market in some Asian countries has been relatively good. Over 15,000 New Zealanders are currently living and working in Asia (Gibson, 1998), and if they are good ambassadors, they will be able to help recruit more students from Asia to come to New Zealand for their studies.
Some of the common reasons provided by the students for coming to New Zealand included the decision of their parents to migrate to New Zealand, the presence of friends or relatives in New Zealand and the favourable impressions from previous visits by either themselves or their parents. The last reason showed that the tourism and education industries appeared to be complementary in nature and should work more closely to provide support for each other in attracting both tourists and fee-paying students to New Zealand. Also, the positive word-of-mouth from their friends and relatives who have studied or are studying here contributed significantly to many students' decision to come to New Zealand. It is therefore extremely important that the needs of current students are well catered for, and understanding their concerns is a crucial first step in achieving this objective.
Regardless of the reasons for coming to New Zealand, most of the students had very little input into the decision to go overseas, although several had some say in choosing New Zealand specifically. Their feelings about coming to New Zealand ranged from bewilderment and despair to passive acceptance and obvious relief. Many of the students felt very homesick and often wondered why they were here but some of the students were just glad to be away from either the war in their countries or the tremendous pressure in schools there.
A large part of the negative feelings may be generated by the lack of input from the students into the decision to come to New Zealand. It is difficult, however, for the school to discuss this issue with potential students before they arrive in New Zealand. One approach worth considering is to require the students to submit a short essay discussing their reasons for choosing the school and the objectives they hope to achieve. A potential problem with this is that the school cannot be certain that the essay is actually written by the student.
Irrespective of its authorship, the school counsellor could then review this document together with the students when they arrived. This process would hopefully be able to instill a sense of direction and purpose for the students and channel their energies into more positive uses. In addition, it may be a good way to develop a rapport between the school counsellors and students so that the students would feel more comfortable approaching the counsellor with their problems subsequently.
The diversity in their background is also reflected by the varying degrees of difficulties the students experienced in adapting to the New Zealand environment. The two main contributors to the difference in the level of difficulties encountered by the students are their proficiency in English and their ability to adapt to cultural differences. Students from multicultural societies where English is widely used will therefore experience the least amount of difficulty in acculturation.
On the positive end of the spectrum are students from Singapore where English is one of the official languages and the main medium of instruction in all schools. Students from this country possess a high level of English proficiency, followed by students from the Philippines and Malaysia where English is also widely used. It is evident from the focus group with these students that communication is not a major problem in adapting to the New Zealand environment. These students are likely to form a large portion of the 10% of the Asian students who do not require much help from the ESOL programmes.
The majority of the Asian students, however, were deemed by the ESOL teachers to require a varying degree of help from the ESOL programmes. The amount of help the students needed depends on their background and learning abilities, with the majority of the students needing help in oral communication. Fortunately, most of these students were able to achieve a requisite level of English proficiency within six to twelve months, to enable them to proceed through the normal classes. These students usually had some exposure to and interest in the English language, and had at least an acceptable level of general learning ability.
The students' roads to achieving satisfactory results in their classes are sometimes paved with unintentional obstacles. Although most of their teachers are cognizant of the students' initial struggle with the language and are indeed very helpful, some teachers have an unrealistic expectation from students. At times, this mismatch in the teacher's expectation and the student's performance can create undue stress for both the teacher and the student. It is a difficult task, in general, for teachers to set the right levels of expectation for their students. Fortunately, the typical class in New Zealand is relatively small and the number of foreign students, especially newcomers, is quite small. This problem, therefore, is manageable once the teachers are aware of the need to adjust their expectations accordingly. It was heartening, nevertheless, to learn that all the students felt that their teachers treated them fairly.
An interesting approach utilized in some of the schools is to assign these students to a limited number of classes initially. A typical student is enrolled in the ESOL programme and one or two other classes that required a lower level of English proficiency such as mathematics, science, music, photography or craft. This approach should be recommended since it appeared to be fairly effective in easing the transition of newcomers, especially in the first semester.
A more comprehensive approach is to allow the students to simultaneously sit in or audit one or two other classes without the pressure of a formal assessment. This will expose the student to the materials covered in these classes and provide more opportunities for them to learn English. It will also facilitate a smoother transition for the student from studying a limited number of course to taking the full load.
Often, it may facilitate the students' adjustment if they were to start in a class below their age. However, most Asian parents did not like the idea because they tended to place a relatively high expectation, at least academically, on their children. Therefore, an orientation programme should also be conducted for the parents to help them understand the New Zealand education system and assist them in making the right choice for the benefit of their children.
There are, however, about 10% of the students who are considered by the ESOL teachers to suffer significant problems in learning the English language. Many of these students cannot speak a word of English and require special help that is beyond the scope of the ESOL programmes offered by most high schools. These students should therefore be admitted to professional language schools to acquire a rudimentary level of English before being enrolled in the normal high schools.
A related issue raised by the ESOL teachers was the change in the behaviour of several Asian students who fell behind their Kiwi counterparts in class. These reactions ranged from the simple acts of falling asleep in class or cutting classes to the more dramatic displays like shaving their heads. For obvious reasons, these actions were not discussed by the students, but they are of significant interest to both their parents and the schools. Both students and parents should be counselled so that such negative outcomes can be avoided. Counsellors, however, need to be aware that many Asian parents tend to rely too heavily on disciplining their children instead of tackling the cause of such misbehaviour. A more balanced approach in helping the students must be taken by the parents and the school administration.
Students who are extremely weak in English can be identified, before being admitted into the local high schools, by either a more rigorous check on their background or requiring them to take a simple test. Such screening processes are conducted in some high schools but not in others. This information is important in helping the student learn English effectively, guiding the student's overall course of study, and assisting the school to choose the appropriate guardians and home-stays for the student.
One of the most striking issues raised by several students involves the assignment of students who cannot speak a word of English to Kiwi home-stays without much support from the Asian community. The short-term effects appear to be very devastating to the students and probably to the home-stays as well. The sense of loneliness and desolation were clearly projected by several of these students and the emotional scars inflicted may be difficult to heal.
The problems created by the mismatch between students and home-stays should be considered together with the assignments of guardians because the problems seemed to be particularly acute when the students could not communicate with both parties. The majority of the students who were not happy with their home-stays were not happy with their guardians either. On the other hand, most of the students who were happy with their guardians were happy with their home-stays, and the few who were not happy with their home-stays were able to get their home-stays changed through their guardians. Finally, students who were happy with their home-stays without much assistance from their guardians viewed the guardians as expensive and serving little purpose.
Even though the students might be assigned to Kiwi host families, their transition into the New Zealand life could be made more pleasant with the support of the Asian communities. Schools should contact the local Asian community leaders to assist newcomers in adjusting to the New Zealand environment. Many of the Asian communities in Christchurch were very active and well organized, and were able and willing to assist any newcomers who required some kind of assistance.
One suggestion raised by an ESOL teacher is to recruit an Asian youth coordinator for each ethnic group. Although this suggestion represents an expensive proposal beyond the means of most schools, the idea of an Asian youth coordinator is worth pursuing at a smaller scale. The city council could employ one coordinator who would serve as the liaison between the schools, student volunteers, and the Asian community groups to provide the appropriate support for new Asian students.
A list of the ethnic clubs and student volunteers should be provided to all newcomers in a booklet that will explain to them some of the relevant issues including common Kiwi slang and cultural differences, the location of relevant facilities and important rules and regulations. One suggestion regarding the information booklet that is worth considering is to present the rules and regulations in terms of differences in behaviour and expectation between the local people and people in Asia, which may be more palatable to young people.
From some teachers' perspective, the fact that they are teenagers is sufficient enough to cause a lot of problems. Teenagers tend to be more idealistic and less willing to compromise, and often, their misbehaviour is a cry for attention and help. When these misbehaviours are dealt with effectively, the students know that someone cared. Again, a balanced approach between discipline and guidance should be adopted because teenagers are very sensitive and react strongly to one-sided treatments.
Several of the problems encountered by Asian students, however, were more specific to them because of their different cultural background. Asian students were more accustomed to a one way student-teacher relationship that involved little input from the students. The classroom atmosphere that most Asians were exposed to was relatively more serious and working hard was often encouraged and rewarded. Students were seldom encouraged to query the teacher or provide their opinions, and if the students did not understand the material taught in class, they often had to engage tuition teachers to explain the material to them after school. Private tuition and cram school in the evenings are common in Asia because students face tremendous pressure, both in school and at home, to perform well academically.
This pressure is, in part, due to the differences in the value society placed on education and also on the perceptions of rights, privileges and responsibilities of the individuals and the society. In Singapore, for example, the government is very concerned about the outcomes and performances of the public sector. Unfortunately, outcomes in the education system tend to be measured solely by the students' performance in national examinations because they are the most "objective" and cost effective means of measurement. To get to college, a student has to consistently perform well in a series of "elimination" examinations beginning with the first in primary three. Thus, it is not surprising that students from Singapore and several other Asian countries like Korea and Japan performed extremely well in international tests in both mathematics and science.
In contrast, the New Zealand education system is relatively kinder and gentler to the students, who tend to enjoy their education much more than their counterparts in Asia. In particular, most of the Asian students in New Zealand like the more practical approach adopted in their courses, especially the field trips organised by the schools. Some students, however, feel that there is a lack of academically more demanding classes and are also worried about the lack of homework to reinforce their learning.
Although most Asian students were not as devoted to sports as the average Kiwi students, many of them, especially the boys, did participate in sporting activities. The most popular sports among the Asian students were basketball and badminton, and several students were also interested in table tennis, soccer, volleyball, golf and tennis. One frequently raised concern was the availability of sports facilities to the average student. For examples, the rings in the basketball courts and the nets in the tennis courts were often removed after the school team had finished their practice, and most schools did not have tables for table tennis.
Both the schools and the community boards could contribute towards making these sports facilities more accessible to the average student. Basketball courts, for example, were available in most of the schools but their uses were often restricted. These restrictions could easily be relaxed, at least for a few hours on selected days of the week, so that the students could enjoy the game at leisure with their friends, and the schools could utilize their available resources more efficiently. These expected gains should outweigh the small cost incurred, especially if the schools in the same community ward could rotate among themselves in providing the service. To minimize the costs, responsible student volunteers or members of the school Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) could be used to supervise these sessions and ensure that the facilities were well cared for.
An interesting suggestion proposed by a student was to have coaches teach students how to play the various games at the introductory level instead of just coaching the various school teams. Increasing the accessibility of both the facilities and coaches would benefit all students, not just Asian students. By getting more students involved in a wider variety of sports would also help to bridge the difference between students with different backgrounds and preferences; more Asian students could learn to appreciate cricket and rugby, and more Kiwi students could pick up table tennis or badminton.
Besides sports, many Asian students also participated in other activities organized by the school. By far, the most popular activity in school was the international festivals and many students had expressed their appreciation of the effort their school had invested in organising such events. The Asian community leaders had also expressed their interests in participating in such events. Care, however, should be exercised in order not to simply stage cultural shows that are overly traditional or fitting the stereotype images of Asians. Instead, it should also take the opportunity to highlight some of the cultural differences that might create problems during the normal course of interaction between Asians and Kiwis.
Apart from the international festivals, several students also took part in their school plays, and joined clubs and societies like the Chess Club, Air Training Corp, International Club and Students Against Drunk Driving. Nevertheless, many Asian students, especially female students, did not participate in the activities organized by their schools. Unlike the typical Kiwi student, most of these students preferred indoor activities such as playing computer games, practicing the piano, watching television, playing chess (both Chinese and International), going to the libraries, hanging out in the malls, and visiting cafes.
One reason, given by a subgroup of Asian students from Southeast Asia, for not participating in outdoor activities was their adversity towards the cold weather. To put this in proper perspective, one must remember that these students came from tropical countries and were not accustomed to the cold weather. Ironically, winter might be the least troublesome season because even the Kiwis realized that it was cold. The temperatures in spring and fall, and even in summer, are considered to be relatively cold when compared to the norm in Southeast Asia.19 Therefore, even though the schools might consider it warm enough to organise certain activities, many Asian students felt that it was still too cold to participate in outdoor activities.
Interestingly, despite being accustomed to the winter in Korea, one student still complained about participating in outdoor activities during the colder seasons.
The cold weather not only discouraged participation in outdoor activities but also created several problems for some students. One problem concerned the school uniform being unable to provide sufficient warmth during winter, and students were discouraged to wear additional clothes. Another predicament concerned the short hours of daylight in winter, which might cause certain problems for the biological clocks of some students who found it difficult to get up in the morning when it was still dark.
Whereas there was little the schools could do about the students' biological clock, they could certainly be more sensitive to the needs of some students to keep themselves warm. This insensitivity had also been a major concern of many Asian parents, especially those with children in primary schools. A possible solution was to educate both the students and their parents about alternative means of keeping the students warm such as using thermal underwear that would not interfere with the external appearance of the students. This approach would satisfy both the needs of the students to keep warm and the policy of the schools to require their students to wear the proper uniforms. Also, schools should allow students to don their winter uniforms for a longer period than currently stipulated.
In addition to their studies and participation in other activities organized by the schools, the cultural difference between Asian and Kiwi students also created some problems in social interactions. For example, it was an acceptable social practice in Asia for students to place their arms over the shoulders of their friends from the same sex but not over those from the opposite sex. The reverse, however, was true in New Zealand and placing one's hand over the shoulders of someone from the same sex had a drastically different implication. This difference in cultural interpretation of such a simple act had led to several embarrassing situations between Kiwi and Asian students.
Another area that often created problems was the consumption of some relatively more exotic food by many Asian students. The repertoire of food consumed by Asians was generally more encompassing than that consumed by most New Zealanders. The consumption of certain types of food or the way they were consumed by Asians had stirred some debates that often resulted in strong criticism from many New Zealanders. Conversely, several major religions in Asia forbade the consumption of certain food commonly consumed by Kiwis. For examples, the consumption of beef is forbidden in Hinduism, consumption of pork is sacrilegious in Islam, and consumption of any kind of meat is considered to be a sin Buddhism.
It is extremely important in a multicultural society that everyone accepts the choices of people with different religions and cultures. If one particular group of people adopts the "moral-one-eye" attitude, then racial harmony and cultural enrichment in the society would be extremely difficult to achieve. Mutual respect and the willingness to make the necessary adjustments when interacting with one another are again the keys to success in any multicultural relationships.
A major concern expressed by some students is their difficulty in adapting to the New Zealand life while trying to retain their Asian roots. This dilemma is particularly relevant to students from East Asia whose parents had migrated to New Zealand several years ago. It is difficult for these students to adapt because they think of the problem as one in which they have to choose either one or the other culture. If they do not clearly choose one of the two cultures, then they feel that they become neither and do not have a sense of identity. This negative way of thinking should be discouraged and the students should instead be encouraged to think that they have the best of both cultures.
This problem, on the other hand, is not as severe to students from Singapore or Malaysia who are accustomed to living in a multicultural society. Usually, Singaporeans and Malaysian can "switch gear" when interacting with others from a different culture. This perspective is fairly unique and important because it allows the person to retain his/her own identity and at the same time be able to make the necessary adjustments when interacting with people from different cultures.
It is important to note that trying to assimilate one ethnic group into another may not be the best strategy for achieving racial harmony. In some cases, it may be better to encourage the minority group to retain its own identity as long as all groups are willing to make the necessary adjustments when interacting with one another. This approach would add more variety to the nations' culture and enhance the quality of life for its people.
New Zealand is heading towards a multicultural society and has a lot to learn from countries that have a good record in achieving racial harmony among its people. Many Asian students in New Zealand still encounter racial discrimination fairly frequently. These discriminations include passive neglect, verbal abuse, and occasionally, physical harm from things thrown at them. Society as a whole must indicate clearly that such actions will not be tolerated in the multicultural New Zealand today.
Fortunately, not all the experiences Asian students encountered are negative. Most of them instead found the majority of the Kiwis to be friendly and approachable. This is particularly true for students with a reasonably good command of the English language. These students tend to have a higher level of self-confidence and are able to seek out friends with similar interests regardless of their race. The negative experiences, unfortunately, tend to have a much stronger impact on peoples' memories and, if these incidents are not dealt with quickly and effectively, they can cause serious damage to New Zealand's reputation as a nice and safe place to live. Also, the damage will extend to New Zealand's trade and investment relationships with its Asian neighbours, and ultimately, hurt the economy as well.
When faced with problems, social or otherwise, most Asian students shared them with their families and close friends. Some of the students also shared their problems with members of their churches while several kept the problems to themselves. The majority of Asian students, nevertheless, were not comfortable sharing their concerns with outsiders including the school counsellors. In fact, many of the students did not even know of the existence of counsellors in their schools. This predicament indicated that school counsellors often did not project themselves effectively among the students as persons who were warm, friendly, trustworthy and helpful. Many of the students still perceived them as strangers who served little purpose.
The problem appeared to lie more in the incorrect perceptions of students who had little contact with the counsellors. The majority of the students, or their close friends, who had actual contact with the counsellors instead found them to be fairly helpful. Again, the process of reviewing the students' statement of purpose or objectives might help the counsellors to break the ice between the students and themselves. Also, the counsellors could collaborate with the proposed Asian youth coordinator to bridge the gap and provide a better service to the students.
In addition, the youth coordinator and counsellors could also work together with other aid agencies to provide a more comprehensive network of services. Again, the awareness among the students of these aid agencies has to be promoted and communication channels opened. Representatives from these agencies could be invited to the schools to give seminars, workshops and conduct recruitment campaigns for volunteers. These agencies should position themselves as both providing help to students and also seeking volunteers among the students. The latter aim should be emphasized explicitly even though it may be the secondary purpose in order not to discourage students from attending them.
Notwithstanding the varying levels of difficulty experienced by the students, most of them found their stay in Christchurch to be pleasant, which was a great tribute to this beautiful garden city. The majority of the students, however, would choose to return home after their studies, even though many of their families had migrated here. The main concern was the perceived lack of career opportunities in general and for Asians in particular. This perception was probably formed from witnessing the large number of highly qualified Asian immigrants who could not secure any jobs in New Zealand.
In addition, consistent with the opinions of most Asians, the students interviewed unanimously felt that Christchurch was a nice place for retirement but a very boring place for young people. Even though most of the students had participated in many of the activities organised by the City Council, visited many places of interest and frequented many entertainment centres, they felt that there was an insufficient number of such activities and places. The majority of them had been to the QEII Park, the ice-skating rink, Jellie Park, 10-pin bowling alleys, Christmas in the Park, the museum and the Art Centre.
As a result of both the lack of career opportunities and entertainment, many of the students would choose to return home after their studies or move to a larger country that had more opportunities. However, despite their decision to leave, the students were very keen in providing suggestions to improve the quality of life for teenagers in Christchurch in general and Asian high school students in particular.
Improvements to the public transport system, including increases in both the inter-suburban routes and frequencies of the bus services, were given the highest priorities by most students. Increases in the inter-suburban bus routes would probably increase the efficiency of the public transport system compared to the radial routes currently in use. Increases in the frequency of bus services, however, might be more problematic because of the low patronage experienced in the current services. However, with improvements in the bus services, there might be a corresponding increase in the demand for public transport which might offset any increase in costs; otherwise, the Canterbury Regional Council might have to increase its subsidies to the operators.
Besides improving the bus services, there were also suggestions on providing subsidies for car rentals and taxis to increase the mobility of those without access to private vehicles. Another popular suggestion was to build a rapid transit system or light passenger train, which is very common in many cities. This option, however, would probably not be cost effective due to the low population density in Christchurch. The low population density would also severely limit the feasible options available to improve the public transport system.
Another popular suggestion for improving the quality of life for the students in Christchurch is to provide more nightlife that is suitable for teenagers. The shopping malls and many other places of interest in Christchurch close relatively early and teenagers are not permitted in pubs and other adults only entertainment centres. The Christchurch City Council could provide, or encourage private operators to provide, more nightlife for teenagers such as disco and karaoke pubs that do not serve alcohol. Another possibility is for the City Council to allow night markets and public performances by local artists in the city centre on selected evenings. These additional activities would help to revitalise the city centre and draw people into the area. These activities, however, should be conducted between Saturday and Wednesday nights so that they would not compete with the late nights at the shopping malls.
Also very popular is the demand for theme parks and a one-stop entertainment centre. Although it may not be cost effective to build a Disneyland, a theme park that is on the scale of Rainbow's End may be feasible and would greatly boost the tourism industry in Christchurch. Alternatively, a theme park that provides a combination of amusement park rides, local entertainment, night market and food stalls would also be very appealing to both tourists and local residents.
Another highly demanded activity is the international fair and other such cultural events. As discussed earlier, many students were very proud of their schools for organising such events and many Asian community leaders had expressed their interests in participating. In fact, several of the Asian community groups had begun the slow process of increasing the interaction between the Asian and Kiwi communities. For example, the Singapore Club in Christchurch has been inviting both Kiwis and other ethnic communities to participate in many of their activities.
Nevertheless, the students would like the community groups to organise more activities that cater specifically to the teenagers instead of just the more family orientated events. Specially mentioned were sporting events and potlucks among the various ethnic community groups, including Kiwis. In addition, they also recommended that the Asian community formed support groups for the different age groups to help newcomers adjust to the new environment, especially during the first six months of their arrivals.
19 The temperature in South East Asia generally falls between 28-35oC for the entire year. When it does fall below 28oC, many Singaporeans, for example, will don sweaters.
