How Do Chinese Students Cope with UK Lifestyle - Essay Example

?Research Field Carrying out a research requires that one becomes fully aware of the field in which to vest their interests. Conducting research means that one has to make an inquiry into the real world and thus requires intense preparations to avoid losing out on the research opportunities later. One has to be confident in their area of expertise and seek to provide answers that draw attention to complexities that few have sought to delve into (Backhouse and Fontaine 2010:145). The field of interests that the research will be carried out is that of sociological sciences, which incorporates people in their natural habitat and how they behave under certain conditions. This will be conducted under the study of people from a different culture and how they cope in a new setting. This will help to inform on what they like and what they should be assisted with to make their stay a fruitful one. This field will seek to understand how human beings react to stimuli and how their actions affect them, positively or negatively, in coping with new environments. Each person has a way of dealing with various stressors. This field will seek to explore this under the herein stated research question. Research Question The research question to be used is; “how do Chinese students cope with UK lifestyle?” This research question has been prompted by the conservative nature of East Asia and the liberal lifestyle that the UK has adapted over the past few decades. Objective The objective of this research will be to answer the following questions in details. The research is supposed to be thorough in ensuring that each question is elaborated and clarified beyond any doubt. The questions are: Is it difficult for them to cope? Do they find it tough watching what they consider as morally wrong in Asia and which may be considered as part of everyday lifestyle? Are these problems affecting their learning activities? Are they becoming assimilated or are they holding on to their culture? Can they change their friends to adopt their Asian lifestyle? What disparities are there in the data attained from both the quantitative and qualitative designs? Which design was more appropriate given the statistics attained? Planning Activities This research will require adequate preparation as a means of achieving accurate and precise results. One should expect biasness, and thus should seek to refine the activities as much as possible to reduce these instances. The research may involve going down to the basics of the university education system and the social system in particular. Most of the students have been allocated off-campus residencies which make it easy for them to become influenced by those around to them. Those living inside the campus premises have a higher susceptibility given the lack of privacy accorded by these residences. Having a clue about how to approach these two areas is imperative for this research. As part of the real world enquiry, getting information from the ground is part of the bigger task. How to get this information is what the planning section is all about. There will be surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Observation will also be carried out to observe how they behave in their natural settings without any stresses that may make them change their habits (Robson 2002:6). Cameras may be required, and attaining these will be imperative. The good news is that the university has already provided some of these equipments, and thus requires mastery to capture what is necessary for later analysis. This also brings about the issue of security to ensure that nothing is stolen or confiscated by authorities on any form of suspicions. The areas that have the highest number of these students will form a perfect hunting ground for the best observations both on camera and recorded if need be. These will help in the interview section as they will seek to receive more clarification on some of the habits that were observed and which may be albeit natural or defensive depending on what the present situation is. Since this is a social research study, the planning must include room for any unfolding events that may open up the research field for future studies. The design and the planning criteria must be flexible to accommodate key features that may have been missed during the objective statement and the method used (Backhouse and Fontaine 2010:145). Timeline The research is expected to take a maximum of two months which imply speedy research but with quality being considered first above all else. A time extension may be sought but shoddy results may be hard to reverse. Given the nature of activities that are expected for this particular research, one may require an assistant to help with some of the minor activities and help in creating a third opinion on the issue. Qualities of the Assistant The assistant hired must add value to this research project. To ensure that the assistant is qualified for this position, there are some qualities that must be present. First and foremost, the individual must have a passion for social sciences. They must seek to explore nature to find answers through a series of strategies that conform to the social science world. Methodologies herein require an individual who is flexible and quick enough to understand what is needed where and how the results may be interpreted to form coherent findings. The individual must be dynamic and flexible enough to fit into any setting as easily as possible without upsetting the social setting. They must be outgoing and willing to engage in conversations with as many people as possible to provide better understanding of this research under the specified guidelines. Experience in a similar position would be an added advantage for the individual but anyone with a teachable mind can be trained to fill in the position. However, owing to time constraints, training someone may not be prudent. Advertising for this position may attract many applicants and sifting through all of them is quite hectic. Thus, raising the standards for the applicants is necessary. The position will be open for only those in the social sciences field and more so those in sociology. Argument The research question seeks to argue that people in foreign countries have considerable dilemma thinking about how to maintain their values while at the same time fitting into the new lifestyle. The conservative nature of the Chinese and the liberal lifestyle of the English are on a collision course and the victims are the foreign students. Understanding how they deal with the pressure of trying to fit in while still maintaining their focus on studies would assist in creating an atmosphere that fits them wholly. Theory There are two theories that will play a huge role in informing the basis of this research paper. The first one will be the Social Constructionism. This theory deals with how social phenomena develop in social contexts (Robson 2002:26). This means that the researcher must be keen to showcase how these artefacts that are specific to the Chinese are attained and how the English view them and vice versa. The research will look at the dependence of these variables and how they become interdependent over a period of time. It will involve looking at the real situation, comparing it to the known knowledge and learning experiences that have been achieved from these observations throughout the entire study (Backhouse and Fontaine 2010:148). The second theorem is the Structural Functionalism theory which seeks to understand the different concepts of society and how they play a role in making sure that the society is stable. It tries to decipher the complex aspects of the social setting and elaborates their existence based on the norm, tradition, customs and even institutions (Hunt and Colander 2008:59). In the above setting, the norms for both the English and the Chinese will be compared, their traditions and customs discussed and their institutions used as an example of how influential a social setting would be. These two theories will help in understanding how people behave under certain stresses or stimuli and how each attains that which they consider as part of their heritage. Understanding the essence of these two theories is mandatory and requires that one endeavours to achieve unbiased reports. It will also offer a good starting point when formulating the questionnaire and carrying out the surveys. This also means that the researcher must be familiar with the Chinese culture to know what to look for and what not to bother with. The English culture must also be at their fingertips for comparison basis. After this, the interviews will be based on what they have seen, what they have surveyed and what answers the questionnaires have been able to raise regarding that which they have been asked. Literature Review One significant text that will be helpful in understanding the Chinese culture is the one written by William Morton and Charlton Lewis. The book, China: Its History and Culture, informs on the major phases that the country has undergone over the past few decades. It allows one to travel back the memory lane and understand the roots of their culture. This book will assist hugely in meeting the required threshold for the benefit of this study. Another key book is the Real World Research authored by Robinson. This book is necessary in understanding how to venture into the world of social research while meeting the minimum basics that are to be exercised by all researchers in the social science field. It will also help to understand the research path that has been accredited by researchers worldwide. Another book that will play a crucial role is matteo Fabbi’s managing cultural differences between UK and china. The book elaborates more on the differences between the UK and China and how these can be bridged. It also stipulates the issues that relate to the areas of marketing, human resource and any theories that may be required to understand how each culture views the different issues identified above. As part of the university research quest, the book will be helpful in offering recommendations on how to manage the cross-cultural differences that may threaten their students’ comfort within the institution. These are just some of the texts that can be used to create a comprehensive report. More of the same may be found from different websites as well as the library. The internet also provides different methods through which one can interact with people and get help from experienced persons on the same issue. Acquiring different sources will be helpful for the sake of this study. Methodology This is the most sensitive area in the whole research study. This is the area that provides the basis for the whole study. The items to be used in the methodology must be carefully planned and well executed to allow for the best results to be achieved. They must be validated and should be reliable. The literature review will offer better guidance on what to do and what not to do during this session. The method of data collection will be vested in surveys, observation, interviews and questionnaires. Surveys These surveys will be critical in identifying the research group and any key attribute that needs to be concentrated on for better results. The survey will focus specifically on how the students view their lifestyles as compared to that of the English. This will be conducted with a couple of students from both off-campus residences and in-campus residences to get any discrepancies. This will result to deeper details being sought based on the responses and extrapolated data after the surveys have been conducted. Specific questions have to be set that detail the cultural outlook of both the Chinese and the English students to obtain general views from both sides. Some Chinese families living around town may also be surveyed so as to differentiate between the youngsters’ outlook and that of their elders. Data attained will be screened to create a representation of how the students feel while in their new settings and whether they like it or are just persevering till they complete their studies and head back home (Robson 2002:227). Questionnaires Questionnaires will be used to reach an even wider audience. They will be mailed to all the students and others will be hand delivered to each student provided they agree to participate in the research study. Attaining their consent will be a significant milestone as they will be ready to offer the required information. After the completion of the questionnaires, the answers will be reviewed and analysis to establish any forms of biases that may hinder reliability of the answers accorded. This means that the questionnaires should be drafted and printed in advance to avoid wasting any time during the analysis period. This is the most critical part of the exercise and requires keenness during the process (Hunt and Colander 2008:98). The questionnaires have to be sent early enough and collected at the specified time. The assistant will be handy in ensuring that they have been collected and returned. They will also assist in reaching to as many students as possible before the set period to ensure all parties work with deadlines in mind (Robson 2002:236). Interviews Interviews will be sought to act as a means of clarifying on some of the issues that may arise from both the surveys and the questionnaires. The interviews will be conducted within their campuses, both off-campus and in-campus, and will be recorded. However, it will be necessary to seek their consent to record their statements with assurances that they will be used purely for this research and nothing else (Denscombe 2010:109). Transcribing may form a part of the exercise since some of the things they say may betray some emotions will be crucial in identifying that which they hold inherently. Emotions will provide an overt way of showing that which they may not be happy with in their new settings. This means that a personal or individual type of interviews will be scrutinized and where possible, screening interviews will be conducted (Robson 2002:282). Observation to complement the interviews, observation will also help in the formulation of questions in the questionnaires and the interviews. The observation aspect will take place throughout to view their responses in different settings and how certain situations place them on the edge. The cultural attribute will be compared to their responses in different situations and how they have fared during the two months that the research has been ongoing. Any changes will be noted and likened to any relevant literature on the same and analyzed in relation to the results established therein. The type of research may range from participant observation to the covert type of observation (Robson 2002:314). Results The importance of reliable and valid results cannot be overemphasized. Being a university research study, the significance of meeting all the requirements is imperative. The results must be passed through validity tests such as NUD*IST (Non-numerical Data Indexing Searching and Theory-building) and SPSS (Statistical Program for the Social Sciences) (Robson 2002:464). These tools allow one to ensure that data analyzed have passed the tests and attained a certain measure of excellence that can be duplicated later. Calculating the mean, the deviation, correlation and variance will help in achieving lesser biases in the overall results as well as help in formulating informed choices over what they should look for in future (Denscombe 2010:146). Different forms of analysis may come in handy during this process and they need to be examined before anything else takes place after collecting the data. Interim analysis will be the core system of analyzing data and is often an ongoing and iterative process (Backhouse and Fontaine 2010:154). The importance of this system is that it gives the researcher ample time to fully understand the topic and become attached to the whole research procedure. This makes it easier to identify any characteristics that may escape an unattached researcher. Being a participant in the research is vital provided the ethics are maintained till the end. Memoing is another strategy which involves writing small memos that will identify any changes within the study subjects during the interactions (Denscombe 2010:148). It is effective as it adds onto a list of what needs to be analyzed later. Data entry and storage is critical as it defines what needs to be analyzed and how this will feature eventually in the final list based on the conclusions made. Segmentation and coding systems will also be helpful given the social interactions that the English and the Chinese portray both as individuals and as interactive beings. This will be used for comparison and further extrapolation of data to detect any abnormalities in what has been observed and what is exhibited both in their new settings and in their previous natural settings. The results will be presented both as reports and graphical representations. Budget allocations: The following is the breakdown of the research costs based on the amount allocated. Item Allocation (?) Equipment 12,000 Questionnaires 10,000 Survey 8,000 Assistant’s salary 3,000 Miscellaneous 30,000 Centres 6,000 References Backhouse, R.E. & Fontaine, P. eds. (2010) The history of the social sciences since 1945, Cambridge University Press, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge. Denscombe, M. (2010) Ground rules for social research, McGraw Hill/OUP, London. Hunt, E.F. & Colander, D.C. (2008) Social science: an introduction to the study of society, Peason/Allyn and Bacon, Boston. Robson, C. (2002) Real world research, Blackwell, Oxford. Read More