Cross-cultural exchanges serve the purpose of contributing to a cultural understanding, broadening the horizon and more. This leads to the understanding that two individuals with respective cultures encounter each other and explain their cultural peculiarities, meaning they will therefore benefit from the experience. This however presents a rather static understanding of culture, as it implies that each exchange is successful and goes without a problem. A successful exchange for hosts and exchange students relies on various factors such as tolerance, interest and adjustment on both sides, as two different cultures meet.
The diversity of cultural theories has resulted from these factors, which have to be considered in order to resolve cultural misunderstandings and establish a relationship. In this paper, the focus will be on German-American relations through the lens of student exchanges in a High School setting and focus on the culture exchange and development of a relationship between the exchange students and their host families. The majority of the literature found as regard student exchanges concentrates on the students’ perspective as to sharing their experiences and gain throughout this experience.
Equally, previous interviews with host families focused on the exchange students’ gain and their learning process. To enable a deeper understanding of the way in which an exchange student and his culture are being perceived by the host family, it is necessary to change the perspective in order to reflect the host families’ experiences. To implement this project, it is necessary to respond to the culture term and its elements regarding student exchanges. Interviews with four former host families have been conducted to realize this.
Those findings are going to build the foundation of my study. Throughout the interview, the focus was on how the families perceived their students and what roles were assigned to them. As both parties bring different perceptions of their counterparts’ origin to the table, there will be an accumulation of multifaceted expectations as regards each member of this adventure and, of course, misunderstandings.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Concept of Culture
- Three Sphere Model by Trompenaars and Hampden- Turner
- "Collision" of Cultures
- Interviewing the Host Families
- Family I
- Family II
- Family III
- Relationship Development
- Expectations & Motivations
- Getting to know each other
- Finding one's place
- Visualization of Being a family
- N's Visualization
- M's Visualization
- D's Visualization
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
- Appendix
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The objective of this paper is to explore the experiences of host families in the context of student exchange programs, particularly focusing on the cultural exchange and development of relationships between exchange students and their host families. The paper aims to understand how host families perceive exchange students and their cultures, highlighting the multifaceted expectations and potential misunderstandings that arise in these intercultural encounters. The paper emphasizes the importance of recognizing the host family's perspective, moving beyond the typical focus on the student's experience.
- Understanding the concept of culture and its application to student exchange programs
- Analyzing the diverse perspectives and expectations of host families towards exchange students
- Exploring the development of relationships between host families and exchange students, including challenges and rewards
- Investigating the impact of cultural differences on the interaction and integration of exchange students within host families
- Highlighting the significance of cross-cultural understanding and communication in fostering successful exchange programs
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of student exchange programs and its importance in promoting cultural understanding and personal growth. It highlights the need for a shift in perspective to understand the experiences of host families, offering a new dimension to the existing research on student exchanges.
- Concept of Culture: This chapter defines the concept of "culture" and explores its relevance in the context of student exchange programs. It examines various interpretations of culture and its role in shaping individuals' values, beliefs, and behaviors. It introduces the Three Sphere Model by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, which provides a framework for analyzing cultural differences and their impact on intercultural communication.
- Interviewing the Host Families: This chapter describes the methodology employed for the research, highlighting the interviews conducted with four former host families. It details the focus of the interviews, which aimed to understand the host families' perceptions of their exchange students and the roles they assigned to them.
- Relationship Development: This chapter focuses on the development of relationships between exchange students and their host families. It explores the various stages of relationship development, including initial expectations, getting to know each other, finding one's place, and the visualization of being a family. This chapter provides insights into the challenges and successes experienced by both parties in navigating the complexities of cross-cultural interactions.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts explored in this paper include: student exchange programs, cross-cultural communication, host families, cultural differences, expectations, intercultural relationships, cultural integration, intercultural understanding, and the Three Sphere Model.
- Quote paper
- B.A. Jonas Heidger (Author), 2016, German-American relations and cross-cultural experiences from the perspective of high school students' host families in the USA, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/344919
