Perception of Iraqi Students of the Impact of Cultural Shock on Learning English as a Second Language in Malaysian Universities

Abstract

When students learning English as a second language travel from one country to another, they may be affected psychologically, emotionally, and socially because of cultural differences between their own culture and that of the host country. Culture shock is a phenomenon that impedes students' academic ability and elicits feelings of being rejected, a sense of loss, helplessness, and anxiety. This phenomenon has been investigated in various studies on international students ; however, the perception and experiences of Iraqi students studying English as a second language in Malaysian universities have not been fully reported. This study aims to investigate the perception of Iraqi students of the impact of cultural shock on learning English as a second language, with the aim of exploring the relationship between culture shock, sociodemographic variables, and interpersonal stress. Sixty-five (65) Iraqi students pursuing different programs in Malaysian universities participated in the study. The data were collected through an adopted culture shock questionnaire developed by Mumford (1998). Multilinear regression analysis was conducted to see the relationship between the variables. The findings indicated that the participants' perception of culture shock, moderate interpersonal stress, and mode of residence in Malaysia were found to be significant predictors of culture shock. A suggestion for overcoming culture shock among Iraqi students in Malaysian universities is provided.