Do differences in learning styles cause major problems for international students studying in Australia?

Differences in learning styles do cause major problems for international students studying in Australia. For the purpose of this essay, `learning styles' is defined to be the approaches taken by the international students in studying, and `international students' should be read in the context of tertiary students from countries outside Australia. This essay shall concentrate on the main factors, which it may be argued bring about difficulties in learning for international students. which include cultural differences, the expected independence of students as well as the differences in patterns of academic writing.

Firstly, cultural differences are a major obstacle for international students. Different cultures hold different values with repect to issues such as freedom of religion and respect of elders. For example, a student from an Islamic country, such as Malaysia, maybe unwilling to discuss ideas and opinions in a debate or an essay,as these are considered to be actions against the Muslim religion. Similarly, a student of Chinese origin may be taught from young to be respectful of elders. As such actions like questioning on idea raised by a lecturer or tutor maybe deemed as utterly disrespectful. However, in the Australian education system, tertiary students are encouraged and expected to be responsive and open-minded on various issues, which include freedom of religion. FUrthermore, local students are often regarded to be keen learners when questionsor objections are raised in response to an idea brought up by a facilitator. Thus, different values caused by cultural differences are often major problems for international students in Australia.

In addition, students from abroad may hold different approaches from the local students in the handling of information in their studies. Students in many countries, such as China and Taiwan, are usually and traditionslly fed' with knowledge. These students expected to memorize learning material and then to reproduce these ideas in a similar fashion in the examination. On the other hand, AUstralian tertiary students are normally given hints or pointers during lessons. They are then expected to do independent research, and to extract the information, which is regarded as necessary or important. In doing so, the local students enjoy the opportunity to analyze vast amounts of data thus taking a more holistic approach in learning, rather than being expected to absorb all the information given. This is crucial in tertiary education as it is not sensible to memorize vast amount of information, which is provided in universities. Therefore, the differences in independence adopted by international students may become a barrier to effective studying in Australia.

Finally, differences in cultures also bring about language barriers. Most assignments, tests or examinations in the Australian tertiary education involve a great deal of writing. Also, academic writing is generally regarded to be essential part of university studies. International students may take a considerable length of time before they are comfortably accustomed to the English language. Thus, the language barrier is also one major factor that brings about difficulties in learning for international students in Australia.

In conclusion, different values brought about by cultural differences, the various degrees of independence that tertiary students are expected to have in various countries with respect to learning, as well as the language barriers do prove to be major factors that cause major problems for international students studying in Australia.