Chinese Students and the Cultural Significance of Friendship Experiences at a New Zealand University

Abstract

This research seeks to understand the effects that different cultural dynamics have on the friendships of Chinese university students and their student experience. Friendships are identified in the research literature as a significant factor to a positive university experience. Meaningful friendships help students succeed socially and academically, especially for international students who are a part from their social networks (Slaten et al., 2014; Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005; Williams & Johnson, 2010). To gain insight into the students’ experiences of friendship, the author’s personal experience as a Chinese New Zealand student, addressed as her own lived experience with university friendships, inspired this research. In addition to this, six ethnically Chinese students were interviewed; three who are international students, and three who are local students. Their interviews were analysed using key concepts of symbolic interactionism as overarching themes to understand the sociocultural significance of friendships. The themes of meaning and symbols, communication and interpretation, and self were drawn from symbolic interactionist theory. This study found that there were similarities and differences in the Chinese students’ friendship patterns and experiences of how they formed, navigated and developed in the cultural environment of the university. This study also touches on patterns of intercultural friendship formation and how it impacts the self. For all friendships, having and/or creating shared meaning impacted the closeness of friendship as it impacts communication. Overall, this thesis shows the Chinese students’ friendships are dynamically impacted by multiple layers of cultures within a New Zealand university.