Students’ acculturation and adjustment: The case of Indigenous group at Public Higher Education in Malaysia
Akulturasi dan penyesuaian pelajar: Kes kumpulan Orang Asli di Pendidikan Tinggi Awam Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/bitara.vol10.1.2017Keywords:
Acculturation, Adjustment, Indigenous Student, Higher EducationAbstract
This study aims to seek the acculturation and adjustment barriers of indigenous students at higher education based on broad literature reviews and theoretical groundings. Internationally, acculturation is often associated with adjustment and is vital issues in higher education. Literature proves that students experience difficulties in adjusting in higher education that often lead to depression and in worse cases, committing suicide. There were four areas of adjustments that reviewed in this study. The four areas were academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal-emotional adjustment and institution attachment. All students experience difficulties in moving out from their comfort zone and adjusting in new environment. Indigenous students may have greater risk of adjustment problem compare to non-indigenous due to different culture. According to the theory and much evidence from literature, students can successfully adjust themselves if they can survive cultural obstacles that significantly confronting the indigenous students at higher education. Academic adjustment becomes an issue when the indigenous students enrol in English medium curriculum. Furthermore, personal-emotion is associated with their psychological and physical well-being whereas institution attachment is related with the indigenous students’ reaction about being in university and their specific attachment with the institutions. This paper also emphasizes the importance of the higher education institutions’ responsibility in supporting the adjustment of indigenous students to ensure a more successful outcome.
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