Explore the Significance and Connection of Language, Culture, Identity, and Difference Through the Case of International Students in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.02.04Abstract
This paper explores the intertwined relationships among language, culture, identity and cultural difference through the auto-ethnographic case of reticent Chinese and Saudi international students in group learning activities at an Australian higher education English bridging programme, grounded in Stuart Hall's Circuit of Culture theoretical framework. Drawing on existing intercultural and sociolinguistic literature and reflective student interview data, the study first unpacks Hall's core arguments regarding representation, culture, fluid identity and the formative power of difference. Hall posits that language acts as a symbolic medium for meaning construction, culture refers to dynamic shared meaning-making practices, identity is constantly negotiated rather than fixed, and cultural difference serves as the foundation of symbolic cultural orders, with all four elements operating interdependently within a holistic cultural circuit. Further critical analysis demonstrates that classroom silence among international students is shaped by unequal power relations embedded in cross-cultural education. Dominant native English linguistic standards and cultural essentialist stereotypes trap migrant students in rigid marginalised identity labels, while cultural difference is oversimplified as a static root of low participation. This research argues that identity is fluid and reconstructable through linguistic representation and cross-cultural interaction, and cultural meaning remains open-ended rather than fixed. The paper concludes that simplistic attribution of international students' classroom reticence to inherent cultural differences is theoretically flawed. To advance equitable inclusive higher education in English-speaking contexts, educators need to abandon rigid cultural essentialism, adopt inclusive pedagogical strategies, and build pluralistic classroom environments that value linguistic and cultural diversity. By enabling international students to participate in collective meaning negotiation and co-construct shared cultural conceptual maps, institutions can facilitate cross-cultural integration and innovative intercultural teaching practice.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as: Dai, W. (2026). Explore the Significance and Connection of Language, Culture, Identity, and Difference Through the Case of International Students in Higher Education. Educational Research Advances, 1(2), 107-112. https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.02.04
Downloads
Keywords:
Stuart Hall, Circuit of Culture, International Students, Intercultural Communication, Learner Identity, Cultural Difference, Classroom ReticenceReferences
Bao, D. (2014). Understanding silence and reticence: ways of participating in second language acquisition. Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472593542
Gu, Q., Schweisfurth, M., & Day, C. (2010). Learning and growing in a 'foreign' context: Intercultural experiences of international students. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 40(1), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057920903115983
Hall, S. (1997a). Introduction. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices (pp. 1-11). Sage Publications.
Hall, S. (1997b). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage Publications.
Hall, S. (1997c). Cultural identity and diaspora. In K. Woodward (Ed.), Identity and difference (pp. 51-59). Sage Publications.
Heng, T. T. (2018). Different is not deficient: Contradicting stereotypes of Chinese international students in US higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 43(1), 22-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1152466
Kramsch, C. J. (1998). Language and culture. Oxford University Press.
Kramsch, C., & Whiteside, A. (2007). Three fundamental concepts in second language acquisition and their relevance in multilingual contexts. The Modern Language Journal, 91(1), 907-922. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2007.00677.x
Kubota, R. (2003). Critical teaching of Japanese culture. Japanese Language and Literature, 37(1), 67-87.
Little, W., & McGivern, R. (2016). Culture. In W. Little, R. McGivern, & N. Kerins (Eds.), Introduction to Sociology (pp. 50-75). BCcampus.
Ma, W., Jiang, L., Zhuang, W., Cai, J., Xie, X., & Zhang, C. (2026). Reflective writing in higher education: A systematic review of pedagogical approaches, research trends, and assessment practices. Educational Research Advances, 1(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.01.01
Marginson, S. (2014). Student self-formation in international education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(1), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313513036
Norton, B. (1997). Language, identity, and the ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 409-429. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587831
Norton, B. (2001). Non-participation, imagined communities and the language classroom. In M. P. Breen (Ed.), Learner contributions to language learning: New directions in research (pp. 159-171). Pearson Education.
Pickering, J. (2001). Globalisation: A threat to Australian culture? Journal of Australian Political Economy, 48, 46-59.
Ryan, J., & Viete, R. (2009). Respectful interactions: Learning with international students in the English-speaking academy. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(3), 303-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510902898866
Tran, L. T. (2011). Committed, face-value, hybrid or non-engagement: Educational experiences of Chinese students in Australian higher education. Educational Review, 63(3), 279-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2010.510905
Xu, X., Ma, N., Xiong, Z., Zhang, H., & Liu, X. (2026). Patterns of Teacher Collaboration in East and Southeast Asia: Insights from TALIS 2018. Educational Research Advances, 1(1), 23-37. https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.01.03
Yu, B., & Wright, E. (2016). Socio-cultural adaptation, academic adaptation and satisfaction of international higher degree research students in Australia. Tertiary Education and Management, 22(1), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2015.1127405
Zhou, Y., Jindal-Snape, D., Topping, K., & Todman, J. (2008). Theoretical models of culture shock and adaptation in international students in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 33(1), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701794833
