Communication among Students in a Multi-Cultural Learning Environment: A Case Study of Students of the International Students’ Hostel, University of Ghana

Abstract

This research studied the communication patterns of students from different parts of the world, residing at the University of Ghana International Students’ Hostel. Five focus group discussions were conducted on a total of 35 American, European, Francophone African, Nigerian and Ghanaian Students at the International Students’ Hostel. The Intercultural Communication Model posits that one’s culture influences his or her communication pattern. The differences in communication patterns lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations during interactions of people from diverse cultures. Although the participants all communicated in English, the research found out that the students had expressions and accents that were peculiar to their nationalities. Findings also revealed differences in nonverbal forms of communication. Whereas the American, European and Francophone African students were indifferent towards greeting and the use of the left hand, Nigerians and Ghanaians considered greeting to be important and frowned upon the use of the left during interactions. Unlike Americans, the Ghanaian and Nigerian students thought it was rude to maintain eye contact during conversation. Lateness to meetings and appointments was also found to be normal and expected among Africans but was considered irritating and a sign of disrespect among American and European students. A significant similarity among the participants was that they did not encourage touching from strangers.Although the students faced challenges while communicating with others from different cultures, there were very few instances of misunderstandings and no conflict arose as result of these misunderstandings