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Qi, Jing

College of Education and Social Services

2004

Ed. D.

With rapid global development in economy, technology, and transportation, it has become common for individuals to work in another country, or to find themselves in increased contact with people from cultures different from their own. In either case, it is worthwhile to acquire the conceptual skills to manage interpersonal relationships during intercultural encounters. This study was therefore designed to explore the intercultural relationship outcomes constructed between four visiting Chinese teachers and their American host teachers in Vermont schools. Specifically, this study employed an ethnographic approach that could capture the cultural texture woven in intercultural interactions and communication since it has been used to capture cultural meaning systems and communication both tacit and spoken (Davies, 1999). As a Chinese living in the U.S, my own cultural values and personal experience inevitably influenced my interpretation of the stories shared with me by the Chinese teachers; as such, my own perspectives on intercultural encounters became part of my analysis.
This study identified five patterns of intercultural relationships between the four visiting Chinese teachers and their American host teachers, which I defined as the pattern of reluctantly compliant relationship, interchange relationship, advisory relationship, courteous, and cooperative relationship. The study suggested that the relationship patterns were contingent upon both the receptivity of American hosts and the reactions of Chinese teachers to the host environment. The findings indicated that two modes of influence, initiative and passive influence, contributed to attitudinal and behavioral conformity respectively. The study also showed that the ways in which cross-cultural adaptation and intercultural communication affected the intercultural relationship varied from individual to individual. The analysis was concluded by positing a model of influence exchange within a particular pattern of intercultural relationship. The model highlights the essential elements that may contribute to trustful and supportive relationships between members of a host and a guest culture.