Cross-culture communication apprehension in communicating in English among Jordanian students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)

Abstract

Cross-cultural communication apprehension (CCA) can be a significant challenge for international students, impacting their learning experiences. This study examined the Jordanian students’ perspectives of and experiences in cross cultural communication Apprehension in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) where English is the medium of instruction. This study employed qualitative study while the participants were 16 Jordanian PhD students at UUM. The sampling of this study was purposive sampling while the researcher selected homogeneous sampling strategy, collected the data through face to face interview with the participants. The findings of the research question were divided into two main themes and sub-themes. The first main theme is language barriers, which consists of four sub-themes: limited English proficiency, pronunciation difficulties, and grammar challenges and Cultural context and communication styles. The second main theme is language anxiety, which includes two sub-themes: shyness and limited vocabularies. This has various implications on their overall learning experiences in University Utara Malaysia.