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Acculturation Challenges Faced by Malaysian Muslim Students Studying Abroad

Siti Nor Aisyah Akhwan, Dharatun Nissa Puad Mohd Kari, Salleh Amat, Mohd Izwan Mahmud, Abu Yazid Abu Bakar and Ku Suhaila Ku Johari

Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Volume 29, Issue S1, December 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.29.s1.18

Keywords: Abroad, acculturation, Malaysian Muslim students, multicultural, phenomenology, qualitative

Published on: 14 April 2021

Every year, thousands of Malaysian students are sent to study abroad by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) which causes several underestimated stress, especially those faced by the Muslims. This qualitative study aimed to explore the challenges of acculturation among Malaysian Muslim students studying abroad. The researchers adopted a phenomenological design approach to develop in-depth understanding of the topic. The six respondents in the study were former Malaysian students studying in Australia, the United States of America, South Korea, India, Jordan, and the United Kingdom. The respondents were interviewed, and the interview protocol guided the interview until the data reached saturation. The data obtained were analyzed in stages, starting with descriptive coding, topic coding, analytical coding, and themes identification. This process was done using Atlas. ti 8 software. The main findings highlight two research themes: the challenges to expose Islamic identity and practicing the Islamic lifestyle. Findings also suggest that Malaysian Muslim students should consider improving Islamic knowledge as it reflects the impressions of other religions on Muslims as a whole. This study’s findings are important for the student sponsorship and student welfare section of the university in providing an appropriate counselling program for international students dealing with acculturation issues. We also suggest that future research explore acculturation challenges to identify the holistic need of the multicultural counselling service.

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ISSN 0128-7702

e-ISSN 2231-8534

Article ID

JSSH(S)-1504-2021

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