Literature review
Studying the affect of life abroad has on foreign
students is important but there are things to
consider before studying the affect of study
abroad on students. For instance Age, depending
on how mature a person is they may see different
developments in terms of moving abroad. An
article released in 2016 stated that
"on average
younger people find it easier than older people to
cope with such change by finding new ways to
achieve goals". Another factor to consider should
be the language barrier, most students will come
from backgrounds where they have not learned to
speak the language of the country they study in,
this alone can affect a cascade of things for
example, a student who struggles with the english
language in the UK may find they take more time
to study or even may find it harder to socialise
then someone who can fluently speak english.
Regarding other researches done about life
abroad
A study carried out on 2gth january 2012 surveyed
600+ chinese students studying in the UK and
the impact of their time abroad, the study showed
a positive outlook stating how when exposed to a
societal and international context , international
students are constantly engaged in a reflexive
process of change'. The part of this study that is
of interest here is the results of the survey and the
effects described by these students an example
would be how the survey concludes that at a
personal level their time abroad: enhanced self-
efficacy, independence and international
awareness'. Some key questions also remain,
would the results differ with age? Why could these
results be shown?
Sample Solution
k and welcome contrast to the three aged and failing general secretaries of the Communist Party”, which clearly illustrates how Gorbachev was completely different to leaders like Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko. Gorbachev was 54 and “in robust health”, which meant that he was energetic, young and less set in his ways as leader. He was ultimately more open to ideas compared to previous leaders, so change was already taking place. Oberdorfer argues that Gorbachev was a strong leader as he had more potential to induce change compared to other leaders as since 1972, “there has never been a time when a politically strong U.S. president and a physically strong Soviet general secretary had been in office at the same time”. Oberdorfer highlights there has been 13 years of weak, unhealthy leaders attempting to mend the economy and negotiate with other countries. Oberdorfer calls Gorbachev an “impressive leader” which enforces his central argument: Gorbachev’s leadership was the main reason for the end of the Cold War.
Furthermore, Oberdorfer depicts how Gorbachev was a family man and how he appreciated his wife since he took her “wherever possible”, which clearly shows he valued his wife’s opinion, in contrast to other leaders such as Reagan who didn’t take Nancy with him wherever he went, implying he was strongly opinionated. Gorbachev was a man who was interested in the public’s opinion in order to induce changes tailored on their opinions and preferences, not solely based on his own. The Secretary of State George Shultz observed how “He performs like a person who has been in charge for a while, not like a person who is just taking charge” which illustrates Gorbachev as an extremely adaptable, unforeseeable, hardworking and diplomatic individual. Gorbachev’s leadership was the main factor that led to the end of the Cold War because he w