Cultural attitudes and learning perceptions of Taiwanese graduates from a Midwestern Educational Administration doctoral program

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze Taiwanese graduates' perceptions of their experiences at The University of South Dakota and their attitudes toward the United States. These graduates studied at USD and received doctoral degrees in Educational Administration between the years 2000-2006. As an applied, institutional-based program study and companion to Paudel's (2004) assessment of American attitudes after studying with Taiwanese, this dissertation examined the Taiwanese graduates' interactions at The University of South Dakota; the graduates' attitudes toward USD, with emphasis on the Educational Administration program quality; and the graduates' understanding of cultural differences and similarities.;An electronic software program was used to construct and deploy the web-based survey. A Mandarin translation of the survey was also sent electronically to all respondents at deployment to ensure full understanding of survey items. This study reported data in the forms of frequency, percentages, means, standard deviations, probability, t statistics for equality of means, effect size, and narration.;Based upon the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn. The Taiwanese graduates experienced significant and rewarding relationships, both personally and professionally, with university-affiliated Americans. The Taiwanese graduates brought a proud sense of academic preparedness, a vehement desire to learn, and a relative open-mindedness into the classroom. The Taiwanese graduates believed international study has the capacity to improve cross-cultural understanding, foster respect for differences, and facilitate global dialogues at levels far beyond their previously-held notions or expectations. The Taiwanese graduates asserted USD's recruitment efforts of Taiwanese should continue with more deliberateness while the university seeks to recruit other foreign students.;The Taiwanese graduates reported mixed, incongruous convictions regarding their English language ability and the implications for study and classroom participation. The Taiwanese graduates indicated the most significant challenges of the doctoral experience in America included proper English language usage in formal, informal, written, and verbal contexts; varying, unfamiliar methodology and faculty presentation in classrooms; in addition to overall cultural acclimation and new lifestyles. Reciprocal similarities and stark differences existed in the perceptions and attitudes of the Taiwanese graduates based upon gender, as well as between the beliefs of Taiwanese graduates and their American colleagues.