By linking students of a different culture and NESB to local students early in their education, opportunities to learn more about local customs and conversational language would become possible. The traditional education system in many Asian countries is quite different from Western models. In most cases, students in Asia 'receive' information from teachers who are considered to be experts in their area. Rote learning and an emphasis on passing examinations is stressed. A teacher holds the same status as one's parents so many of the constructs relating to how one behaves towards parents holds true with teachers.
Passivity is emphasised during learning situations.
With this culturally ingrained learning behaviour it is not surprising why many supervisors accuse the students of not having any self-evaluation or problem solving behaviours. This issue of master vs. novice and the cultural factors that influence this relationship are best described by the following contrasting quotations. The student's problem solving abilities seem very poor, we teach Australian students to be very independent whereas this doesn't appear to be the case with the NESB students. While it is not impossible for students of an East Asian cultural background to develop the skills necessary for success in a Western model of education, being sensitive to the discomfort the learner may be having in confronting the supervisor needs to occur. Explaining the basis for your requests to have the student self-evaluate is a good start.