Cross-cultural international adjustment of American undergraduate interns in Asia (Japan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

This study explores how American undergraduate interns from a large urban university cope with and adjust to cultural differences encountered during a two-month internship in Asia. The research investigates student perceptions and socio-cultural factors that affect interns as they adjust to life and work abroad, and answers three questions: How do students approach problems encountered in a new culture? What strategies do they use to adjust? What can we do to help them adjust more successfully?; Specifically, the research investigates the cross-cultural international adjustment of thirteen U.S. undergraduate interns who worked in Japan and Kuala Lumpur during the summer of 2003. It presents intern opinions of cross-cultural adjustment factors within the context of work and personal environments, chiefly targeting cultural distance, adjustment challenges, and coping strategies. This review observes socio-cultural and psychological adjustment from a qualitative constructivist perspective that employs extensive use of email surveys, open-ended questions, personal interviews, and focus groups to view the data within a Social Learning Theory framework.; The study supports previous adjustment research highlighting the importance of foreign language skills. In addition, it confirms that HCN interaction, meaningful international experience, and cultural knowledge support successful international adjustment. Problem-focused coping strategies also proved to be the best approach for overcoming adjustment difficulties.; While these results reflect earlier findings, three major themes surfaced that provided additional insight. The first theme suggests that students can successfully employ small amounts of symptom-focused coping strategies to adjust as long as they understand the negative consequences of using them too frequently. Second, interns overwhelmingly stated that an open-minded attitude was most important for successful adjustment. Third, making friends and interacting with HCNs before traveling abroad is difficult to do, but is well worth the effort if given the opportunity to do so, since the HCN relationship significantly improves cross-cultural knowledge, understanding, and adjustment.; This review adds to adjustment research by investigating a non-academic international internship program in two Eastern cultures. It offers recommendations for future research and provides university administrators with information to facilitate international internship preparation.