A Study Of Intercultural Adaptation Of International Students In China

As the Chinese language and culture become more and more accepted around the world, a great many international students are coming to China in pursuit of either the language or the culture or both. Going abroad means being suddenly confronted with a completely new environment. Streets and houses look foreign, shops do not sell one's favorite food, the climate is different and even small things like door handles or showers do not work in the same way as they used to do at home; there's no familiar people around and the foreign language which is spoken in the host city is probably the thing that confuses most. The encounter of those unfamiliar cues in a new culture often leads to the experience of the so-called"cultural shock".For a long time, studies on international students in Chinese universities has been emphasizing particularly on management, whereas their social and cultural adaptation is greatly neglected. This research is to get a better understanding on this aspect.Focusing upon everyday life of international students in China, a series of deep interviews are carried out from different perspectives like language barrier, academic situation, natural environment, social interaction and psychological stresses, among over 60 international students (mostly from America and European countries, some African and Asian students are also included) in Xiamen University in order to explore the main factors contributing to the adjustment process of international students in China socially and individually.The study explores culture shock experienced by international students. It is found that international students are faced with adaptation problems both environmentally and socially. Although representing different cultures, they report similar symptoms of suffering from culture shock, for example, strain, a feeling of loss, loneliness, deprivation, hypochondria etc.The study also provides evidence that social and cultural adaptation condition is quite different among different international students, in which the variables of gender, culture background, level of the Chinese language, staying length in China, former overseas experience and expectations all contribute as individual predictors of adaptation process. Among social environmental factors, the students' social interactions with Chinese students, their involvement in Chinese social life, social support from Chinese society are of most importance. Chinese culture and value, social stereotype also prevent the social contact among international students and Chinese counterparts.Some reasons that make international students suffer from cultural shock with such an intensity and lasting could be the absence of any training program in culture shock whether in their home countries or in China, the absence of structures in each University and college in their host country that could help them dealing with culture shock phenomenon and probably most importantly the lacking of enough communication between Chinese people and international students leading them to a life in enclave instead of an integration in the Chinese culture. Based on these finding, we put forward some suggestions, hoping to be useful in solving the problems. Some problems left for future discussion are dressed at the end of the dissertation.