Study Of Cross-Cultural Adaptation Problems Of American Students In China

Along with the deep development of globalization and international higher education, the borders between countries become blurred. Every year, the number of foreign students studying in China increases, rendering China to become one of the main destinations for study abroad. The number of international students increasingly rises causing some challenges for China with regards to not only the education system and administrative structure, but also many problems in terms of cross-cultural adaptation of the international students including studying, living, and personal communication. The situation of international student's cross-cultural adaptation not only affects the students themselves, but also affects the image of the host country and the development of the international education. On the other hand, the world has become more unified and multicultural as a matter of fact. The development of globalization does not eliminate different cultural traditions, but instead promotes understanding and living together in harmony. To understand other people is to understand their cultural traditions, which have become the basic premise for cross-cultural communication. The communication among people is a cross-cultural procedure, the style of our speaking and action whether happy or not is closely related to culture. To explain people's life from a cultural perspective can help provide a deep understanding of people's thought and behavior. This paper attempts to discuss the cross-cultural adaptation of American students studying in China and the influential elements behind the adaptation. The research is focused on six American students studying in China's E University using qualitative research, such as interviews, observations, discussions, and case studies. These six case studies took about eight months to investigate based on their everyday life, communication, and studying in China. The main point is to discuss the implication of Chinese and American cultural difference on American student's cross-cultural adaptation.The paper is divided into three parts. The first part is the preface that discusses the research background, procedure, and method as well as related problems. The second part describes the status of American student's cross-cultural adaptation in China based on narrative stories and theoretical analysis. The second part covers four chapters. Chapter two is about American students' adaptation to a new environment and dialy life revolving around living environment, diet, and public service. Chapter three focuses on personal communication including American student's definition of "friendship" and how they make friends. Chapter four consists of education management, teaching style, and teacher-student relationship. Chapter five is about language adaptation. From two different contextual cultures and from a micro-perspective, one can see the affect of Chinese and American cultural differences on American students' language adaptation. Finally, the third part of the paper is a comprehensive discussion about the implications of Chinese and American cultural differences on American students' cross-cultural adaptation, pointing out the direcations for following studies.