Chinese international students' cultural immersion and academic adaptation on an American campus

Since the 2001-02 academic years, China has replaced India to make itself the number one source of international students in the United States. As Chinese culture is very distinctive from its western counterpart, Chinese international students' cultural immersion and academic adaptation needs special attention, and measures taken to address issues when Chinese students experience difficulties on American campuses. In this mix-methods study, 119 Chinese students responded to an investigator-developed instrument and six of these students completed follow-up interviews. The study found that Chinese students are generally satisfied with their choice of coming to study in the U.S. and the learning environment that universities provide. However, they did experience problems like language barrier and culture-related relationship difficulties. They especially expressed their disappointment about residential services on campus. Recommendations are made for the institutions to help Chinese students better adapt to American campus life.