Predictors of post-migration growth for Chinese international students in Australia

The current research focus in acculturation study has been shifted to a resilience framework. Post-migration growth is one of the positive adaptation outcomes in cross-cultural adaptation. The objective of this study was to investigate post-migration growth and its predictors among Chinese international students in Australia. A total of 227 Chinese students were recruited from universities in a big Australian city, for a cross-sectional survey study. It was found that Chinese students developed a moderate level of post-migration growth in their adaptation to Australia. Hierarchical regression analysis showed (a) that duration of residence in Australia, challenge appraisal, sense-making coping and meaning-in-life were significant positive predictors; and (b) that acculturative hassles and threat appraisal were significant negative predictors of post-migration growth for Chinese international students in Australia. Theoretical implications for resilience research in acculturation and practical implications for resilience-based and meaning-oriented intervention for Chinese international students were suggested.     

Locus of control,coping flexibility,and post-migration growth among mainland Chinese university students in Macao

This study aimed to investigate if locus of control (LOC; including internal, external-powerful others, and external-chance) and coping flexibility were associated with post-migration growth (PMG) among sojourning students. Mainland Chinese university students (N = 286 [68.5 % female]; M_age = 18.902, SD = .748) in Macao completed three waves (Time 1 [T1], Time 2 [T2], and Time 3 [T3]) of survey across 2 years. Results of our path analysis showed that internal LOC (T1) was significantly correlated with higher levels of coping flexibility (T2) and PMG (T3). Moreover, findings of further mediation tests also indicated that coping flexibility partially mediated the positive influence of internal LOC on PMG. In the path model, the effects of both external-powerful others LOC and external-chance LOC on coping flexibility were not statistically significant but external-chance LOC exerted a significant negative direct effect on PMG. Our findings revealed the potential value of internal LOC and coping flexibility in facilitating intrapersonal and interpersonal growth when studying abroad, and their practical implications in promoting international students’ successful adjustment to the host society were discussed.     

A resilience-based and meaning-oriented model of acculturation: A sample of mainland Chinese postgraduate students in Hong Kong

Traditional acculturation research has focused mainly on acculturative stress and its negative consequences on the mental health of migrants. However, there has recently been a substantial paradigm shift in acculturation research from a psychopathological perspective to a resilience framework, which focuses on positive adaptation outcomes and their contributing protective factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate how to improve the emotional well-being of migrants by developing and testing a resilience model of acculturation using mainland Chinese postgraduate students in Hong Kong as the sample. A total of 400 mainland Chinese students were recruited from six universities in Hong Kong through a cross-sectional survey. A resilience-based and meaning-oriented model of acculturation was developed for Chinese students by path analysis and structural equation modeling. Threat appraisal and sense-making coping partially mediated the relationship between acculturative hassles and negative affect. The effect of acculturative hassles on positive affect was mediated by two pathways: the first was mediated by threat appraisal, sense-making coping, and negative affect; the second was mediated by meaning-in-life. The findings suggest that acculturative hassles and threat appraisal are significant risk factors and that sense-making coping and meaning-in-life are important protective factors for psychological adjustment in cross-cultural adaptation.     

Acculturation and psychosocial adjustment of Chinese international students: Examining mediation and moderation effects

This study examined mechanisms through which acculturation influenced psychosocial adjustment of Chinese international students. Specifically, these mechanisms refer to the mediating and moderating effects of social interaction and social connectedness with host nationals upon the acculturation–adjustment linkages. Chinese international students from four universities in Texas responded to a web-based survey (N = 508). Results from regression analyses showed social connectedness with Americans mediated the links between adherence to the host culture (acculturation dimension) and psychosocial adjustment (i.e., depression and sociocultural adjustment difficulties). Social interaction with Americans moderated the association between adherence to the home culture (acculturation dimension) and depression. We discussed implications for theory and health promotion practice, and presented directions for future research.     

The sociocultural adjustment of Chinese graduate students at Korean universities: A qualitative study

Although 21% of all Chinese students studying at Korean universities are in graduate schools (Korean Educational Development Institute, 2008), little is known about their sociocultural adjustment. This study explores Chinese graduate students’ perceptions regarding their sociocultural adjustment experiences and capture the essence of the influences on their sociocultural adjustment during their early cross-cultural transition. The study is based on interview data from nine Chinese graduate students who attended three universities in Seoul in 2009. The model of sociocultural adjustment is employed as a conceptual framework to explore the perceptions of Chinese graduate students regarding their sociocultural adjustment. The four main themes emerged from the in-depth interview sessions were perceived cultural distance, language competency, low level of interaction with host nationals, and biased stereotypes.     

Communication Experiences and Adaptation of Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong and Hong Kong Chinese in Mainland China

In-depth interviews were conducted for 203 Hong Kong Chinese in Mainland China (HIM) and 198 Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong (MIH), followed by two-level theme analyses, to examine their communication experiences and adaptation. The two groups were found to be dissimilar in terms of socioeconomic status, purpose of migration, and process of adaptation. Many HIM tended to evaluate the new environment from a “new workplace” view, mentioning adjustment and communication at workplace. Most MIH, on the other hand, used a “new home” approach, expecting a happy life with good income. The major challenge for most HIM was getting used to a less developed physical environment and an organizational culture with lower efficiency and work ethics. For most MIH, the main source of hardship came from insufficient protection for workers’ rights and interests. Hong Kong is more urbanized with superficial relationships while the Mainland society is more communal, nurturing long-term relationships.     

The role of perceived cultural distance,personal growth initiative,language proficiencies,and tridimensional acculturation orientations for psychological adjustment among international students

We investigated the acculturation process of international students (N = 319, 162 female) from 62 countries who were residing in the Netherlands, using the acculturation framework by Arends-Tóth and Van de Vijver (2007). We applied SEM to test the model that acculturation conditions (perceived cultural distance [PCD], personal growth initiative [PGI], proficiency in English and the host language, and length of residence) in conjunction with acculturation orientations as mediators (host, heritage, expatriate) predict psychological adjustment as acculturation outcome (acculturative stress, satisfaction with life, mental health problems). We found direct and indirect effects of acculturation conditions on adjustment; high PGI, high English and Dutch proficiencies, and low PCD were associated with better adjustment. Host orientation (predicted by high PGI, Dutch proficiency, and low PCD) was positively associated with adjustment. Heritage orientation (predicted by low English proficiency) was negatively associated with adjustment. As a novel aspect, we included expatriate orientation - an orientation towards other expatriates in the host community. Expatriate orientation was predicted by low Dutch proficiency and was positively associated with adjustment. We also observed direct links between acculturation conditions and outcomes: positive associations between PCD and acculturative stress and between length of residence and acculturative stress; and negative associations between PGI and mental health problems and between English proficiency and acculturative stress. We provide evidence that including expatriate orientation is relevant among international students: It is stronger than both host and heritage orientations, thereby underlining the importance of studying acculturation in a contextualized way.     

A review of the acculturation experiences of international students

Universities in Western countries host a substantial number of international students. These students bring a range of benefits to the host country and in return the students gain higher education. However, the choice to study overseas in Western countries may present many challenges for the international student including the experience of acculturative stress and difficulties with adjustment to the environment of the host country. The present paper provides a review of current acculturation models as applied to international students. Given that these models have typically been empirically tested on migrant and refugee populations only, the review aims to determine the extent to which these models characterise the acculturation experience of international students. Literature pertaining to salient variables from acculturation models was explored including acculturative stressors encountered frequently by international students (e.g., language barriers, educational difficulties, loneliness, discrimination, and practical problems associated with changing environments). Further discussed was the subsequent impact of social support and coping strategies on acculturative stress experienced by international students, and the psychological and sociocultural adaptation of this student group. This review found that the international student literature provides support for some aspects of the acculturation models discussed; however, further investigation of these models is needed to determine their accuracy in describing the acculturation of international students. Additionally, prominent acculturation models portray the host society as an important factor influencing international students’ acculturation, which suggests the need for future intervention.     

Identifying factors that influence the learner empowerment of international students

The internationalisation of education promises to prepare students for diversity in the global workplace. However, many international students do not thrive in their host academic communities. A sample of 196 international students enrolled at a New Zealand (NZ) university between 2011 and 2012 completed an online survey, which explored cultural concepts identified as relevant to the acculturation process. A multiple regression of the quantitative data identified that prior knowledge, perceived relevance, belongingness and cultural distance accounted for almost 50% of the variance in the successful acculturation of students into the university culture. The high level of self-reflectivity throughout the qualitative data provided insight into the integral role of both staff and host students as a catalyst in this process. Findings of this research illustrate that alongside functional support, there is a need to develop the intercultural communication competence of faculty and host culture students. Recommendations to achieve enhanced outcomes for international students include future curriculum development, staff training, host student education and enhanced structural support in areas identified as barriers to successful acculturation.     

Resources mitigating the impediment of discrimination to the acculturation success of students migrated to Hong Kong

While discrimination against immigrants and resources for them likely influence immigrants’ acculturation success, how various resources moderate the influence of discrimination has not been clear. Achievement and social integration are indicators of acculturation success. From structural-functionalist theory, resources that mitigate the adverse influence of discrimination are likely to be those functional to the host society or its social integration. Earlier social integration with the host society thus may be a crucial determinant of acculturation success, partly by mitigating the adverse impact of discrimination. Conversely, resources such as welfare reception, affiliation with an organization in the home place, and fluency in the language of host society may aggravate the detriment of discrimination. These expectations are sustainable with a study of secondary school students who migrated from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong. Among the 1243 students, 416 had come to Hong Kong within 2 years. The supportive findings indicate that acculturation success in the face of discrimination would require early social integration into the host society and disconnection from the home place. Importantly, while fluency in the host language appeared to be conducive to acculturation success, it aggravated the adverse effect of discrimination on the success. Hence, communication in a discriminative context would be dysfunctional to the operation of host society.     

Acculturation and alcohol: Exploring experiences of alcohol for Asian international students in Australia

Acculturation can be a challenging experience for Asian international students moving to Western countries for study. The majority of international students are young adults, a population that has recently entered the legal alcohol purchase age, and who might not be familiar with new regulatory contexts and socio-cultural environments where drinking is common. Informed by theories of acculturative stress, ethno-identity conflict and adaptation, we explored 15 Asian international students’ lived experiences of alcohol in Australia, and the social, cultural and religious contexts within which these experiences were situated. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken, with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis exploring subjective experiences of alcohol and acculturation processes. Participants articulated numerous and varied experiences of their transitions, however, did not draw connections between stressful transition experiences and subsequent drinking. Most participants reported having increased their drinking since arrival in Australia, and although many participants had adapted to Australian patterns of drinking and socialising, they also reported it was challenging to navigate different cultural and social expectations and values around alcohol that were strongly rooted as a part of their ethnic heritage. Our participants’ experiences may be useful to inform future research on this much under-studied topic, as well as being used by universities to consider appropriate strategies for addressing alcohol-related acculturation processes as part of orientation curriculum with international students.     

Acculturative challenges among Pakistani secondary school students in Hong Kong

Scholars have extensively studied acculturation from different theoretical perspectives among immigrants across the societies of settlement. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about acculturation from a culture learning approach in Hong Kong. This article reports the acculturative challenges among sixteen (16) Pakistani students from six different secondary schools in Hong Kong. The phenomenographic data analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed four categories of everyday experiences in schools that hinder their acculturation. These are mainly related to inter-ethnic interactions, sensitivity towards diverse learning and sociocultural needs, and the Chinese language teaching curriculum for non-Chinese speaking students. Although the study reports Pakistani students' experiences, the findings may also translate the acculturative challenges among students with an immigrant or ethnic minority background in settlement societies. The article also discusses both the theoretical and practical implications for studying and helping immigrant young people in multicultural contexts.     

Inclusion profile of theoretical frameworks on the study of sociocultural adaptation of international university students

This paper presents an analysis of the theoretical frameworks that support the research on sociocultural adaptation of international university students. The method used was a systematic review of the bibliographic databases Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus. Sixty-two (62) scientific articles were selected, published between 2012 and the first semester of 2017, containing explicit reports on theoretical frameworks.A total of 45 theoretical frameworks were identified, with 82.2% of the articles describing specific theoretical frameworks on adaptation and 69.3% treating non-specific ones. The results were as follows: (1) Most of the theoretical frameworks centered on sociocultural adaptation; (2) said frameworks mainly applied the acculturation model and the ABC framework model; (3) there was recurring use of Tinto’s Interactionalist Theory to investigate adaptation within the university context; (4) the articles on non-specific adaptation theories generally present sociocultural adaptation theories, mainly of the ABC framework, focusing either on the individual or society, but not considering both; (5) greater consideration of psychosocial determinants of behavior to investigate characteristics of the individual; and (6) theories predominate that focus on interpersonal relationships in their analysis of society.The implications of theoretical combinations identified are discussed, such as the need to complement the ABC and acculturation models with sociocognitive theoretical frameworks, examining interpersonal relationships and socio-academic integration. This is in order to apprehend how the adaptation process unfolds in different contexts, as in academic and extra-academic environments, and to account for the learnings that are relevant to specific cultures.     

Experimenter language choice and ethnic affirmation by Chinese trilinguals in Hong Kong

When communicating with a member of his or her ethnic in-group, a multilingual typically uses his common first language. If, however, the multilingual uses a common second or third language, we believe this choice will indicate his or her endorsement of attitudes believed to be held by that language out-group. An audience will respond to this implicit statement by a shift in its ethnically relevant altitudes either towards or away from the position of the speaker. Convergence is assumed to occur if relations between the language communities are harmonious, ethnic affirmation if relations are hostile. To explore this reasoning, experimenters addressed Chinese trilinguals in their first language of Cantonese, their second language of English, or their third language of Mandarin. When instructed in Mandarin, subjects assumed their experimenter held more traditional Chinese beliefs and they themselves completed a measure of traditional Chinese beliefs in a more Western direction. Although most Hong Kong students at university are ambivalent about their colonial status under Great Britain, they oppose Hong Kong's reversion to China in 1997 and are threatened by this prospect. Consequently, we believe that they responded to an experimenter speaking the Mandarin language of China by affirming a more Western identity.     

Influence of sensation seeking on intercultural communication competence of international students in a Malaysian university: Attitude as a mediator

The present study aims to retest the relationship between sensation seeking, attitude towards other cultures (ATOC), and intercultural communication competence (ICC) introduced by the Western researchers. It was proposed that sensation seeking and ATOC have a direct impact on ICC, and ATOC mediates the relationship between sensation seeking and ICC in the Malaysian context. Survey technique was considered and structural equation modeling was performed in the study. The participants (N = 336) included international students of a Malaysian public university and were randomly selected for data collection. Findings revealed that sensation seeking is a predictor of ATOC and ICC. In addition, ATOC appeared as the mediating variable. The results reconfirmed the findings of Western studies and validated the culture-general nature of variables in the Malaysian context. Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) Malaysia can predict the accomplishment of their existing plans and further develop a policy for making Malaysia a hub of international students by considering the findings of this study.     

An examination of the relationship between social self-efficacy and personal growth initiative in international context

The cross-cultural transitioning experience of international students has been viewed as a high-impact practice for student learning. International students experience both challenges and growth opportunities when they encounter new peoples and environments. However, limited research exists on the student factors that predict benefits, growth or resilience for international students through their cross-cultural transitioning experience. This study investigated social self-efficacy as a predictor of personal growth initiative amongst international students, above and beyond demographic and linguistic factors. In addition, the factorial structure of Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II was examined. Our results indicated that the perceived ability to successfully negotiate social situations and produce positive social interactions predict greater personal growth initiative and its dimensions regardless of students’ language proficiency. Moreover, results from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided further support for the first-order four-factor structure of the PGIS-II. Results have implications for improving international student integration, because efforts to support students’ social self-efficacy are linked to their personal growth initiative.     

Intercultural adjustment and friendship dialectics in international students: A qualitative study

Despite the accelerating increase of international students on American campus, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of how these individuals make sense of their adjustment journey or how they construct meaning concerning their friendship development experience. Existing adjustment research tended to focus primarily on the motivational goals of adjustment or the type of friendship network patterns (e.g., host national network, co-national network, or multi-national network) but did not probe deeper into the narratives of international students’ identity-change adjustment processes or the quality of their friendship networks. Using identity negotiation theory as a guide, this study utilized an interpretive methodology to examine the adjustment narratives and friendship stories of 20 international students. The findings revealed three themes: a variety of intercultural adjustment patterns and with a predominant upward trend or M-shaped adjustment trend, the role of cultural expectancy and personal time sense in intercultural friendship development, and identity shock issues and friendship dialectics. The findings have implications for the study of intercultural adjustment process and friendship development pattern especially concerning the intercultural friendship dialectics of feeling visible versus invisible, communication openness versus closedness, and feeling like a guest versus feeling like an alien.     

Social network sites and acculturation of international sojourners in the Netherlands: The mediating role of psychological alienation and online social support

Acculturation of short-term international sojourners, such as expats and international students, has received considerable attention from scholars in the past decades. Acculturation is commonly defined as the interplay between cultural maintenance, the sojourner’s desire to maintain their home culture identity, and host country participation, their desire to initiate contact with members of the host society. The present paper focuses on the role that Social Network Sites (SNS) play in the acculturation process of this group. Through a survey, we examined how 126 short-term sojourners in the Netherlands use SNS to interact with relations in both home and host country, and how this affects their cultural maintenance and host country participation. Furthermore, we examined psychological alienation and online social support as possible mediators. Our results show that on the one hand SNS contact with home country relations is positively related to online social support. On the other hand, it is also related to psychological alienation, which in turn is related to cultural maintenance. This shows that sojourners who keep in touch with friends and family at home also experience more loneliness and homesickness, and place more emphasis on their own cultural heritage. Finally, we found that SNS contact with host country relations predicts host country participation. Through online activities, sojourners are able to foster social interaction and strengthen friendships with locals.     

A multidimensional analysis of homesickness based on the perceptions of international students in Turkey: A mixed method study

In this study, the perspectives of international students about homesickness and their adaptation to Turkish culture were explored. A multidimensional homesickness analysis based on the perception of international students in Turkish universities is presented. For this purpose, a mixed method was used. Two different techniques were used in the qualitative dimension: metaphor analysis and cognitive mapping. Metaphors were created by 60 international students studying at a state university in Turkey. Cognitive mapping data were collected from 22 international students. In addition, a survey model was used to procure quantitative data. Quantitative data were collected by using the Utrecht Homesickness Scale. The sampling group included 200 international students studying in eight different public universities. The inductive content analysis technique was used to analyse qualitative data and the metaphors related to homesickness were conceptualised as deprivation, difficulties, pain, and yearning. The metaphorical expressions revealed both the compelling homesickness of international students and socio-cultural adjustment difficulties in Turkey. The cognitive mapping concerning homesickness was highly similar to the metaphors. Cognitive mapping results aggregated as memories, cultural events, dishes, family members, friends, and hobbies. The quantitative results indicated high mean homesickness scores for ‘missing family’ and ‘missing friends’ sub-dimensions. Moreover, the mean scores were relatively low for the ‘adjustment difficulties’ and ‘loneliness’ sub-dimensions. Quantitative data revealed that the perceptions of homesickness differ depending on various socio-cultural factors. This study proposes that countries hosting international students should take psychological, social, and cultural adjustment measures, especially for freshmen students who experience more homesickness.