Internatioal students’ culture learning and cultural adaptation..docVIP

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2015 /10.10802015.1009080 International students’ culture learning and cultural adaptation in China Ran Ana and Shiao-Yun Chiangb* aSchool of International Education, South China University of Technology, Wushan, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China; bDepartment of Communication, State University of New York, PO BOX 1252, Oneonta, NY 13820, USA (Received 11 November 2014; accepted 12 January 2015) This article examines international students’ cultural adaptation at a major national university in China. A survey was designed to measure international students’ adaptation to the Chinese sociocultural and educational environments in terms of five dimensions: (1) cultural empathy, (2) open-mindedness, (3) emotional stability, (4) social flexibility and (5) language proficiency. International students (n = 330) from 57 countries participated in the survey. The findings here support the existing proposition that the first year is the critical period for cultural adaptation as there are significant changes in some adaptation indicators (especially emotional stability) over the first year and thereafter changes in these indicators became less and less significant. The present study discusses the adequacy of existing theories in explaining these results and their implications for international students’ adaptation as a culture-specific experience in China. Keywords: international students; intercultural communication competence; inter-cultural adaptation and transformation; U-curve model; critical period for adaptation Introduction A rapidly increasing number of countries/regions in Asia have started to internationalise their institutions of higher education owing to the global mobilisation of economy, technology and information. As a great example of globalisation, China also has been making every effort to internationalise its national universities. According to the Chin