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Journey to the East: Intercultural Adaptation of International Students in China

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International Students in China

Abstract

This chapter critically analyses international students’ intercultural adaptation and growth experience in Mainland China. The researcher examined how they maximised their intercultural interactions and improved language and communication skills, and looked at how they undertook cultural immersion in China, and achieved successful intercultural awareness. The data were collected from a variety of sources. The researcher conducted thematic contents analysis after coding and categorising the data into key themes. The research results show that international students in China are mostly positive about their transition from intercultural interaction to intercultural communication and understanding. Implications for international students’ experience in China are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions is used with an understanding that in the same culture there are diverse cultures with differences. For example, there are cultural differences between North and South China in Han nationality, let alone 56 nationalities in China.

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  1. School of Humanitites and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Ping Yang

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Fred Dervin

  2. Confucius Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Xiangyun Du

  3. International Affairs, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland

    Anu Härkönen

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Yang, P. (2018). Journey to the East: Intercultural Adaptation of International Students in China. In: Dervin, F., Du, X., Härkönen, A. (eds) International Students in China. Palgrave Studies on Chinese Education in a Global Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78120-4_3

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