Institutional Distance’s Influence On International Educators In Shanghai

Little is known about how an institution,like one’s company or school,can impact the cross-cultural experiences of educators in a new culture.This thesis intends to close this gap by focusing on how the institution can help facilitate better intercultural adaptation experiences.The goal was to examine the relationship between institutional factors like social support and its role in adaptation patterns of foreign teachers in Shanghai.In order to better understand this new phenomena,a mixed-methods approach was conducted in Shanghai,China.The type of institution,interpersonal relationships within the institution,and time at the institution were vital factors in predicting adaptation of 161 foreign teachers in Shanghai Results showed that institutional distance was correlated with social support factors and overall well-being.During the data collection period the corona virus struck and radically impacted the world and the lives of educators in Shanghai,so adjustments had to be made to the design to better encompass what was happening to the international educators in Shanghai.To better understand changes brought about in a post-COVID-19 setting,interviews were conducted to explore relevant themes related to "support","communication","power distance," and to further support the quantitative study.This data was compiled and analyzed to compare the types of educational institutions and the relationship they have to foreign teacher adaptation,with an additional consideration for the impacts of COVID-19 on this relationship.The main findings were clearly separated by the virus displaying the increased role institutions have on international educators during times of crisis.In both sets of data local Chinese support proved to be support structure that had positive correlations to both psychological and interpersonal adaptation patterns.