The Intercultural Adjustment Of Chinese International Students From The Perspective Of Social Networking

Chinese international students' intercultural adjustment in foreign countries is significantly influenced by their personal ties with other people: non-conational ties and conational ties. Some studies show that having personal ties with locals helps to shorten the period of psychological adjustment, and students with more international ties adapt better than those with fewer international ties.The present study is an attempt to conduct a research about Chinese international postgraduates' social networking experience. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of social network on the Chinese international students' intercultural adjustment process. This paper tries to answer the following questions:(1) What is the status quo of Chinese international students' social networking?(2) What's the relationship between social networking and intercultural adjustment?Based on these research questions, several hypotheses are proposed. On the basis of a survey which consists of two parts and a selected sample of interviews, this paper concludes that: (1) student organizations can play instrumental roles in helping students to adapt to the overseas life by providing social support; (2) Chinese social network is the primary source of emotional help; (3) Chinese international students in non-English speaking countries are more immersed in foreign language setting and host culture; (4) interacting with co-nationals helps students to identify with the co-culture.