A Research On Acculturation Among Overseas Students In China

One of the major researches in intercultural communication is the study of acculturation. Many scholars have conducted in-depth and fruitful study in this field from the perspective of pedagogy, psychology, sociology etc. and related empirical researches have also been widely adopted. With the extension of international education in China and the rapid development of intercultural communication, it is indispensable and urgent to study the acculturation status of international students who are studying in China. Therefore, based on acculturation theories, Stress-Adaptation-Growth Dynamic Model by Yong Yun Kim and acculturation strategies by J. W. Berry, this thesis tries to undertake an empirical study on acculturation status of international students at ECUST.This study adopts descriptive and quantitative study as its primary means while qualitative study as the secondary means. The methods of questionnaire and interview are taken in the study. Totally,300copies of the questionnaire were distributed with255valid copies retrieved. The survey sample consists of255international students studying at ECUST from38countries with mean age of25.7and the mean duration of their sojourn of10months. Data obtained from the questionnaire are processed in SPSS19.0and the content of interviews is classified, discussed and summarized.The results of the study indicate that the motivation of most overseas students coming to China is to learn Chinese language, get acquainted with Chinese culture through travel. Most international students have been confronted with the difficulties in learning language and understanding culture perception. Results of the research demonstrate that separation is the most preferred acculturation strategy of overseas students in China, followed by integration and assimilation, and marginalization is the least preferred one. The variables of demographic information, such as gender, age, duration of sojourn and their own culture also affect acculturation status and the choice of acculturation strategies in different degrees. Finally, the author summarizes the results of the survey, indicates the limitations of the research and puts forward some tentative suggestions for further study.