A Comparative Study Of The Impact Of Cultural Intelligence And Cultural Distance On Cross-cultural Adjustment Of Chinese International Students

Coming with the globalization and the rapid development of Chinese economy, more and more Chinese students have been studying abroad to pursue higher education and broaden their horizon. China has already distinguished itself as the world’s top one source for international students. Relevant data have reflected two important tendencies. The first is that studying abroad has become more and more popular among Chinese ordinary families. The second is that the age of Chinese international students tends to be lower than ever before. Under such a background, the problems and barriers caused by cross-cultural adaptation for Chinese international students have been concerned about more than ever. Therefore, it is necessary and urgent to pay more attention to study the intercultural adaptation of Chinese International students. If more researches could be done on how the Chinese international students’ individual differences are related to their cross-cultural adaption, the outcomes of cross-cultural adaptation can be better predicted and proper training and assistance can be provided.This thesis applies both the qualitative and quantitative research methods to examine how the cross-cultural adjustment of the Chinese international students both in the U.S. and in South Korea is influenced by cultural intelligence and the perceived cultural distance.The major findings of the present study are as follows:A) There is no significant difference in cross-cultural adjustment between Chinese international students in the U.S. and Korea. B) Chinese international students studying in the U.S. perceived a larger cultural distance than their counterparts in Korea. C).Cultural Intelligence and its four dimensions were all positively associated with cross-cultural adjustment. D).The perceived cultural distance is negatively associated with the cross-cultural adjustment, i.e. the smaller the perceived cultural distance is, the better the international students are in the cross-cultural adjustment.