Intercultural Adaptation Of Arabic-Speaking Students In Chinese Universities

With the development of globalization and the enhancement of exchanges between China and the Arab countries, the number of Arabic-speaking students in China has risen substantially in recent years. The study of intercultural adaptation of these Arab students to the Chinese cultural environment, therefore, is of great significance for all the individuals and institutions involved in these students’ experience in China. Based on the Ward’s Theory of Sociocultural Adaptation and Psychological Adaptation, as well as Gudykunst’s intrapersonal communication and interpersonal communication, the present research aims to find out what academic adaptation problems Arabic-speaking students have experienced in Chinese universities, how Arab students’ academic adaptation relates to their intercultural adaptation, and factors influencing intercultural adaptation by sending the questionnaire and doing the follow-up interview.The research finds out that the overall situation of Arab students’ academic adaptation is relatively good, but they still have some difficulty in understanding the teacher in class, and selecting the desirable courses. Compared with the academic adaptation, Arab students have encountered more difficulty in sociocultural adaptation, such as maladaptation to local food and keeping campus life functioning well during Ramadan. With regard to the last part, Arabic-speaking students adapt themselves well psychologically. What’s more, they are generally not depressed and of normal psychological status. But there is a large number of Arab students always feeling lonely and missing home. This study reveals that differences between Chinese and Arab cultures in the perceptions of academic pursuit, interpersonal relationships, communication styles and religious beliefs are the major contributors to the problems that Arab students have in academic adaptation. Intercultural training and social support are the main factors influencing their intercultural adaptation. In addition, the academic adaptation is positively related to intercultural adaptation, thus the university teachers and staff can help promote Arab students’ academic adaptation by increasing their sociocultural and psychological adaptation. Chinese universities are supposed to provide more social support for Arabic-speaking students and develop intercultural courses to help them adapt to Chinese campus life, thus promoting education of foreign students.