| This study was designed to explore the reasons of the common phenomenon that Mainland Chinese international students on a Canadian university campus are always seen staying within their own culturally homogenous circles with very limited communication with other students from different cultural backgrounds. A qualitative research approach was employed to ascertain the reasons for this phenomenon.;The findings derived from this study include language difficulties, cultural divergence, evaluation criteria, understanding of institutional administration and corresponding response, and the inertia of dependence on compatriot groups.;This study adds to existing literature on Chinese international students' sojourn experiences on Canadian university campuses. A portion of the findings of this study lends support to the findings of some previous research on the sojourn life of Chinese international students in Canada. A considerable portion of the findings, however, disputes the conclusions of some existing research on related issues. Some unexpected themes were also generalized through data analysis.;Ten Chinese international students from Mainland China studying at the University of Windsor participated in this study. They were interviewed in Mandarin individually over a period of seven weeks, each interview being taped, translated and transcribed. |
