Study On The Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence And Cross-culturaladaptation Of Overseas Students

The speeding globalization has witnessed more and more people go abroad with some difficulties adapting to foreign cultures.As one of the extensive group of overseas students,Chinese overseas students of business studies are expected to possess solid professional knowledge and superior cross-cultural adaptability,manifested in the individual’s adaptation to the environment and external social support.Besides,cultural intelligence(CQ)is a reflection of individuals’ ability to adapt to changes and to adjust themselves in the cross-cultural context.Consequently,how to facilitate the cross-cultural adaptation of individuals by enhancing cultural intelligence deserves further research.Based on the theoretical model of cultural intelligence and cross-cultural adaptation proposed by scholars like Soon Ang & Linn Van Dyne(2008)and K.Wanghyun Kim(2006),89 Chinese overseas students of business studies studying in America,Australia,Canada,UK,and other countries are investigated for the influence of CQ on cross-cultural adaptation and the regulating effect of social support.Meanwhile,the result is compared with the average level of Chinese overseas students to reflect the characteristics of various dimensions of that of business studies’ CQ.The results show that:1)the cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese overseas students of business studies is generally reasonable.As for socio-cultural and academic adaptation,they are typically well-adapted except for difficulties in "seeing a doctor,thinking from a local person’s view,understanding the jokes and humor of local people" and "expressing their opinions in class,interacting with teachers after class,understanding class contents".However,they usually perform poor psychological adaptation with significant relevance with international experience and foreign language level.2)The overall level of CQ of Chinese overseas students of business studies is relatively high,among which the level of meta-cognitive CQ is relatively low.Students with higher foreign language levels and knowledge of the local country turn out to show higher CQ.Especially contrasted with the average level of Chinese overseas students,Chinese overseas students of business studies enjoy higher meta-cognitive and behavioral CQ.3)different dimensions of CQ affect the individual’s adaptation in distinct fields.As for the socio-cultural adaptation,cognitive and motivational CQ is significantly positively correlated to that.Meta-cognitive and cognitive CQ tends to predict psychological adaptation.Besides,meta-cognitive and behavioral CQ is associated with academic adaptation.4)the degree of social support perceived by the students is relatively high,which positively contributes to the influence of CQ on socio-cultural adaptation.Finally,some feasible suggestions are provided for Chinese overseas students of business studies to prompt cross-cultural adaptation,especially psychological adaptation from a personal perspective and external social support,including "actively learning the cultural differences and psychological adjustment methods","improving the foreign language proficiency","regularly holding cultural exchanges","offering necessary psychological guidance and live assistance".