A Study On The Intercultural Academic Adaptation Of Chinese Students

The internationalization of the higher education sector is developing rapidly under the impetus of globalization,and the promotion of student mobility is an important initiative in the internationalization policies of various countries.Germany attracts a large number of international students with its strong academic atmosphere,excellent quality of education and low cost of study.As the international student population grows,the high dropout rate of international students is becoming an important issue for German higher education institutions.As the largest group of international students in Germany,Chinese students also face many difficulties in adapting to an intercultural learning environment.In this international context and realistic dilemma exploring the difficulties and individual experiences of Chinese students in the process of academic adaptation at German universities is of academic value in enriching the research on the adaptation of Chinese students,as well as being of practical significance in enlightening the education of international students in China.This study takes Chinese students studying for a Master’s degree in Germany as a case study,constructs an analytical framework based on Colleen Ward’s cultural adaptation process model and Vincent Tinto’s theory of dropout from higher education,selects ten Chinese Master’s students in Germany as research subjects,collects data using the interview method,and analyzes the study experiences of Chinese students in German universities in order to investigate what kind of adaptation problems Chinese students encounter,how they cope with them,how effective their adaptations are and what factors affect them.Based on the case study,the following findings were obtained: Firstly,Chinese Master’s students face the triple challenge of academic adaptation to German universities in terms of professional studies,scientific research and academic socialization.Secondly,Chinese Master’s students mainly adopt psychological adjustment strategies,metacognitive strategies and resource management strategies to cope with their intercultural academic adaptation problems.Thirdly,Chinese master’s students have achieved good results in the current stage in academic integration,social integration and personal growth.Fourthly,preparation for study abroad and personal personality are personal factors that influence Chinese master’s students’ academic adaptation,and school resources and social environment are environmental factors that influence Chinese master’s students’ academic adaptation.In addition,personal factors provide internal motivation for academic adaptation,and environmental factors provide external guarantee for academic adaptation.Fifthly,intercultural academic adaptation is an iterative,continuous and dynamic process in which Chinese master’s students constantly adjust themselves to the challenges and difficulties in order to meet the study requirements of universities and their self-learning goals.Therefore,this study proposes the following five recommendations for Chinese students and universities: Firstly,students should pay attention to language learning and continuously improve their language proficiency;Secondly,students should lower their psychological expectations and prepare themselves for the difficulties they will face;Thirdly,students in Germany should strengthen their understanding of German culture and pay attention to the differences between Chinese and German teaching styles,learning styles,academic styles and ways of thinking.Fourthly,students in Germany should actively expand their social network and get strong help from the support system.Fifthly,universities should pay attention to intercultural training for international students to help students who are going to study in Germany to prepare for their studies as well as to improve their intercultural competence.