Academic adaptation of international students in the chinese higher education environment: A case study with mixed methods

Abstract

Although the number of international students (ISs) studying in Chinese higher education institutions is growing, their academic adaptation experiences remain under-investigated. This study employed a case study with a convergent design to understand how ISs experienced academic adaptation. It was found that ISs’ academic adaptation is related to a series of individual (motivation, language proficiency, acculturation strategies) and sociocultural (support resources, intercultural training) factors as well as the interplay of the factors over time. At the group level, academic adaptation was positively associated with motivation, bilingual proficiency (Mandarin and English), the integration strategy, perceived support from Chinese teachers, and intercultural training, and negatively related to the marginalization strategy. Further qualitative findings through reflective journals explained how ISs’ motivational adjustments, their improvement in Mandarin and English proficiency, the adoption of integration in different situations, and the use of heterogeneous functions of intercultural training and support resources contributed to individual ISs’ academic journey in China. Informed by these empirical findings, this study offers implications for the support and training of ISs.