Abstract:
With the growing trend of internationalization in higher education, the acculturation process of international students has emerged as a significant research domain. While extant studies predominantly concentrate on acculturation experiences in developed nations, the exploration of stressors and acculturation within non-traditional learning destinations remains relatively limited. The growing collaboration between China and Africa has led to increased educational cooperation and exchange between these regions, with student exchange being a crucial avenue for enhancing mutual benefits and cross-cultural understanding. This study aims to address this research gap by examining the stressors and acculturation experiences of this unconventional case of Chinese students who exchange in Africa. Drawing upon Kim's three-stage framework of “Stress-Adaptation-Development” as an analytical tool, the research delves into the challenges and acculturation strategies of Chinese international students during their stay in Africa. Through qualitative in-depth interviews with 14 participants engaged in academic exchanges in Africa for durations spanning 6 to 12 months, the study uncovers a range of stressors and adjustments that students undergo in an untraditional destination.
Predominant challenges encompass second language anxiety, experiences of discrimination, as well as stressors emanating from educational and sociocultural domains. These challenges have the potential to give rise to adverse outcomes such as depression, discrimination, disruptions in sleep patterns, and other symptomatic manifestations that impact both the mental and physical well-being of the students. In response to these challenges, students will progressively navigate a path of adjustment and adaptation in the new environment. The adaptation is not a simply integration of adjusting to the new culture. Rather it is a complex strategy of “in-between” status that student act and make choices within the constraints and possibilities of their situation as a result of exposure to both Chinese and African cultural logics. The sense of in-betweenness will shape their further acculturation during their negotiation between different cultural boundaries. By elucidating the complexities of their acculturation trajectories, this study enriches scholarly discourse on the acculturation experience within Global South and sheds light on a more comprehensive understanding of the intricacies in the navigation trajectories within the distinct context settings.
Predominant challenges encompass second language anxiety, experiences of discrimination, as well as stressors emanating from educational and sociocultural domains. These challenges have the potential to give rise to adverse outcomes such as depression, discrimination, disruptions in sleep patterns, and other symptomatic manifestations that impact both the mental and physical well-being of the students. In response to these challenges, students will progressively navigate a path of adjustment and adaptation in the new environment. The adaptation is not a simply integration of adjusting to the new culture. Rather it is a complex strategy of “in-between” status that student act and make choices within the constraints and possibilities of their situation as a result of exposure to both Chinese and African cultural logics. The sense of in-betweenness will shape their further acculturation during their negotiation between different cultural boundaries. By elucidating the complexities of their acculturation trajectories, this study enriches scholarly discourse on the acculturation experience within Global South and sheds light on a more comprehensive understanding of the intricacies in the navigation trajectories within the distinct context settings.