An Analysis on How Personality Traits Influence Acculturation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation for International Students

Abstract

Studying abroad become popular nowadays. However, having a new life in a different place and learning diverse cultures are difficult for most international students. It is important to pay attention to the mental health and level of acculturation of overseas students. This paper aims to survey how personality traits in the domain of Big Five Personality Traits (openness agreeableness neuroticism extraversion and self-esteem) affect the acculturation of international students and the relationship between acculturation and cross-cultural adjustment. In this paper, the authors suggested that these 5 characteristics of personality do influence the students who study abroad in many aspects of their life such as academic performance, mental health, etc. In addition, the investigation carried out by the authors has revealed that the level of acculturation and personality traits can predict the level of cross-cultural adjustment. How to facilitate the acculturation of overseas students become a future task that needs to be explored in the future. The findings of this paper suggest that it is necessary for colleges to arrange some classes to strengthen students’ ability to use appropriate coping strategies and recommend social networking tools to students.