Abstract
There are more Chinese student-scholars than any other group of international students studying in the United States. Despite this, there are relatively few studies that have focused on specific educational needs and required career support services for Chinese international students. This exploratory study was conducted to determine the relationship between career aspirations and emotional adjustment of Chinese international students. Results from Chinese students were compared with those of students from the United States. Relationships between the career aspirations and emotional adjustment of Chinese and U.S. students did not reveal statistically significant differences. However, regression analysis indicated that social stress was a statistically significant predictor of career aspirations for U.S. students. Chinese and U.S. students were more alike than different on career aspirations and emotional adjustment, and observed educational similarities appeared to outweigh any cultural differences that existed when determining these outcomes.
Highlights
International study has a long and robust history since the first exchange took place between Holland and Oxford University in England in 1190; it has only been in the last 40 years that international study has increased significantly from 800,000 to more than 4.5 million international students worldwide (Hoffa, 2007; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2014)
Both Chinese international and U.S graduate students aspired to high prestige occupations, with most students aspiring to be college professors in various subjects
Significant differences did not exist between these groups on either career aspirations or emotional adjustment; rather, both groups displayed striking similarities given their divergent backgrounds and cultures
Summary
International study has a long and robust history since the first exchange took place between Holland and Oxford University in England in 1190; it has only been in the last 40 years that international study has increased significantly from 800,000 to more than 4.5 million international students worldwide (Hoffa, 2007; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2014). Asian students from China, India, and Korea make up 53% of all international students (OECD, 2014) Within this group, China sends more students than any other country to study in English-speaking countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada (Choudaha, Chang, & Kono, 2013), with about 87% of Chinese international students in the United States coming from Mainland China and 13% from Taiwan (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2014). There are more Chinese student-scholars, including those from Mainland China and Taiwan, than any other group of international students studying in the United. There have been a number of studies examining the emotional and psychological experiences of Chinese international students Many of these have focused on the idea of acculturation and surrounding mental health issues.
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