Conflict Resolution Skills of Chinese Students in the U.S.

Abstract

The number of Chinese international students in the U.S. has dramatically been increasing for the past two decades, while little is known how these Chinese students handle campus conflicts in the U.S. With the interpretative phenomenological research methodology, 10 Chinese students at three different universities in the U.S. were invited and gave their experiences and strategies in resolving campus disputes. Five superdinate themes were created based on the experiences of research participants. The findings strongly indicated that conflict management strategies and styles of Chinese students were significantly shaped by Chinese culture, and they were less likely to express their needs and negative feelings. According to findings, this study suggests that more attention and resources of student help centers should be allocated to Chinese international students in the U.S. for improving their learning experiences.