Multiple routes to cross-cultural adaptation for international students: Mapping the paths between self-construals, English language confidence, and adjustment

Abstract

The present study examined how both self-construals and communicative competence in the language of the host society contribute to the cross-cultural adaptation of international students to Canada. It was hypothesized that self-construals, and particularly the fit between the sojourner's profile and normative tendency of the host society, would predict better adaptation. Moreover, it was hypothesized that frequent intercultural contact would also contribute to adaptation, but this link would be mediated by English language self-confidence. A multi-national group of international students originating from societies with a collectivist cultural orientation ( N = 8 1 ) registered at a Canadian university was compared with group of Canadian-born students ( N = 1 3 5 ). Hierarchical regression showed that more independent international students experienced higher self-esteem and fewer sociocultural difficulties, but the discrepancy between the student's self-construals and the mean score of the Canadian sample did not. Thus, the “cultural-fit hypothesis” was not supported. Structural equation modeling revealed two pathways of cross-cultural adaptation. Not only did independent self-construal predict psychological adjustment, but language self-confidence played a pivotal role, mediating the relations between host cultural contact and self-construal, on the one hand, and psychological adjustment and sociocultural difficulty, on the other.