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Volume 16, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 2040-199X
  • E-ISSN: 1751-7974

Abstract

This article focuses on cross-cultural adaptation issues among international students. Its main focus is on Nigerian students in China, coming from one of the leading African countries with a pro-China policy. The increasing number of students from Africa in China is a big shift as such students would, in the past, prioritize Europe or North America. This new reality provides an important focus for analysing issues raised by cross-cultural exchange between two nations. The findings have wider implications as China pro-actively works not just with Nigeria but all the 54 African countries. The research relied on qualitative and quantitative research methods, specifically interviews and questionnaires. It explored five dimensions of cross-cultural adaptation: natural environment and daily life adaptation, language adaptation, academic adaptation, psychological adaptation as well as the character of communication through media between Nigerian students and Chinese people. The overall findings show unique challenges as well as opportunities available to international students in the context of cross-cultural adaptation.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Research Program of Brand Innovation and Communication of International Chinese Language Education
  • Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) (Award 2022, 21YH06B)
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Communication University of China) (Award 2024, XJ2024000501)
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2024-05-23
2026-04-14

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