Adjustment to Chinese Culture and Mental Health Issues among Foreign Students on Chinese University Campuses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Collaborative Ethnographic Study

Abstract

Foreign students in China may have difficulty adjusting to Chinese culture and may experience mental health problems related to acculturation, interpersonal issues, and social communication within the context of campus life. Therefore, this study attempts to apply a collaborative ethnography approach to explore the adjustment to Chinese culture and mental health issues among foreign students on Chinese campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We spent 16 months exploring the feelings and perceptions of 82 foreign international undergraduate students at six Chinese higher education institutions regarding their adjustment to Chinese culture and gathered their suggestions about how to address the mental health issues experienced by foreign learners in China. The results show that international students tend to have a limited understanding of Chinese culture and rely on very few channels for information—in particular, the Internet, teachers’ lectures, and daily life—which can easily result in mental health problems and thoughts of marginalization. In addition, the results showed that international students’ mental health problems are subjectively positively correlated with their own personality, cultural intelligence, and cultural identification ability and objectively related to their cultural distance and all aspects of the educational work of international students. It is suggested that Chinese higher education institutions should strengthen their attention to the mental health of international students in China and promote international students’ cross-cultural adaptation abilities and understanding of Chinese culture.

Interactive Effects and Mediating Roles of Multiple Factors That Influence Learning Adaptative Growth of International Students: Evidence from China

“…Yang et al [ 13 ] also pointed out that the main factors of college students’ learning adaptation include learning motivation, teaching mode, learning ability, learning attitude and environmental factors. Li et al [ 16 ] found that there existed adjustment to Chinese culture and mental health issues among foreign students on Chinese university campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic from a collaborative ethnographic study perspective. In addition, Yu et al [ 23 ] also highlighted the effects of academic adaptation on the depression of international students in China from a case study on South Asian students of a TCSOL teacher program.…”

“…The literature shows that the learning adaptability of international students is challenging. Cross-cultural adaptation theory in this study provides a solution to this challenge [ 11 , 16 ]. The findings show the learning adaptability of international students in China comprises seven variables: learning attitude, motivation to study abroad, learning ability, language level, learning environment, teaching management and social relations.…”

“…These findings are of great significance for improving the learning effect and adaptability of overseas students. By investigating foreign students in China, Li et al [ 16 ] found that foreign students have poor language foundation and lack of enthusiasm for learning. Additionally, they considered the school curriculum to be unreasonable, and yet were generally satisfied with school infrastructure [ 17 ].…”

“…The factors that affect the learning adaptability of international students can be divided into internal factors and external factors [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Li et al [ 16 ] found that effective learning becomes more difficult when there is an essential difference between the teaching methods that cross-cultural learners are accustomed to and the new teaching methods that they face. During cross-cultural learning, learners may face the problem of a lack of knowledge and experience, resulting in the inability to effectively construct knowledge.…”

Negative Life Events on Depression of Vocational Undergraduates in the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling Approach Perspective: A Mediated Moderation Model

“…Meanwhile, it should be noted that our study primarily focused on Chinese vocational undergraduates, and it is crucial to acknowledge that cultural and societal factors play a pivotal role in shaping the experience and expression of mental health issues [65,67]. Chinese culture places a strong emphasis on collectivism, social harmony, and family bonds [67]. These cultural values could significantly impact how individuals perceive and respond to NLEs and the subsequent feelings of loneliness and depression [20].…”