Chinese Students’ Intercultural Academic Adaptation at a Thai University
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
While previous research has mainly focused on the intercultural experiences of Chinese students in English-speaking countries, this mixed-methods study examines their academic adaptation at a Thai university. Employing the framework of material, social, and subjective culture, the study surveyed 290 students. The results indicated a high level of adaptation to material and social cultures. Students adapted well to aspects such as the campus environment, digital learning tools, and teacher–student relationships. However, their subjective adaptation was moderate. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve students to gain deeper insights. The thematic analysis revealed that students were confident in using digital tools and AI technologies. They continually managed interactions with teachers and peers and gradually changed their beliefs about learning. At the same time, they encountered minor challenges, such as discomfort with classroom facilities. The results offer a multidimensional understanding of academic adaptation and highlight the interconnectedness of the three cultural dimensions. Material and social cultures shape students’ academic practices, which in turn influence their developing subjective culture. This study extends theoretical frameworks of academic adaptation to a non-Western context and provides implications for teachers and administrators to develop targeted support mechanisms, such as collaborative learning programs and training in AI-supported learning, to improve students’ academic integration.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).References
An, Z. (2010). An aspect of globalization in higher education: Why Chinese students choose to study in Thailand [Master’s thesis, Assumption University]. Assumption University Institutional Repository.
Berry, J. W. (1985). Psychological adaptation of foreign students. In R. J. Samuda & A. Wolfgang (Eds.), Intercultural counselling and assessment: Global perspectives (pp. 235–247). Intercultural Social Science Publications.
Best, J. W., & Kahn, J. V. (1998). Research in education (8th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. American Psychological Association.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
Gu, Q., & Maley, A. (2008). Changing places: A study of Chinese students in the UK. Language and Intercultural Communication, 8(4), 224–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708470802303025
Gu, W., & Usinger, J. (2021). Independent learning, friendships, and fate in intercultural adaptation among international Chinese graduate students in the United States. Journal of College Student Development, 62(1), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2021.0007
Huang, S. Y. (2021). The intercultural adaptations of Chinese students in a Thai international university. Interdisciplinary Research Review, 16(5), 8–13. https://ph02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jtir/article/view/244742
Huber, J., & Reynolds, C. (Eds.). (2014). Developing intercultural competence through education. Council of Europe Publishing.
Jiang, S., Xu, T., Li, H., Li, M., & Wang, H. (2024). Modeling the societal adaptation and challenge: Living experience of Chinese students studying in Thailand higher education institutions. Rajapark Journal, 18(59), 27–49. https://so05.tcithaijo.org/index.php/RJPJ/article/view/273196/183531
Kang, S., Yossuck, A. P. D. P., Panyadee, C., & Ek-lem, A. P. D. B. (2019). Influencing factors of cross-cultural adaptation process of Chinese students studying in the upper Northern Thai universities. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.2478/mjss-2019-0007
Kim, Y. Y. (2001). Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross cultural adaptation. Sage.
Leask, B., & Carroll, J. (2011). Moving beyond ‘wishing and hoping’: Internationalisation and student experiences of inclusion and engagement. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(5), 647–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.598454
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry (Vol. 75). Sage.
Ma, D., Akram, H., & Chen, I. H. (2024). Artificial intelligence in higher education: A cross-cultural examination of students’ behavioral intentions and attitudes. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 25(3), 134–157. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v25i3.7703
Mao, Y. (2024). Academic adaptation of international students in the Chinese higher education environment: A case study with mixed methods. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 103, Article 102082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102082
Na Ranong, S., & Byram, M. (2025). Reconceptualizing the notion of “study” while studying abroad: International students at a Thai university. Journal of International Students, 15(7), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.32674/eymkng42
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Sage.
Qu, M., & Song, X. (2024). We have to change; They stay the same: Chinese international students’ academic experiences at an Australian university. Journal of International Students, 14(3), 171–191. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v14i3.6466
Songsathaphorn, P., Chen, C., & Ruangkanjanases, A. (2014). A study of factors influencing Chinese students’ satisfaction toward Thai universities. Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 2(2), 105–111. https://doi.org/10.7763/JOEBM.2014.V2.107
Sun, K., Yossuck, P., Panyadee, C., & Ek-lem, B. (2020). The process of Chinese students’ cross-cultural adaptation and their main difficulties encountered while studying in the upper northern Thai universities. Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Studies, 20(2), 343–372. https://doi.org/10.14456/hasss.2020.13
Tang, L., Zhang, C. A., & Cui, Y. (2024). Beyond borders: The effects of perceived cultural distance, cultural intelligence, cross-cultural adaptation on academic performance among international students of higher education. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 103, Article 102083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102083
Tantivejakul, N., Chantharasombat, J., Kongpolphrom, W. (2024). Voices of the future: Exploring students’ views on the use of GenAI in academic and professional PR writing. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 17(2), 511-537. https://doi.org/10.70730/PVTD8302
Tracy, S. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837–851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121
Van Rooij, E. C., Jansen, E. P., & van de Grift, W. J. (2018). First-year university students’ academic success: The importance of academic adjustment. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 33, 749–767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-017-0347-8
Ward, C. (1996). Acculturation. In D. Landis & R. S. Bhagat (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural training (2nd ed., pp. 124–147). Sage.
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Wenjing, N., & Chayanuvat, A. (2024). Intercultural adaptation of Chinese students studying in Thailand. Rangsit Journal of Educational Studies, 11(2), 59–79. https://rsujournals.rsu.ac.th/index.php/RJES/article/view/3659/2665
Yang, P. (2022). China in the global field of international student mobility: An analysis of economic, human and symbolic capitals. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 52(2), 308–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1764334
Ye, Y. (2020). Factors affecting the decision-making of the Chinese students to study in higher education institutions in Thailand. Romphruek Journal, 38(1), 101–117. https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/romphruekj/article/view/214045
Ye, Y. (2025). Chinese students’ intercultural adaptation in the UK – Honeymoon, challenges, struggles, and adjustments. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 54(4) 265–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2025.2515475
Zheng, Z., Buarabha, H., Sriruksa, A., & Syers, S. (2025). Understanding stress and academic adaptation: A comparative study of Chinese international students in Thailand. Journal of Ecohumanism, 4(1), 1049–1063. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v4i1.5911
