This presentation explores the factors influencing the sociocultural adaptation of international students in Japan. The results of regression analysis indicated that cultural intelligence and language competence predicted sociocultural adaptation. Implications for the effective study-abroad experience will be discussed.
Studying abroad offers excellent opportunities for students to gain international experiences, language proficiency, and personal development. In higher education across the world, studying abroad has become increasingly popular in recent decades. Under this circumstance, it is worthwhile to explore the factors contributing to the psychosocial adaptation of international students to the culture and life of the host country. Despite the numerous studies concerning study abroad students, research on international students in Japan is still scarce. Moreover, the impact of cultural intelligence, self-determined motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2000) to study abroad or language competence on the sociocultural adjustment of international students in Japan has not been explored yet. The purpose of this presentation is to investigate the role of cultural intelligence, self-determined motivation to study abroad, and language competence on the sociocultural adjustment of international students in Japan. Cultural intelligence is the capability to function effectively in intercultural situations (Earley & Ang, 2002). A questionnaire with a total of 63 items was set up by the researcher and was administered among 64 international students studying in Japan. The results of regression analyses showed that, first, cultural intelligence and language competence were shown to be the significant predictors of sociocultural adjustment. The presentation concludes with recommendations for the improvement of the study-abroad program for the better psychological well-being and the socio-cultural adaptation of sojourners.
