Chinese Students’ Intercultural Adaptation in the UK – Honeymoon, Challenges, Struggles, and Adjustments
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21190396 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yuanjing Ye (0000-0002-7442-9200, University of Glasgow, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 265-286 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Intercultural Communication Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1747-5759 • E-ISSN: 1747-5767 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17475759.2025.2515475 |
| OpenAlex | W4411074783 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
Drawing on Holliday’s theory of cultural blocks and threads (2016a), this qualitative study explores Chinese students’ intercultural (re)adaptation during and after studying in the UK. It demonstrates a non-linear broad pattern: honeymoon, academic challenges, social struggles, and adjustment phases, with individual experiences varying. Using the photo interview and an online photo exhibition, the study identifies three approaches to cultural understanding: essentialist, non-essentialist, and a combination of both. The findings highlight how students’ intercultural attitudes fundamentally shaped their adaptive pathways, with the length of cultural immersion influencing their intercultural performances and reflections on both home and receiving cultures
Honeymoon · Intercultural communication · Pedagogy · Political science · Global Education and Multiculturalism · International Student and Expatriate Challenges · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching
Intercultural Communication
Critical Citizens for an Intercultural World
Becoming Intercultural
Why and how international students choose Mainland China as a higher education study abroad destination
Student Self-Formation in International Education
Affective factors, virtual intercultural experiences, and L2 willingness to communicate in in-class, out-of-class, and digital settings
Teaching Foreign Languages in an Era of Globalization
Cultural adaptations and therapist multicultural competence
Study Abroad Experience and Career Decision-Making
A systematic review of short-term study abroad research methodology and intercultural competence outcomes
Preparing Overseas Chinese Students to Become Successful Global Citizens
Using photography in research with young migrants
Acculturation in a multicultural classroom
Difference and awareness in cultural travel
Intercultural personhood
I already have a culture.’ Negotiating competing grand and personal narratives in interview conversations with new study abroad arrivals
The Transformative Power of the International Sojourn
Globalization, internationalization, and short-term stays abroad
To conform or not to conform? An examination of perceived emotional display rule norms among international sojourners
Beyond Rote-Memorisation
Using thematic analysis in psychology
International students' transitions to UK Higher Education - revisiting the concept and practice of academic hospitality
Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization
International Student's Challenge and Adjustment to College
Different is not deficient
A Step-by-Step Process of Thematic Analysis to Develop a Conceptual Model in Qualitative Research
| Highly cited | No |
|---|