Crossing the border and mapping the paths between adaptation and language learning: A model testing with structural equation modeling for international students in China

Recent figures show some 162,695 overseas students from 184 different countries enroll in 519 universities and academies in China. Among them, 98,701 international students, accounting for 61% of the total population, choose to major in Chinese language (Ministry of Education of the PRC, May 2007). Such population tends to increase steadily over recent years. However, literature linking adaptation and language learning has been scare, and it is even less in China. This study presents and tests a hypothesized structural model that attempts to explain the relationship of cross-cultural adaptation of international students studying Chinese in China to a variety of factors. Investigated factors include motivation variables (integrative motivation and language anxiety), adaptation variables (socio-cultural adaptation and academic adaptation) and learning outcome variables (persistence and Chinese achievement). Structural equation modeling was employed to test the interrelationships among the factors and the effect from one to the other. Results showed that integrative motivation had a significant and positive contribution on academic adaptation but had no effect on socio-cultural adaptation. Moreover, integrative motivation showed a significant and positive effect on both persistence and Chinese achievement. Language anxiety showed a significant and negative contribution on socio-cultural adaptation and Chinese achievement, but had no effect on academic adaptation. Academic adaptation had a significant and positive effect on persistence and socio-cultural adaptation, but had no effect on Chinese achievement. However, socio-cultural adaptation had no effect on either persistence or Chinese achievement. Recommendations were made in terms of enhancing adaptation and Chinese learning for such international students.