Abstract
This study examined the influence of integrative motivation, instrumental motivation and second language (L2) proficiency on socio-cultural/academic adaptation in a sample of two groups of international students studying Chinese in China. Results revealed that the non-Asian student group reported higher levels of integrative motivation, socio-cultural adaptation and Chinese language proficiency than the Asian student group, who reported a higher level of instrumental motivation. No significant difference was found in academic adaptation between the two groups. Moreover, the relationships between study variables are the same across Asian and non-Asian student groups. Further evidence from this research indicated that socio-cultural adaptation was influenced more by integrative motivation and less by L2 proficiency. Integrative motivation was found to be the only significant predictor of academic adaptation. Implications for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 457-471 |
Journal | Educational Studies |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | Dec 2011 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Citation
Yu, B., & Downing, K. (2012). Determinants of international students' adaptation: Examining effects of integrative motivation, instrumental motivation and second language proficiency. Educational Studies, 38(4), 457-471. doi: 10.1080/03055698.2011.643111Keywords
- Integrative motivation
- Instrumental motivation
- L2 proficiency
- Socio-cultural adaptation
- Academic adaptation
- International students