The Danger of Acculturation Process Phase to International Students’ Academic Achievement: A Case Study of Zhejiang Normal University

With the rising number of international students in China, there has been a great need for assessment and evaluation of the acculturation processes as well as challenges in regard to their academic progresses. The cultural gap may not be big between China and other Asian countries. However, it really exists with Non-Asian ones. With the fact that culture determines comfort in one’s life, the following un-answered questions were worthy to be answered in this paper: How do international students acculturate in China? What are the social and academic impacts during the acculturation process? What are the academic effects of failing to acculturate, especially among international students in China? The data shows that, 34% of international students only connect with their own culture. Majority (51%) of those who acculturate successfully, take more than one year to do so. Among the behaviors which were described as bad ones, alcoholism is leading among others, which are adapted by international students in the process of trying to assimilate or acculturate. Positively, 48% of students admitted to have learned time management as part of acculturation process in China.

Despite the acculturation process being challenging to some students, scholarship has been one of the factors for them to stay. Scholarship students, especially from economically disadvantaged families choose to stay and achieved their academic goals through scholarship. Notwithstanding, their academic performances among students who fail to acculturate have been relatively low. Several measures such as introduction of intensive orientation programs as well as guidance and counseling office may enable international students understand each other’s culture.