Intercultural communication and adaptation: A longitudinal study of Taiwanese graduate students' sojourning experiences in a Midwestern American university

The study investigated twenty Taiwanese students' adaptation during their first year of graduate study in a Midwestern American university. The students were balanced between the sexes and natural sciences vs. social sciences-humanities. Interpretive qualitative methods were employed. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with each of the twenty Taiwanese graduate students over a period of six to seven months. An integrative approach was adopted which conceptualized sojourner adaptation as an intercultural experience involving different temporal stages and multiple adaptational domains. The temporal stages explored included the predeparture, process, and assessment phases. The adaptational domains investigated were (a) educational and other tasks, (b) interpersonal interactions and personal relationships, (c) self-related psychological reactions and identity issues, and (d) ecological and contextual aspects of the sojourn. The study explored the relationship of various pre-existing factors and events specific to the Taiwanese graduate students' adjustment in each of the four major domains, the nature and extent of the Taiwanese sojourners' adaptive experience in each of the four major domains, and the significance of domain-specific adaptations to the overall success of the sojourn.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Speech Communication

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Chang, Shau-Ju

Contributors dc:contributor

• Delia, Jesse G.

• Education, Bilingual and Multicultural
• Speech Communication
• Education, Higher

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1996 Chang, Shau-Ju

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

9780591197594
AAI9712218
(UMI)AAI9712218

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19503