Philippine E-Journals

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Efforts of International Students in Relation to their Academic Achievement

Renan P. Limjuco | Jo-ann Y. Solomon | Anwarudin Ampatuan | Jaymart Cosiñero | Baby Jean Jasmin | Mary Rose Chavez

 

Abstract:

Higher Education Institutions nowadays are faced with many challenges from the external environment. These challenges include but not limited to intercultural learning. Thus, the increasing numbers of international students enrolled in the University of the Immaculate Conception had inspired the researcher to explore their cross-cultural adaptation in this university. This study employed a descriptive correlation research design in which it tries to describe the level of cross-cultural adaptations and the academic achievement of foreign students. It also tries to determine whether the level of cross-cultural adaptation of foreign students had affected their academic achievement. The study was conducted among foreign students enrolled in the University of the Immaculate Conception for school year 2014-2015. The data was gathered through survey using a self-constructed questionnaire and interview of the participants. The statistical tools used in the study were t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Results indicated that the level of cross-cultural adaptation such as language proficiency, study habits, and personal characteristics does not play any role in the adaptation of International students in terms of sex, nationality and length of residence. However, when cross-cultural adaptation is analyzed according to age, there is a significant difference in the level of cross-cultural adaptation specifically in the educational background. Data also revealed that there is a relationship between the level of cross-cultural adaptation efforts and the academic achievement of the foreign students. It was also found that there is a substantial correlation between the study habits of foreign students.