A Comparative Analysis of Acculturative Stress Among Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese International Students at a Hispanic Serving University

摘要

To pursue higher education in the United States can be a rewarding opportunity for many Chinese/Taiwanese international students. However, many challenges including acculturative stress may hamper the students' ability to succeed in the US. Previous literature about the factors affecting Chinese/Taiwanese international students' acculturative stress indicates mixed findings. One of the purposes of this study was to add clarity to this literature base by re-examining the impact of a range of factors noted in the literature, paying close attention to two distinct groups; students from mainland China and peers from Taiwan. Data was collected via an online survey from a predominantly minority serving institution on the West coast of the United States. In all, 112 Chinese/Taiwanese international students completed the survey. The results indicated that age, gender, and years in the United States do not predict Chinese/Taiwanese acculturative stress. However, education level was significantly related to Chinese/Taiwanese acculturative stress. Additionally, graduate Chinese/Taiwanese international students experienced significantly lower acculturative stress than undergraduate. No meaningful differences in terms of acculturative stress patterns were found between mainland Chinese and Taiwanese because of the small Taiwanese sample size.