EXPERIENCES OF ACCULTURATION

Note sul testo
Experiences of Acculturation: Chinese Student Sojourners at the University of Macerata in ltaly presents theoretical research on Chinese students from Chengdu lnstitute, Sichuan lnternational Studies University (CISISU) studying abroad at the University of Macerata (UNIMC) in ltaly. Ward et al.'s affective, behavioural, and cognitive (ABC) theoretical model of acculturation is used to holistically understand the CISISU students' academic and daily life cross-culturaI transition. Qualitative results express the students' affective feelings of stress and coping; behavioural experiences of culturaI learning; and cognitive thoughts of sociocultural identification between their home society in China, and their host society in Macerata, ltaly. The research was conducted while the author was an Erasmus intern, and exchange student, at UNIMC.

Note sull'autrice
Sarah Lorraine Burn currently works in the lnternational Education department at Vancouver lsland University (VIU) on Vancouver lsland in Canada. Sarah completed her Master's degree at the University of Vaasa (UVA) in Finland in lntercultural Communication and Administration, her B.A. in Anthropology from VIU, and her Certificate in Canadian lmmigration Laws, Policies, and Procedures from the University of British Columbia. She also completed her Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Cambridge while in Thailand, and has taught English as a second/foreign language in Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Literature Review
1.2. Research Aims, Significance, Questions, and Methodology
1.3. Structure of the Thesis

2. University student sojourners
2.1. Mobility and Hosting of Student Sojourners Worldwide
2.2. Factors Affecting the Acculturation Process

3. ABC Framework of acculturation
3.1. Affective: Stress and Coping with Stress
3.2. Behavioural: Cultural Learning
3.3. Cognitive: Social and Cultural Identification

4. Methodology
4.1. Qualitative Research
4.2. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

5. Data collection
5.1. Macerata, Italy and UNIMC
5.2. Subjects
5.3. Position of the Researcher
5.4. Interview Procedure

6. Empirical findings and analysis
6.1. Academic Life at UNIMC: Stress, Coping, and Cultural Learning
6.2. Daily Life in Macerata, Italy: Stress, Coping, and Cultural Learning
6.3. Social and Cultural Identification
6.4. Discussion

Conclusion

Works cited

Index of Figures and Tables

Appendices
Appendix 1. Intercultural Experiences Interview 1, August 2015
Appendix 2. Intercultural Experiences Interview 2, December 2015
Appendix 3. Intercultural Experiences Interview 3, July 2016