Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience
With the development of international education, an increasing number of foreign students are choosing to study Chinese in China. However, due to cultural differences and adaptation challenges, enhancing these students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) has become a pressing issue. Based...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560298/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850144467393183744 |
|---|---|
| author | Min Xu Min Xu Aspalila bt. Shapii |
| author_facet | Min Xu Min Xu Aspalila bt. Shapii |
| author_sort | Min Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the development of international education, an increasing number of foreign students are choosing to study Chinese in China. However, due to cultural differences and adaptation challenges, enhancing these students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) has become a pressing issue. Based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study aims to explore how autonomy, competence, and relatedness influence the ICC of foreign students studying Chinese in China through the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience. A survey was conducted, collecting data from 500 valid samples of foreign students from various universities in China, encompassing diverse nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data. The findings reveal that autonomy, competence, and relatedness significantly and positively influence social media interaction and psychological resilience, which in turn enhance ICC. Competence emerged as the most influential factor, while psychological resilience played a critical role in cross-cultural adaptation. The results suggest that fostering autonomy, competence, and relatedness effectively enhances students’ ICC. This study provides theoretical support for the field of intercultural education and recommends that educational institutions leverage social media platforms and strategies to cultivate psychological resilience, helping students better adapt to multicultural environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3a7bcb2ee9e94f93a978e542df5ab828 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-3a7bcb2ee9e94f93a978e542df5ab8282025-08-20T02:28:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-05-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15602981560298Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilienceMin Xu0Min Xu1Aspalila bt. Shapii2School of Education, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, MalaysiaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xianyang Normal University, Xianyang, ChinaSchool of Education, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, MalaysiaWith the development of international education, an increasing number of foreign students are choosing to study Chinese in China. However, due to cultural differences and adaptation challenges, enhancing these students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) has become a pressing issue. Based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study aims to explore how autonomy, competence, and relatedness influence the ICC of foreign students studying Chinese in China through the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience. A survey was conducted, collecting data from 500 valid samples of foreign students from various universities in China, encompassing diverse nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data. The findings reveal that autonomy, competence, and relatedness significantly and positively influence social media interaction and psychological resilience, which in turn enhance ICC. Competence emerged as the most influential factor, while psychological resilience played a critical role in cross-cultural adaptation. The results suggest that fostering autonomy, competence, and relatedness effectively enhances students’ ICC. This study provides theoretical support for the field of intercultural education and recommends that educational institutions leverage social media platforms and strategies to cultivate psychological resilience, helping students better adapt to multicultural environments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560298/fullforeign students in ChinaIntercultural Communicative CompetenceSelf-Determination Theorysocial media interactionpsychological resilienceautonomy |
| spellingShingle | Min Xu Min Xu Aspalila bt. Shapii Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience Frontiers in Psychology foreign students in China Intercultural Communicative Competence Self-Determination Theory social media interaction psychological resilience autonomy |
| title | Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| title_full | Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| title_short | Exploring the cross-cultural communication challenges of foreign students in China: the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| title_sort | exploring the cross cultural communication challenges of foreign students in china the mediating effects of social media interaction and psychological resilience |
| topic | foreign students in China Intercultural Communicative Competence Self-Determination Theory social media interaction psychological resilience autonomy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560298/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT minxu exploringthecrossculturalcommunicationchallengesofforeignstudentsinchinathemediatingeffectsofsocialmediainteractionandpsychologicalresilience AT minxu exploringthecrossculturalcommunicationchallengesofforeignstudentsinchinathemediatingeffectsofsocialmediainteractionandpsychologicalresilience AT aspalilabtshapii exploringthecrossculturalcommunicationchallengesofforeignstudentsinchinathemediatingeffectsofsocialmediainteractionandpsychologicalresilience |