China has emerged as one of the leading destinations for international students, attracting growing research interest in examining their cross-cultural adjustment. Our study moved beyond prior work by offering the… Click to show full abstract
China has emerged as one of the leading destinations for international students, attracting growing research interest in examining their cross-cultural adjustment. Our study moved beyond prior work by offering the first systematic review on predictors of international student adjustment in China, with all its three domains taken into consideration: psychological, sociocultural and academic adjustment. Based on the 33 reviewed articles, a wide range of predictors were identified. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources Model, these predictors were categorized into six broad clusters: demographics, personal resources, contextual resources, personal demands/barriers, contextual demands/resources, and other variables. The reviewed studies placed more emphasis on predictors in resources clusters than on those in demands/barriers clusters. Research strengths, gaps and inconsistencies in the literature were identified and discussed. Accordingly, an agenda was developed to highlight opportunities for theoretical and empirical advancement for future research.
               
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