Perceived short-term acculturation of Asian International Students : focusing on changes to interpersonal relationships.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to obtain preliminary information about how brief exposure to an American culture affects Asian International Students' interpersonal relationships. The participants consisted of eight Asian international students who have been in America less than 12 months. The participants were interviewed and content analysis open coding procedure was used to analyze the interview. The hypotheses were that Asian international students experience changes in their way of interacting with a stranger, a teacher, a friend, a group of strangers, and a group of friends after short-term exposure to American culture and there are differences in perceived behavioral changes of Asian international students according to their degree of acculturation. The results indicated that Asian international students experience changes in their behavior more when they are with a stranger and a teacher then when they are with other target population. Their changes appeared to be due to either learning American culture or their language problems. How to interpret changes international student experience were discussed.