Table Of ContentEducation in the Asia-Pacifi c Region:
Issues, Concerns and Prospects 37
Kun Yan
Chinese International
Students’ Stressors and
Coping Strategies in the
United States
EDUCATION IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION:
ISSUES, CONCERNS AND PROSPECTS
Volume37
SeriesEditors-in-Chief
Professor Rupert Maclean, Office of Applied Research and Innovation, College of the North
Atlantic-Qatar
DrLorrainePeSymaco,CentreforResearchinInternationalandComparativeEducation(CRICE),
UniversityofMalaya,KualaLumpur,Malaysia
EditorialBoard
ProfessorBobAdamson,TheHongKongInstituteofEducation,China
DrRobynBaker,NewZealandCouncilforEducationalResearch,Wellington,NewZealand
ProfessorMichaelCrossley,UniversityofBristol,UnitedKingdom
MsShantiJagannathan,AsianDevelopmentBank,Manila,Philippines
DrYutoKitamura,UniversityofTokyo,Japan
ProfessorColinPower,GraduateSchoolofEducation,UniversityofQueensland,Brisbane,Australia
ProfessorKonaiHeluThaman,UniversityoftheSouthPacific,Suva,Fiji
AdvisoryBoard
ProfessorMarkBray,UNESCOChair,ComparativeEducationResearchCentre,TheUniversityof
Hong Kong, China; Professor Yin Cheong Cheng, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China;
ProfessorJohnFien,SwinburneUniversity,Melbourne,Australia;DrPhamLanHuong,International
EducationalResearchCentre,HoChiMinhCity,Vietnam;DrChong-JaeLee,KoreanEducational
DevelopmentInstitute(KEDI),Seoul,RepublicofKorea;MsNaingYeeMar,GIZ,Yangon,Myanmar;
Professor Geoff Masters, Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne, Australia;
Margarita Pavlova, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, China; Dr Max Walsh, Secondary
Education Project, Manila, Philippines; Dr Uchita de Zoysa, Global Sustainability Solutions
(GLOSS),Colombo,SriLanka
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/5888
Kun Yan
Chinese International
’
Students Stressors and
Coping Strategies in the
United States
KunYan
TsinghuaUniversity
Beijing,China
ISSN1573-5397 ISSN2214-9791 (electronic)
EducationintheAsia-PacificRegion:Issues,ConcernsandProspects
ISBN978-981-10-3345-2 ISBN978-981-10-3347-6 (eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-981-10-3347-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016963681
©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2017
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’
Series Editors Introduction
This book by Kun Yan, Chinese International Students’ Stressors and Coping
Strategies in the United States, is the latest volume to be published in the long-
standing Springer book series “Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues,
Concerns and Prospects.” The first book in this Springer series was published in
2002,withthisvolumebyKunYanbeingthe37thvolumepublishedtodate.
The movement of large numbers of youth between countries to pursue higher
education ambitions, by attending overseas universities, has become an important
featureofglobalizationandthemasstransferofpeoplebetweencountries.Infact,
those countries that receive large numbers of foreign students not only earn
valuable foreign exchange through their involvement with this activity but also
havethepotentialtoincreasetheirsphereofinfluenceintheworldwhenstudents
returntotheirhomecountries.
Thismassmovementofstudentsbetweencountrieswhoareseekingtoexpand
their education opportunities through knowledge, skills, and overseas experience
often results instressesand strainsfor the students involved, asthey seek tocope
withandadjusttothesocialandculturalcharacteristicsoftheirhostcountry,which
oftenmaybeverydifferenttotheircountryoforigin.
ThisinterestingandimportantbookbyKunYanshedslightonthemainareasof
stress experienced by Chinese students in the United States and investigates how
thesestudentsdevelopandutilizecopingmechanismsandstrategiestomanagethat
stress. In addition to providing cutting-edge information on the student stress and
coping mechanisms for dealing with this, this volume provides very useful and
doablesuggestionsastowhatAmericanuniversitiescandotoeasethetransitionof
studentandhelpthemdevelopcopingmechanismstodealwiththeirnew,foreign
environment.ThestudyalsoprovidesinsightswhichwillhelpChineseuniversities
bestpreparetheirstudentstostudyoverseas.
Thefindingsreporteduponinthisbookarebasedonoriginalmaterialcollected
through both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) means. In
addition,theresultsreporteduponhereshouldalsobeusefulinbetterunderstand-
ing,andgaininginsightsabout,thephenomenastudiednotjustforChinesestudents
v
vi SeriesEditors’Introduction
inAmericanuniversities,andChinesestudentsingeneral,butalsoothernational-
itiesstudyingoutsidetheirhomecountry.
This volume will be an essential guide for anyone with an interest in better
understandingthesituationregardingChinesestudentsstudyinginAmerica.
ThevarioustopicsincludedinthisSpringerbookseriesoneducationintheAsia-
Pacific region are wide ranging and varied in coverage, with an emphasis on
cutting-edgedevelopments,bestpractices,andeducationinnovationsfordevelop-
ment.Topicsexaminedincludeenvironmentaleducationandeducationforsustain-
able development; the reform of primary, secondary, and teacher education;
innovativeapproachestoeducationassessment;alternativeeducation;mosteffec-
tive ways to achieve quality and highly relevant education for all; active aging
throughactivelearning;casestudiesofeducationandschoolingsystemsinvarious
countries in the region; cross-country and cross-cultural studies of education and
schooling;andthesociologyofteachersasanoccupationalgroup,tomentionjusta
few. For full details about books published to date in this series, examine the
Springerwebsitehttp://www.springer.com/series/5888.
All volumes in this book series aim to meet the interests and priorities of a
diverseeducationaudienceincludingresearchers,policymakers,andpractitioners,
tertiary students, teachers at all levels within education systems, and members of
thepublicwhoareinterestedinbetterunderstandingcutting-edgedevelopmentsin
educationandschoolinginAsia-Pacific.
The reason why this book series has been devoted exclusively to examining
variousaspectsofeducationandschoolingintheAsia-Pacificregionisthatthisisa
challenging region which is renowned for its size, diversity, and complexity,
whether it be geographical, socio-economic, cultural, political, or developmental.
Educationandschoolingincountriesthroughouttheregionimpactoneveryaspect
ofpeople’slives,includingemployment,laborforceconsiderations,educationand
training,culturalorientation,andattitudesandvalues.Asia-Pacificishometosome
63%oftheworld’spopulationof7billion.Countrieswiththelargestpopulations
(China,1.4billion;India,1.3billion)andthemostrapidlygrowingmegacitiesare
tobefoundintheregion,asarecountrieswithrelativelysmallpopulations(Bhutan,
755,000;theislandofNiue,1600).
Levels of economic and sociopolitical development vary widely, with some of
the richest countries (such as Japan) and some of the poorest countries on earth
(suchasBangladesh).Asiacontainsthelargestnumberofpoorofanyregioninthe
world, the incidence of those living below the poverty line remaining as high as
40percentinsomecountriesinAsia.Atthesametime,manycountriesinAsiaare
experiencingaperiodofgreateconomicgrowthandsocialdevelopment.However,
inclusive growth remains elusive, as does growth that is sustainable and does not
destroy the quality of the environment. The growing prominence of Asian econo-
miesandcorporations,togetherwithglobalizationandtechnologicalinnovation,is
leadingtolong-termchangesintrade,business,andlabormarkets,tothesociology
of populations within (and between) countries. There is a rebalancing of power,
centered on the Asia-Pacific region, with the Asian Development Bank in Manila
declaringthatthetwenty-firstcenturywillbe“theCenturyofAsiaPacific.”
SeriesEditors’Introduction vii
Weknowthatthisbookseriesmakesausefulcontributiontoknowledgesharing
abouteducationandschoolinginAsia-Pacific.Anyreadersofthisorothervolumes
intheserieswhohaveanideaforwritingtheirownbook(oreditingabook)onany
aspect of education and/or schooling that is relevant to the region are enthusiasti-
callyencouragedtoapproachtheserieseditorseitherdirectlyorthroughSpringerto
publish their own volume in the series, since we are always willing to assist
prospective authors shape their manuscripts in ways that make them suitable for
publicationinthisseries.
Doha,Qatar RupertMaclean
KualaLumpur,Malaysia LorraineSymaco
October2016
Preface
This study examines the sources of stress among Chinese students in the United
States. It also investigates how they utilize coping strategies and resources to
managetheirstress.
Asurvey was conducted toobtaininformationabout the stress sources, coping
strategies,andhelp-seekingbeliefsofcontemporarymainlandChinesestudentsin
America. A follow-up interview study was conducted to provide additional evi-
denceoftheseissues.FindingsarediscussedandanalyzedinthecontextofBerry’s
conceptualframeworkofstressandcopingforacculturation.
ThisstudyrevealsthatthelifeofChinesestudentsintheUnitedStatesisnoteasy
and they have to endure multifaceted life stresses. Job opportunities, immigration
issues,andacademicpressurerankthehighestamongthestressors.Individualvari-
ablessuchasgender,collegemajor,age,maritalstatus,lengthofstay,andaccultur-
ationstrategiesshowsignificantinfluencesonstresslevelsamongstudents.
ItisalsofoundthatChinesestudentsengageinawiderangeofcopingstrategies
toalleviatetheirstress.Whenseekinghelpfromothers,theyprimarilyturntotheir
family or other Chinese students. Most of them did not know how the counseling
services work or have had a hard time telling counselors about their personal
problems. Students identify a lack of common language and understanding of
mental health concepts, as well as fear of stigmatization, as limiting their expres-
sionofpsychologicalneedsandstress.
Based on the findings of this study, suggestions are made to both American
universitycommunitiesandChineseinternationalstudents,regardingwhatmustbe
done to enhance Chinese students’ cross-cultural experiences in America. The
results of this study can help Chinese students already in the United States and
those who plan to come andadapt tothe American educational environment. The
results may also inform policymakers, administrators, and educators in American
universities, helping them to improve the services and programs for their foreign
students.
Beijing,China KunYan
ix
Contents
1 Introduction:StatementoftheProblem.......................... 1
Objectives...................................................... 2
EducationalImportanceofThisStudy............................. 2
Definitions...................................................... 4
2 ChineseInternationalStudentsintheUnitedStates:Demographic
Trends,Motivations,andAcculturationFeatures................. 7
TheHistoryandDemographicsofChineseInternationalStudents..... 7
ChineseInternationalStudentsintheUnitedStates:1890–1950. . .. 7
ChineseInternationalStudentsintheUnitedStates:After1978. . . . 8
ChineseStudents’MotivationtoStudyAbroad..................... 13
ChineseStudents’Group-LevelAcculturationFeaturesinAmerica. . . 15
CultureandEthnicRelationsinAmerica......................... 15
ChineseStudents’Group-LevelAcculturationFeatures............ 16
3 ChineseInternationalStudentsintheUnitedStates:Adjustment
ProblemsandCopingBehaviors................................. 19
ChineseStudents’AdjustmentIssues.............................. 19
AcademicChallenges.......................................... 21
SocioculturalProblems........................................ 23
CopingandHelp-SeekingBehaviors............................... 25
BarriertoPursuingCounseling................................. 25
CopingResourceandSocialSupport............................ 26
Berry’sStress-CopingFramework................................. 28
FactorsinBerry’sModel....................................... 29
Summary....................................................... 31
4 Methodology:MethodologyJustification......................... 33
DataSourcesandCollectionProcedures........................... 34
QuantitativeDataCollection................................... 34
QualitativeDataCollection..................................... 36
xi
