Assessing Intercultural Sensitivity and Effectiveness: Adult Learners of Chinese as a L2

Literature Review

With an increasing importance of international education around the globe, study abroad programs and sojourners have increasingly caught the attention of researchers and educators (Liu & Liu, 2015; Martinsen, 2011; Olson & Kroeger, 2001; Straffon, 2003). Researchers found that sojourners in study abroad contexts encounter numerous difficulties and obstacles coping with cultural adaptation and intercultural communication due to various reasons (Zhang, 2010). Hammer, Wiseman, Rasmussen and Bruschke (1998) categorized the reasons for cultural challenges into four fundamental factors: (1) interpersonal saliencies; (2) intergroup saliencies; (3) communication message exchange; and (4) host contact conditions. Griffith and Harvey (2001) identified four determinants of cultural adaptation: (1) cultural understanding; (2) communication competence; (3) cultural interaction; and (4) communication interaction. Xue and Pan (2012) claimed that grammar-translation pedagogy and lack of intercultural communication awareness were two main reasons for cultural challenges. During the process, the issue of ICC has become prominent to all parties involved (Byram, 1997; Jensen, Jaeger & Lorentsen, 1995).