Mainland Chinese students’ cross-cultural adaptation to Hong Kong : an intergroup communication perspective

Abstract

This thesis investigates Mainland Chinese students' (MCSs') cross-cultural adaptation to Hong Kong from the lens of language and social psychology. MCSs represent the predominant non-local student group in Hong Kong. Communication between MCSs and locals is highly intergroup in nature because linguistic and cultural boundaries separate them into distinct groups. The use of Cantonese, which is the local language in Hong Kong, and communication with locals are critical to MCSs' cross-cultural adaptation, but most studies in this line of research are not driven by intergroup communication theories. This thesis addresses this gap by invoking two well-established intergroup communication theories, Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language (L2 WTC) and Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT). L2 WTC and CAT share the focus on the intergroup dynamics of communication but account for different aspects of such communication. L2 WTC is conceptualized as an individual's behavioral intention to enter a communicative episode using an L2, whereas CAT is more focused on how they signal or negotiate their identities during the communication process through the use of language. Together, L2 WTC and CAT can offer a fuller understanding of intergroup encounters. However, it has remained unknown whether or how these two theories are connected. This thesis examines their connections and identifies the mechanism by which locals' (non-)accommodative communication behaviors influence MCSs' L2 WTC. This thesis adopted a mixed-methods design and consisted of five studies. Given the absence of empirical foundations for this thesis, a preliminary study (Study One) was first undertaken to explore the extent to which a) Cantonese ability and WTC with locals in Cantonese (Cantonese WTC) were important for MCSs' adaptation to Hong Kong, and b) locals' (non-)accommodative behaviors were important for MCSs' Cantonese WTC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten MCSs. Thematic analysis results show that Cantonese ability is perceived as a key facilitator for MCSs' adaptation and that Cantonese WTC is critical for their adaptation and is associated with their Cantonese ability as well as relationships with the local interlocutors. The findings also suggest that MCSs' perceptions of locals' (non-)accommodative communicative behaviors are important for their decisions on whether or not to engage in interactions. The preliminary study established the empirical foundations for this thesis. Studies Two and Three used a survey design, and Studies Four and Five employed qualitative designs. Survey data were collected from 372 MCSs studying in Hong Kong. In Study Two, structural equation modelling yielded an empirical model that describes the relationships between MCSs' perceived Cantonese competence, Cantonese use anxiety, Cantonese confidence, Cantonese WTC, accommodative encounters and contact with locals, acculturative stress, and psychological adaptation. This model highlights the focal role of MCSs' frequency of accommodative encounters with locals in their psychological adaptation. Drawing on the same survey data, Study Three employed structural equation modelling to identify a model outlining the relationships between MCSs' Cantonese confidence, Cantonese WTC, accommodative encounters and contact with locals, and sociocultural adaptation. Based on this model, multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine how locals' accommodative strategies influenced their sociocultural adaptation outcomes. The model shows that accommodative encounters with locals influence MCSs' sociocultural adaptation through four significant indirect paths, which, again, underscores the focal role of accommodative encounters. Accommodative encounters directly predict Cantonese confidence and quality of contact, so two separate multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictive nature of accommodative encounters regarding the four accommodative strategies (i.e., interpretability, discourse management, interpersonal control, and emotional expression). The results show that discourse management, interpersonal control, and emotional expression are all significant predictors of Cantonese confidence, but interpretability is not, and that interpersonal control and emotional expression are both significant predictors of quality of contact, but interpretability and discourse management are not. Among the four strategies, emotional expression is found to be the most significant predictor of Cantonese Confidence and quality of contact. Study Four investigated MCSs' perceptions of the role of Cantonese confidence, Cantonese WTC, accommodative encounters and contact with locals in their cross-cultural adaptation. The participants were recruited from the survey respondent pool. Data collected from ten MCSs through semi-structured interviews were included and analyzed thematically. The findings identified the language issues in MCSs' adaptation and their Cantonese WTC as a situational tendency. The findings also provided a detailed account of how MCSs' perceptions of locals' communication accommodation were connected with their perceived quality of contact. Study Five focused on MCSs' intergroup communication experiences with locals in specific interactive contexts. The ten interview participants included in Study Four journaled both their satisfying and unsatisfying encounters with locals for seven days. A total of 142 journal entries were analyzed, consisting of 72 satisfying and 69 unsatisfying encounters. Common situations for MCSs to interact with locals were analyzed in terms of participant types (i.e., strangers, acquaintances, friends, and professionals) and activity types. The majority of the journal entries involved strangers and professionals, together accounting for 82.4% of all encounters. The five most commonly reported activity types included buying or selling, dining, socializing, inquiring, and learning. Locals' accommodative and nonaccommodative behaviors identified in the journals were categorized into the five CAT accommodative strategies. Interpersonal control and interpretability were the strategies with the highest occurrences. These five accommodative strategies demonstrated different patterns across encounters where the participants reported positive, neutral, and negative intentions to converse with the locals again. This thesis offers valuable practical implications and novel theoretical insights. The findings underscore the significant role of linguistic factors and intergroup communication in MCSs' adaptation, which elucidates how higher education institutions in Hong Kong and relevant organizations and policymakers can better facilitate their adaptation by improving these linguistic and communicative aspects. The findings contribute to the literature on CAT and L2 WTC by empirically examining their connection and identifying the mechanism by which they are connected to better account for intergroup communication. This thesis also expands the L2 WTC literature from primarily classroom-focused to real-world intergroup interactions, to a target L2 other than English, and to an Eastern cultural context.