THE FORMATION OF INTERCULTURAL IDENTITY AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN CHINA: A GENERATIVE STRUCTURALISM PERSPECTIVE
Keywords:
Generative structuralism, International students in China, Cultural identity, International Chinese educationAbstract
The identification of international students with Chinese culture is formed in a dynamic way and also reconstructed during cross-cultural interaction, and it shows some typical characteristics of intercultural identity. This study is based on Bourdieu's generative structure theory and the "Field-Capital-Habitus" framework. It uses qualitative research method, and carries out one year follow up interviews and observations with 10 international students from 8 countries. The research finds that when international students enter into the education field in China, they experience the process of accumulating Chinese language capital, dealing with culture shock, facing stereotypes, and adjusting their own habits, so as to gain an advantage in academic competition. They gradually absorb and combine Chinese culture from surface level to middle level and then to deep level. The study shows that the experience of studying in China is an important external power for constructing cultural identity of international students toward Chinese culture. Universities should strengthen the Chinese learning environment by improving curriculum design, building cross cultural support system, enhancing teachers intercultural ability, and giving different guidance, so as to continuously promote the high quality development of international Chinese education.References
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