Language and communication in international students’ adaptation: a bibliometric and content analysis review

Abstract

This article systematically reviews the literature (313 articles) on language and communication in international students’ cross-cultural adaptation in institutions of higher education for 1994–2021. We used bibliometric analysis to identify the most impactful journals and articles, and the intellectual structure of the field. We used content analysis to synthesize the results within each research stream and suggest future research directions. We established two major research streams: second-language proficiency and interactions in the host country. We found inconclusive results about the role of communication with co-nationals in students’ adaptation, which contradicts the major adaptation theories. New contextualized research and the use of other theories could help explain the contradictory results and develop the existing theories. Our review suggests the need to theoretically refine the interrelationships between the interactional variables and different adaptation domains. Moreover, to create a better fit between the empirical data and the adaptation models, research should test the mediating effects of second-language proficiency and the willingness to communicate with locals. Finally, research should focus on students in non-Anglophone countries and explore the effects of remote communication in online learning on students’ adaptation. We document the intellectual structure of the research on the role of language and communication in international students’ adaptation and suggest a future research agenda.

Bibliometric Review of Research on International Students in Russia

“…The technique has been employed to explore the trends and themes of research in numerous scientific fields [29]. The technique has been equally utilized to review the existing themes of research on international students [30][31][32][33]. Based on the methodologies of the aforementioned studies, the author adopted a 3-step process: 1) search and selection of data, 2) definition of selection criteria and data collection, 3) data analysis.…”

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Job Adaptation: A qualitative Study

“…Different studies have also found that an imbalances in income and labor or complaints of underpayment were detrimental to job adaptation 29 . Moreover, some management approaches, such as incentives and empowerment, are more conducive to improving the adaptability of nursing students than strict management 30 .…”

Global Research on International Students’ Intercultural Adaptation in a Foreign Context: A Visualized Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Landscape

“…P. Chen, 1999; Mori, 2000; Wilczewski & Alon, 2023; Yan & Berliner, 2011), while others have explored the coping strategies leading to better cross-cultural adaptation (e.g., Fu, 2015; Kuo, 2014). For instance, Wilczewski and Alon (2023) conducted a bibliometric analysis to review 313 articles on language and communication, significant challenges international students have to deal with during intercultural adaptation to a new environment. Furthermore, several review studies have provided overviews of the predictors of international student’s cross-cultural adjustment in specific contexts.…”

“…They provide valuable recommendations but do not diminish the relevance and significance of the current study as they focused solely on a specific group or country (e.g., Brunsting et al, 2018; Cao & Meng, 2022; Yan & Berliner, 2011) or examined only some aspects regarding IAIS (e.g., Candel, 2021; C. P. Chen, 1999; Fu, 2015; Wilczewski & Alon, 2023). To the best of our knowledge, despite the rapid growth of scientific literature in the IAIS field, systematic literature reviews that capture various aspects of IAIS on a global scale have yet to be conducted.…”