Author(s)

Zhang Xin ¹, Liao Caizhi ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Teachers, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610106, China

Corresponding Author

Liao Caizhi

ABSTRACT

Against the backdrop of the deepening advancement of the "Belt and Road" Initiative, the number of West Asian Arab students studying in China has grown rapidly. However, their cross-cultural adaptation issues have become increasingly prominent, posing a key challenge to the quality of their overseas education and necessitating targeted support and intervention. Based on the theoretical framework of cross-cultural adaptation, this study conducts a systematic literature review to explore the adaptation challenges faced by Arab students across three dimensions—sociocultural (cultural identity conflicts, religious and customary differences), academic (divergences in education systems, unfamiliarity with teaching methods), and psychological (culture shock, social isolation)—along with their underlying cultural roots. The research finds that the fundamental cause of adaptation barriers lies in the differences between Islamic cultural traits and the Chinese social environment. Accordingly, this paper proposes systematic countermeasures from two levels: institutional management (improving cross-cultural service systems, establishing psychological support mechanisms, expanding communication platforms) and faculty development (enhancing intercultural competence, optimizing communication methods). The research outcomes not only provide practical guidance for improving the educational quality of Arab students but also offer valuable theoretical references and practical pathways for deepening China-Arab people-to-people exchanges and educational cooperation under the "Belt and Road" framework.

KEYWORDS

Belt and Road; Cross-Cultural Adaptation; International Students in China

CITE THIS PAPER

Zhang Xin, Liao Caizhi, Research on Cross-Cultural Adaptation of West Asian International Students in China under the "Belt and Road" Initiative: A Case Study of Arab Countries. Transactions on Comparative Education (2025) Vol. 7: 1-9. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/trance.2025.070201.

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