Globalisation stimulates people’s mobility, contact and exchanges cross different cultures. International students’ mobility has become an increasingly important part of the global higher education landscape over the past two decades. The total number of mobile tertiary education students reached 3.3 million in 2008 and Germany is the third largest host country of international students. Coming from different language, cultural and educational background, international students meet a great deal of challenges at German universities. A survey recently astonishingly revealed that almost half of the international students break off the study in Germany, therefore more attention is required to be paid to the academic adjustment of international students.

Research Question Main research question: How do Chinese students, being the largest international student group in Germany, adjust themselves to the German Universities and what is the process and outcome of their academic adjustment?
Sub-research question: (1) What kind of factors influences their academic adjustment? Whether readiness (language proficiency, previous academic knowledge, and motivation), self-effort (further German language training, time spent on study, modifying learning style), intercultural communication with German students, and academic support (supportive teaching method at class) play a role in their adjustment?  (2) What is the Chinese students’ academic performance (academic difficulty, participation at class, subjective and objective evaluation) and how do theyreflect on their academic experience in Germany (achievement and further plan after the study)?

Theoretical framework In the last half century, perspectives from various disciplines, i.e., anthropology, sociology, and psychology have contributed tremendously to the research on sojourners and immigrants’ adaptation to a new culture.Berry developed the model of acculturation and pointed out that contact with members of the host cultural groups may cause acculturative stress and adaptation problems. Ward, based on empirical research, put forward the importance of “cultural fit” in psychological adjustment and sociocultural adaptation. In spite of the above leading research on sojourner’s acculturation and adaptation, not enough research has paid attention to students’ academic adjustment: although to fulfil academic requirements is their main task and their student identity differentiates themselves from other sojourners. In addition, with very few exceptions, research on international students is carried out in “a single point in time” manner by conducting questionnaires, asking general opinions about their academic experience, without paying enough attention to the change they have made during the process of adjustment. This research is to analyze Chinese students’ academic adjustment, by using Kim’s Stress-Adaptation-growth Dynamics model, which emphasises the fundamental role of communication in cross-cultural adaptation.

Objective This research aims at applying a longitudinal method to find out how Chinese students adjust to the German academic environment in an intercultural learning surrounding, and exploring the internal and external factors influencing their academic achievement. The result of the research will provide first-hand information to German universities, which endeavours to provide necessary help to facilitate international students’ academic achievement at German universities.

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