Overseas students in Thailand: A qualitative study of cross-cultural adjustment of French exchange students in a Thai university context

ABSTRACT

In recent years, due to the rapid growth of English language programs in higher educational institutions, inexpensive living expenses, and affordable tuition fees in Thailand, the number of international students coming to the kingdom has risen year on year, with a parallel increase in the challenging experiences of acculturation of being an exchange student in an alien environment away from one’s domestic norms. This qualitative study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of French exchange students’ experiences of cross-cultural adjustment encountered during their residency and exchange program attendance in Thailand. The findings of this present study shed light on a better understanding of lived experiences of French exchange students in four major areas: (1) linguistic limitations and their possible solutions; (2) culture shock and associated acculturative stress; (3) cultural adjustment; and (4) proposed extra-curricular activities to foster French exchange students’ cross-cultural adaptation to the Thai collectivistic context. The implications of this study will be beneficial for educators working in academic international relations departments to better understand the challenges faced by international students and explore social support mechanisms to address problems arising during the students’ residency.

KEYWORDS:

• cross-cultural adjustment
• French exchange students
• Thai culture
• acculturation processes
• culture shock

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr. Peter Williamson, from the UK for proofreading and language editing support. I am also deeply thankful to all French exchange students at Institute of International Studies, Ramkhamhaeng University (IIS-RU), Bangkok, Thailand.

Declaration of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.