The independent variable is cultural intelligence (CQ) which initially described by Earley and Ang (2003). Cultural intelligence consists of four dimensions, meta-cognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral CQs. The socio-cultural adjustment is the dependent variable. Social support is the moderator and consists of two dimensions: socio-emotional support and instrumental support. The social support served as moderator to examine the relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) and socio-cultural adjustment. The research framework was shown below, see Figure 3.1.
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Hypotheses
Based on the previous literatures, the research purpose, research questions, and the hypotheses were described.
Table 3.1
Hypotheses of this Study
Hypotheses Explanation
Hypothesis 1. There is a positive relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) and socio-cultural adjustment. Specifically, individuals who have higher CQ will have higher socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2. Social support positively moderates the relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) and socio-cultural adjustment. In another words, when individuals with higher social support, the relationship between CQ and socio-cultural adjustment will be strengthen. Equally, individuals with lower social support, the relationship between CQ and socio-cultural adjustment will be weakened.
Hypothesis 2a. Socio-emotional support positively moderates the relationship between meta-cognitive CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2b. Instrumental support positively moderates the relationship between meta-cognitive CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2c. Socio-emotional support positively moderates the relationship between cognitive CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
(continued)
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Table 3.1 (continued)
Hypothesis Explanation
Hypothesis 2d. Instrumental support positively moderates the relationship between cognitive CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2e. Socio-emotional support positively moderates the relationship between motivational CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2f. Instrumental support positively moderates the relationship between motivational CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2g. Socio-emotional support positively moderates the relationship between behavioral CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Hypothesis 2h. Instrumental support positively moderates the relationship between behavioral CQ and socio-cultural adjustment.
Sample
The sample of this research was the international students who studied in Taiwan universities. According to the definition of international students who were defined by the Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, the international students included degree-seeking foreign students, exchange students, oversea Chinese students, and the students who learn Mandarin Chinese as the second language in Taiwan.
More and more international students study in Taiwan. Based on the numbers of international students from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, it is around 37,000 international students studied in Taiwan. When they stay in a country which culture is different with their host country, they experience some problems about cultural adjustment. That is the reason why the international students were the sample in this study.
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In the previous chapter, it was discussed that in the beginning three months is the most uncertainly period. Therefore, the criterion of respondents is that international students lived in Taiwan over three months. This criterion could help us to avoid that our respondents were in an uncertainly period and provide the wrong information to this study.
Based on the information provided by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, 80 % of international students are study in the north and central of Taiwan. The detail information about the number of international students in each university, please refer to Appendix B. Therefore, the questionnaire distributed to the school located in north and central of Taiwan. We set a sample criterion that the respondents should stay in Taiwan over three months.
The major channels to contact with international students included the offices of international affair of each university, the Mandarin training centers, and the program for international students in each school. Each international student received an eight page of the questionnaire and filled out it within twenty minutes. For the contacts of international affair and international program in school, firstly, the researcher contacted with the persons in charge of international students or the teachers in international program. They permitted to help us to distribute the questionnaires to their students. After one to two weeks, the researcher went to collect the questionnaires. Each student received a pen as bonus of filling out questionnaires. For the contact of Mandarin training centers, the researcher contacted with the office first.
After researcher got the permission, researcher stayed in the training centers and found the students who were willing to fill out questionnaires. After students filled out it, they returned it to the researcher. The researcher did not stay beside them when they were filling it. All the questionnaires distributed to Mandarin training center were returned to researcher directly. The students received a McDonald’s sweet card or a
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pen as the bonus of filling it. It was an anonymous study. The questionnaire did not ask respondents to fill in their private information.
In this study, a total of 620 questionnaires were distributed to international students who studying in Taiwan and 486 questionnaires were responded. Finally, 236 questionnaires were valid. The response rate was 38.1%.
Instrumentation Measures
Cultural intelligence (CQ)
Cultural intelligence (CQ) refers to an individual’s capability to deal with the situation of cultural diversity (Earley, 2002). This research adopted the cultural intelligence scale (CQS) which developed by Ang and her colleagues (2007). The scale contained total 20 items which separated to four dimensions: meta-cognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ. The CQ scale consisted of 20 items. There had four items on meta-cognitive CQ which included “I am conscious of the cultural knowledge I use when interacting with people from different cultural background”; six items on cognitive CQ, the items included “I know the legal and economic systems of other cultures.”; five items on motivational CQ, the items included “I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures.”; five items on behavioral CQ, the items included “I change my verbal behavior (e.g., accent, tone) when a cross-cultural interaction requires it.”
The questionnaire asked participants self-report the real situation while they live in a host country. The 7-point Likert scale was used in the questionnaire. It rates from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The high score of scale indicated that the person can adjust to new culture well, understand the local value, and can express appropriate verbal and nonverbal behaviors.
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Social support
The social support was defined as the quantity and quality of social contacts and resources perceived by individuals (Hays & Dimatteo, 1987). The social support is measured by The Index of Sojourner Social Support (ISSS) Scale developed by Ong and Ward (2005). The total 18 items of ISSS consists of two dimensions, 9 items on socioemtional support, the items described included some people are willing to
“Comfort me when I feel homesick.”; “Listen and talk with me whenever I feel lonely or depressed.”; 9 items on instrumental support, the items includes some people are willing to “Provide necessary information to help orient me to my new surroundings.”;
“Help me deal with some local institutions’ official rules and regulations.”
The questionnaire asked participants to self-report how much social support they received when they need in Taiwan. 5-point Likert scale was adopted. It rates from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The high score in this questionnaire indicates that the person obtained more social support when the person lives in a foreign environment.
Sociocultural adjustment
Sociocultural adjustment is the process that individuals learn the appropriate behavioral competence to interact with new culture (Swagler & Jome, 2005; Ward &
Kennedy, 1999).The Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS) was adopted to measure the sociocultural adjustment. The scale was inspired by Furnham and Bochner’s (1982) 40-items Social Situations Questionnaire (SSQ). The initially version of 16-items SCAS was developed by Searle and Ward (1990). In the recently version, Ward and Kennedy (1999) proposed a 29-items SCAS. The questionnaire consists of 29 items.
The items asked participants to indicate how difficulty they experience in the host country. The items include “Making friends” and “Following rules and regulations”.
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The 5-point Likert scale rate from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The high score indicates that the people experience more difficulties when they interact with local nationals, which means that their sociocultural adjustment is low.