FROM OUTSIDERS TO INSIDERS: THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

With the development of international education, the number of students studying abroad is increasing. Cross-cultural adaptation issues have become an inevitable problem for them. Based on basic psychological needs theory, this empirical study selected 105 Chinese students who are studying at the tertiary level in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as samples to verify the cross-cultural adaptation process and basic psychological needs of international students. Through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, it is found that the main reasons for the cultural shock experienced by Chinese international students are differences in the higher education between China and English-speaking countries, language ability and academic literacy problems, while the cultural shock caused by life adaptation problems is not obvious. It is also verified that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is negatively correlated with the negative impact brought by the culture shock. The satisfaction of basic psychological needs enables international students to have a higher learning motivation, and also enables foreign students to have the motivation to study when facing difficulties in a foreign country, as well as the determination to support themselves not to compromise with difficulties.