Sociocultural adaptation in the transnational lives of newcomer migrant adolescents: Digital social networking practices and sociodemographic factors shaping adaptive performance in school and workplace settings

Navigating cultural boundaries during adolescence, particularly in the digital era, where social media reshapes individual and collective interactions, poses significant challenges for newcomer students. This study, drawing on a sample of 73 participants, examines the extent to which digital networking practices, along with sociodemographic factors, influence sociocultural adaptation, defined here as adaptive performance in school and workplace settings. The findings indicate a positive correlation between adaptive performance and the use of social media for individual learning of the host society’s language ( r= .31, p < .01), as well as for participating in the local culture ( r= .31, p < .01). Multiple regression analysis further reveals that both age ( β =.49, SE =.28, t= 4.50, p < .01) and individual language learning through social networks ( β =.25, SE =.06, t = 2.53, p < . 01) serve as positive predictors of adaptive performance. In contrast, the length of formal education in the home country is identified as a negative predictor ( β = −.319, SE =.67, t= −2.95, p < .01). These results underscore the role of digital platforms as informal learning environments that can enhance sociocultural adaptation. Simultaneously, they challenge the assumption that prolonged formal education in the home country invariably supports adaptation, suggesting that pre-migration educational and pedagogical paradigms may not effectively foster—and might even hinder—the development of adaptive skills in a new cultural milieu.