Perceived adaptation difficulties and perceived influencing factors: a descriptive survey of CFL teachers in UAE schools

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine adaptation difficulties and perceived influencing factors among 73 Chinese as a Foreign Language teachers in UAE public schools. Design/methodology/approach Means, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals and ranks were calculated for 18 difficulty items and 12 perceived-impact items. Exploratory gap analysis compared seven conceptually corresponding pairs. Findings Using Arabic at work was the highest-rated difficulty (M = 4.12), followed by classroom management (M = 3.03). All other difficulty means were below the scale midpoint. Perceived-impact means clustered between 2.79 and 3.19, with substantially overlapping confidence intervals. Gap analysis identified two boundary-sensitive convergence cases, three stable divergence cases and two boundary-sensitive divergence cases. These comparisons are hypothesis-generating and do not establish causal attribution or psychological alignment. Originality/value The study provides exploratory evidence concerning an under-researched group of international teachers. Combining complete descriptive profiles with a restricted comparison of corresponding domains generates context-specific hypotheses for future instrument development and longitudinal, qualitative and mixed-method research.