In recent years the number of international students studying in Taiwan has greatly increased. These students may meet many challenges such as acculturative stress or difficulties in Mandarin-medium classes. However, little research has been done to investigate those challenges. This study intends to do so and aims to examine the acculturation strategies in language socialization among international students in Taiwan. The participants of this study included six full-time international students and four international exchange students from different countries. Data were collected between October 2013 and January 2015 by using semi-structured interviews and observation. The acculturation strategies framework established by Berry (2005) namely, assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization, and motivation for learning language theory from Gardner (1972) were used for data analysis and interpretation. Results showed that integrated and separated acculturation strategies were mostly adopted by international students in this study. Those students who adopted integrative strategy tended to have open-minded, flexible personality, and had small culture distance in Taiwan, consequently they experienced better adjustment. Those students who adopted separated strategy had larger culture distance in Taiwan and experienced more adjustment difficulties. In addition, it was shown that instrumental motivation played a major role for international students to acquire Mandarin and English proficiency. Overall, findings revealed that most of international students adjusted themselves socioculturally and psychologically quite well in Taiwan.

Adair-Hauck, B., & Donato, R. (1994). Foreign language explanations within the
zone of proximal development. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 50, 532–555.
Aljaafreh, A., &Lantolf, J. P. (1994). Negative feedback as regulation and second
language learning in the zone of proximal development. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 465–483.
Altbach, P. G. 2006. “Globalization and the university: realities in an unequal
world,” in International Handbook of Higher Education, edited by J. J. F. Forest and P. G. Altbach, Pp. 121-140. The Netherlands: Springer.
Andrade, M. S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education 5 (2): 131.
Atkinson, D. (2002). Toward a sociocognitive approach to second language acquisition. Modern Language Journal, 86, 525–545.
Balaz, V., & Williams, A.M. (2004). Been there, done that: International student migration and human capital transfers from the UK to Slovakia. Population, Space and Place, 10, 217–237.
Berry, J. W. (1984). Multicultural policy in Canada: A social psychological analysis. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 16, 353–370.
Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46, 5–68.
Berry, J. W. (2005). Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures. International
Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29, 697–712.

Berry, J. W. (2006). Stress perspectives on acculturation. In D. L. Lam & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology (pp. 43–57). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Berry, J.W., Kim, U., Minde, T., &Mok, D. (1987). Comparative studies of acculturative stress, International Migration Review, 21, 491-511.
Berry, J. W., Phinney, J., Sam, D., & Vedder, P. (Eds.). (2006). Immigrant youth in cultural transition: Acculturation, identity and adaptation across national context. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Berry, J. W., & Sam, D. (1997). Acculturation and adaptation. In J. W. Berry, M. H. Segall, & C. Kagitcibasi (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology, Vol. 3, Social behavior and applications (pp. 291–326). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Berry, J.W., Trimble, J., & Olmeda, E. (1986).The assessment of acculturation, In W.J. Lonner& J.W. Berry (Eds.), Field Methods in cross-cultural research (pp. 82-104). London: Sage.
Brecht, R. D., & J. Robinson. 1993. Qualitative analysis of second language
acquisition in study abroad: The ACTR/NFLC project. NFLC Occasional Paper. Washington, DC: National Foreign Language Center
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence.
Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
Chin, J.M-C., Ching, S.S. (2009).Trends and Indicators of Taiwan’s Higher
Education Internationalization. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 18:2: 185-203.
Chou, C.P., Roberts, A., Ching, G.S. (2012). A study on the international students’ perception and norms in Taiwan. International journal of Research Studies in Education, Volume 1 Number 2, 71-84, June.
Culhane, S.F. (2004). An Intercultural Interaction Model: Acculturation Attitudes in Second Language Acquisition. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 50-61
Davidson, D. E. (2007). Study abroad and outcomes measurements: The case of Russian. Modern Language Journal, 91, 276–280
Deardorff, D. K. (2006). The identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, Vol. 10 No. 3, Fall 2006, 241-266
Duff, P. A. (2007) Second language socialization as sociocultural theory: Insights and issues. Language Teaching 40: 309 –19.
Duff, P. A. and Hornberger , N. H. (eds.) ( 2008 ) Encyclopedia of Language and Education, Vol. 8: Language Socialization . New York : Springer
Duff, P. A., Wong, P., and Early, M. (2000) Learning language for work and life: The linguistic socialization of immigrant Canadians seeking careers in healthcare. Canadian Modern Language Review 57 : 9 –57
Duff, P. A. (2008) Language socialization, higher education, and work. In P. A. Duff and N. H. Hornberger (eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education, Vol. 8: Language Socialization. 257 –70. New York: Springer.
Duff, P. (in press). Language socialization, participation, and identity: Ethnographic approaches. In M. Martin-Jones, A.–M. de Mejia, & N. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education. Discourse and education (Vol. 3). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.
Duff, P. A. (2010). Language socialization into academic discourse communities. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 169 –92.
Duff, P, and Talmy, S. (2011). Second Linguae socialization: Beyond Language acquisition in SLA. In D. Atkinson (ed). Alternative approaches in SLA (pp. 95-116). London: Routledge.
Duff, P. A., Wong, P., & Early, M. (2000).Learning language for work and life: The linguistic socialization of immigrant Canadians seeking careers in healthcare. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 57, 9-57.
Furnham, A., & Bochner, S. (1982). Social difficulty in foreign culture: An empirical analysis of culture shock. In S. Bochner (Ed.), Cultures in contact: Studies in cross-cultural interactions (pp. 161–198). Oxford: Pergamon.
Galloway, F. J., & Jenkins, J. R. (2005). The adjustment problems faced by international students in the United States: A comparison of international students and administrative perceptions at two private, religiously affiliated universities. NASPA Journal, 42(2), 175–187.
Gardner, C. R. and W. E., Lambert. 1959. “Motivational Variables in Second Language Acquisition”. Canadian Journal of Psychology 13: 266-272.
Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: the role of attitude and motivation. London: Edward Arnold Publishing.
Gardner, R.C., &MacIntyre, P. (1991). An instrumental motivation in language study: who says it isn’t effective? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 13, 211-220.
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972).Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, MA:Newbury.
Gardner, C. R. 2010. Motivation and Second Language Acquisition: The
Socio-educational Model. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Hern´andez, T. (2006).Integrative motivation as a predictor of success in the intermediate foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 39, 605–617.
Hern´andez, T. (2010). The Relationship Among Motivation, Interaction, and the Development of Second Language Oral Proficiency in a Study-Abroad Context. The Modern Language Journal, 94, 4.
Huebner, T. (1995).The effects of overseas language programs.In B. F. Freed (Ed.), Second language acquisition in a study abroad context (pp. 171–193). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Jacob, E. (1987). Qualitative research traditions: A review. Review of Educational
Research, 57(1), 1-50.
Jenkins J. R. , Galloway F. (2009). The adjustment problems faced by international and overseas Chinese students studying in Taiwan universities: a comparison of student and faculty/staff perceptions Asia Pacific Education Review, 10:159–168. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Jasinskaja-Lahti, I., Horenczyk, G. & Kinunen, T. (2011). Time and Context in the Relationship between Acculturation Attitudes and Adaptation among Russian-Speaking Immigrants in Finland and Israel. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(9), 1423–1440.
Kim, U., & Berry, J. W. (1985). Acculturation attitudes of Korean immigrants in
Toronto. In I. Reyes-Lagunes& Y. H. Poortinga (Eds.), From a different perspective: Studies of behavior across cultures (pp. 93-105). Lisse, Netherlands: Swets&Zeitlinger

Ko, S.L. (2008). International students in Taiwan at an all-time high. Retrieved June 11,2008,fromhttp://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/12/2003400913
Lambert, R. D. (Ed.).(1994). Educational exchange and global competence. New York: Council on International Educational Exchange.
Lo, Y. W.,&Weng, F. Y. (2005). Taiwan’s responses to globalization: Internationalization of higher education. In K. H. Mok& R. James (Eds.), Globalization and higher education in East Asia (pp. 137-156). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic.
Li, D. (2000). The pragmatics of making requests in the L2 workplace: A case study of language socialization. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 57, 58-87.
Mandelbaum, D. G. (ed.). 1949. Selected writing of Edward Sapir in Language, Culture, and Personality. University of California. Press, Berkley and Los Angeles.
Mango, O. (2015) Study Abroad and Second Language Socialization. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 3, 155-164.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.32021
Matsumura, S. (2001).Learning the Rules for Offering Advice: A Quantitative Approach to Second Language Socialization.Language Learning 51:4, 635–679.
McInerney, D.M., & King, R.B. (2012), Studying “A Thousand Miles Away”: The Motivational Implications of Cross-Cultural Transitions, in Stuart A. Karabenick, Timothy C. Urdan (ed.) Transitions Across Schools and Cultures (Advances in Motivation and Achievement, Volume 17) Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.205 - 240
Miller, G. (1997). Building Bridges: The possibility of analytic dialogue between ethnography,conversation analysis and Foucault. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitativeresearch: Theory, method and practice (pp. 24-44). London: Sage Publications.
Ministry of Education. (2006). Plan to develop first-class universities and top-level research centers. http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=7131&ctNode=505&mp=1.
Ministry of Education. (2015). Statistical Summaries. Non-citizen Students in Universities, Colleges and Junior Colleges.
http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=16422&ctNode=11429&mp=1
Mok, K. H. (2006, January). Questing for internationalization of universities in East Asia: Critical reflections. Paper presented at the International Symposium, Osaka University, Japan.
Nassaji, H., & Cumming, A. (2000). What’s in a ZPD? A case study of a young ESL
student and teacher interacting through dialogue journals. Language Teaching
Research, 4, 95–121.
National Taiwan University of science and technology. (2014, March). Newsletter March 2014. Office of International Affairs.
Ochs, E. (1988). Culture and language development: Language acquisition and language socialization in a Samoan village. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ochs, E., & Schieffelin, B. B. (2008). Language socialization: An historical overview. In P. A. Duff & N. H. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia if language and education, Vol. 8. Language socialization (pp. 3-15). New York: Springer.
Patton, M. (1990).Qualitative evaluation and research methods (pp. 169-186). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Phinney, J.S. (1992). The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure: A new scale for use with adolescents and youth adults from diverse groups. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 156–176.
Phinney, J.S., Horenczyk, G., Liebkind, K., & Vedder, P. (2001). Ethnic identity, immigration, and wellbeing: An interactional perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 493–510.
Schieffelin, B. B. (1990). The give and take of everyday life: Language socialization
Of Kaluli children. NewYork: Cambridge University Press.
Schieffelin, B. B., & Ochs, E. (Eds.).(1986). Language socialization across cultures. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press.
Ramsay, S., Barker, M. and Jones, E. (1999). Academic adjustment and learning process: A comparison of international and local students in first-year university. Higher Education Research& Development 19(1): 89-101
Richards, J., Platt, J. and H, Weber. 1985. Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. Essex: Longman Group Limited.
Rosenthal, D. A., Russell, J., & Thomson, G. (2008). The health and wellbeing of international students at an Australian university. Higher Education, 55, 51–67.
Song, M. M., & Tai, H. H. (2007).Taiwan’s responses to globalization: Internationalization and questing for world class. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 27(3), 323-340.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversity Press.
Wang, C. (2010) Toward a Second Language Socialization Perspective: Issues in Study Abroad Research. Foreign Language Annals, 43, 50-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2010.01059.x
Ward, C. (1999). Acculturation and adaptation revisited. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30(4), 422-44.
Ward, C. (2004). Psychological theories of culture contact and their implications for intercultural training and interventions. In D. Landis, J. M. Bennett & M. J. Bennett (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural training (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock. London: Routledge.
Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1993). Where’s the “culture” in cross-cultural transition? Comparative studies of sojourner adjustment. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 24, 221–249.
Ward, C. & Kennedy, A. (1994). Acculturation strategies, psychological adjustment, and sociocultural competence during cross-cultural transitions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 18, 329-343.
Watson-Gegeo, K. A. (1992). Thick explanation in the ethnographic study of child socialization and development: A longitudinal study of the problem of schooling for Kwara‘ae (Solomon Islands) children. In W. A. Corsaro& P. J. Miller (Eds.),
New directions for child development: Vol. 58. The production and reproduction of children’s worlds: Interpretive methodologies for the study of childhood socialization (pp. 51–66). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Watson-Gegeo, K. A. (2001). Fantasy and reality: The dialectic of work and play in
Kwara‘ae children’s lives.Ethos, 29, 138–158.
Watson-Gegeo, K. A. (2004). Mind, Language, and Epistemology: Toward a
Language Socialization Paradigm for SLA.The Modern Language Journal, 88, iii.
Watson-Gegeo, K. A., & Nielsen, S. E. (2003).Language socialization in SLA.In C.
Doughty & M. H. Long (Eds.), The handbook of second languageacquisition (pp. 155–177). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Williams, C. L., & Berry, J. W. (1991). Primary prevention of acculturative stress
among refugees: Application of psychological theory and practice. American Psychologist, 46, 632–641.
Wilkinson, S. (1998). Study abroad from the participants’ perspective: A challenge to common beliefs. Foreign Language Annals, 31, 28–39.
Ying, Y. (2002). The effect of cross-cultural living on personality: Assimilation and accommodation among Taiwanese young adults in the United States. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72, 362–371.
Ying, Y-W., & Han, M. (2006). The contribution of personality, acculturative
stressors, and social affiliation to adjustment: A longitudinal study of Taiwanese students in the United States. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30, 623–635.
Zhang, J., & Goodson, P. (2011). Predictors of international students’ psychosocial
Adjustment to life in the United States: A systematic review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 139–162.
Zheng, X., & Berry, J. W. (1991). Psychological adaptation of Chinese sojourners in Canada. International Journal of Psychology, 26, 451–470.
Zuengler, J., & Cole, K. (2005).Language socializationand second language learning.
InE. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 301–316).Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Zuengler, J., & Miller, E.R. (2006).Cognitive and Sociocultural Perspectives: Two Parallel SLA Worlds? TESOL Quarterly,40:1, 35-58.