Dongyun Fu

Short-term exchange programs have become a popular pathway for higher education internationalization, yet the cross-cultural adaptation experiences of students participating in such programs—particularly within Asian contexts—remain underexplored. This pilot study investigates cultural shock and cross-cultural adaptation among Guangxi university students in short-term exchange programs in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 46 undergraduate students from Nanning University who completed a semester-long exchange in Malaysia, measuring cultural shock, psychological adaptation, and sociocultural adaptation. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were employed. The instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.823). Results showed that students experienced moderate cultural shock but relatively high levels of psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Cultural shock was significantly negatively correlated with both adaptation dimensions and emerged as a significant negative predictor of adaptation outcomes. No significant gender differences were found. As a pilot investigation, this study provides preliminary empirical insights and establishes a methodological foundation for future research on Chinese exchange students in Southeast Asian contexts. The findings also offer practical implications for improving institutional support in China–ASEAN short-term exchange programs.

cultural shock; cross-cultural adaptation; student mobility; short-term exchange students; China–ASEAN educational cooperation; pilot study

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