Feelings About Intercultural Development: A Review of Research on International Students’ Intercultural Adjustment Experiences From an Emotion Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: This article presents a critical review of the theoretical and empirical research on international students’ intercultural adjustment experiences from an emotion perspective. Design/Approach/Methods: Existing studies are reviewed and analyzed by comparing their underlying approaches of conceptualizing and analyzing emotion. Findings: The findings suggest that existing studies have gradually extended research horizons, from detecting and addressing the problematic nature of emotion, to uncovering and promoting its potential in personal development, and finally toward an emerging trend of acknowledging and embracing the dialectics and sociocultural complexities of emotional adjustment. A more inclusive research agenda is essential to grasp the individual uniqueness, social interactivity, and multiple facets of real-life emotional intercultural adjustment phenomena, thereby expanding the boundaries of existing research and strengthening its potential to understand and guide international educational practices. Originality/Value: This study analyzes the changes in the research approach of emotional intercultural adjustment from a historical and macro perspective. The review proposes the importance of a holistic, time- and context-based view in understanding real-life emotional intercultural adjustment phenomena to empower international students and promote meaningful social transformation in an era of local and global uncertainties.