Adaptation of International Students in Japan: The Cultural Fit of Control Orientation

This study aimed to explore the role of cultural fit for the adaptation of international students in Japan. The concept of cultural fit (Ward & Chang, 1997) suggests that resembling the host culture in certain characteristics is advantageous for sojourners’ cross-cultural adaptation. It was assumed that secondary-primary control orientation is one such characteristic of importance for adaptation in Japan: Secondary control, i.e., the ability to adjust one’s needs and to accept circumstances (Morling & Evered, 2006), is highly valued in Japan, whereas exercising primary control over the environment is less valued. Therefore, it was predicted that international students who are in line with the Japanese preferences for control orientation would show higher levels of psychological adjustment and sociocultural adaptation. Participants (N = 92) completed an online questionnaire including measures of global and situational control orientation, socio-cultural adaptation, and psychological adjustment (depression, subjective well-being, positive and negative affect). Cultural fit of global control orientation was determined for each participant by calculating absolute differences between the participant’s global control scores and the respective mean values from a previously assessed Japanese sample. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, contrary to the hypothesis, a better cultural fit of global control orientation was significantly associated with less psychological adjustment. Likewise, primary situational control was associated with better, and not less, sociocultural adaptation. Post-hoc analyses pointed to possible differences between international students from collectivist and individualist cultural contexts. Results and their implications for future research within a cultural fit model are discussed from a culture-informed perspective of sojourner acculturation.