Exploring knowledge of Canadian values and social axioms in international and landed immigrant students' adaptation to Canada
Date
2008
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
This thesis was an exploration of the relationship between the host cultural knowledge of newcomers and their behavioural and psychological adaptation to the host culture. Utilizing a theoretical and applied approach to this research, 160 international and landed immigrant students at the University of Saskatchewan completed a questionnaire examining their perceptions of Canadian values and social axioms. Values and social axioms are guiding principles and mediating beliefs, respectively, that individuals use to organize, understand and facilitate physical and social functionality within a culture (Schwartz, 1994; Leung et al., 2002). Despite the complexity of the research task, there was marginal support for the main hypothesis that the participants’ understanding of Canadian cultural knowledge was related to adaptation to a host culture, specifically psychological adaptation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the participants’ knowledge of Canadian values and social axioms was differentially related to psychological and behavioural adaption to Canada.
Description
Keywords
acculturation, sociocultural learning, cross-cultural training
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Psychology
Program
Psychology