Abstract

The advancement of globalization and development of the Sino-African framework has increased migration of Nigerian students in search of foreign education to China. On arrival, these students are faced with very many challenges and difficulties. Cultural differences and personal adjustment problems has affected the Nigerian students language acquisition and adjustment patterns, creating an urgent need to proffer Solution to this inter cultural communication problems. This research focuses on the intercultural communication competence of Nigerian students studying at various Universities in China and explores through literature and practical research; the reason behind their lack of smooth integration within the Chinese society, the frequency of interactions with the Chinese nationals, difficulties encountered, reasons attributed to these difficulties, and the different coping method employed.

The investigative Results reveals that majority of the Nigerian students have no prior socio-cultural knowledge of the host country, and have problems in their Social, education cultural and personal adaptation patterns, which they attribute to lack of intercultural communication knowledge, culture shock, ethnocentrism, racial discrimination, differences in nonverbal communication between countries. Findings suggests the following; an Expansion & Restructuring of the Confucius Institute in Nigeria to fit the growing Chinese language population in Nigerian, need for an extensive theoretical and practical Chinese cultural studies through organization of inter and extra-curricular activities, introduction of a multi-cultural curriculum, embedment of the intercultural studies into the language curriculum, and most importantly is for orientation programs to be organized by the embassy prior to students departure.

Keywords: China; Cultural adaptation; Globalization; Intercultural communication; Nigerian students

Abbreviations: BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; GDP: Gross Domestic Product; PRC: People’s Republic of China; CSC: China Scholarship Council