When I began to do this project,it quickly became evident to me and my Chinese peers that adapting to life in London, particularly during the initial stages of our relocation, presented significant challenges. These difficulties spanned various domains, including academic pursuits, engaging in casual conversations, email correspondence, job hunting, and more. In the midst of my own quest for an internship in London, discussions with friends who had extensive experience studying there underscored the critical importance of fluency in English for both job acquisition and professional success. This realization led me to formulate my initial research question:
HOW TO HELP CHINESE STUDENTS, WHO ARE NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS, IN OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER WHEN SEEKING EMPLOYMENT AND NAVIGATING AN ALL-ENGLISH WORK ENVIRONMENT?
Then I got feedback from Diana:
1.LACK OF DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION. 2.LACK OF ACCURACY OF WORDING
During the summer, I engaged with individuals from my target demographic and discovered that those grappling with these issues also faced significant hurdles in adapting to life in London upon their arrival. My first initiative focused on language, but the outcome suggested that language acquisition largely depends on personal effort. Consequently, I refined my question:
How to help Chinese people newly living in London adapt to life here in a short period of time?
After I did more research I tried to change the question more accurately. So I got my final research question:
HOW CAN WE HELP CHINESE NEW SOJOURNERS ACHIEVE CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION IN LONDON?
Description of this question：
Chinese sojourners in London: Chinese individuals who reside temporarily in London, encompassing a diverse group such as business professionals, students, technical experts, diplomats, and travellers. These individuals face the challenges of adapting across cultures.
Achieve cross-culture adaption: Include two aspects (Psychological Adaptation: Rooted in emotional response, it pertains to mental well-being and life satisfaction when immersed in a new culture. If a sojourner experiences minimal negative feelings, such as depression, anxiety, or homesickness, they’re considered to have achieved psychological adaptation. Sociocultural Adaptation: This pertains to one’s ability to fit into the local social and cultural environment and to effectively interact with locals. Including knowing basic knowledge (shopping, transportation, accommodation guides, etc.), policy and regulations, security, ways to handle emergencies, language improvement, major events, social events etc.