This study examined the intercultural communication apprehension of university students in Japan and China, and its relationship with language competence, and self-regulation, comparing the two to those in America. A total of 614 students from Japan (N=216), China (N=215), and America (N=183) completed the questionnaire online. Our findings demonstrated that Japanese and Chinese students were higher in intercultural communication apprehension and prevention focus, while Americans were higher in promotion focus. As predicted, apart from the English language ability, self-regulatory focus explained the intercultural communication anxiety of Japanese and Chinese students. The impact of language competence on intercultural communication apprehension was mediated by promotion focus. The findings uncovered some important motivational factors with potential for mitigating the intercultural communication apprehension of students in East Asian cultures.

This paper addresses the absence of a comprehensive framework for internationalizing education in Greek universities' intercultural language policy planning (LPP). It highlights educators' pivotal role and proposes expanding intercultural competence programs based on Chen and Starosta's (2000) model. The study, involving 90 University of Patras undergraduates, utilizes the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) to reveal heightened intercultural sensitivity (IS). While indicating a positive foundation for intercultural competence, student feedback identifies areas for improvement, including self-esteem, perceptiveness, attentiveness, and adaptability. The study concludes by emphasizing the necessity of defining and applying intercultural sensitivity across diverse life domains and regions, advocating for further investigation. It also offers preliminary pedagogical insights for developing a language policy emphasizing intercultural sensitivity in Greek universities, contributing to broader education internationalization.

The development of globalization has intensified the growth of the worldwide floating population, and, in turn, diaspora studies and intercultural adaptation research have become hot research topics. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the circumstances of intercultural adaptation among Chinese people in the UK on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research suggests that the extent of intercultural adaptation among individuals is somewhat correlated with their subjective willingness, English language proficiency, and duration of residence in the host society. These factors interact with one another to influence the level of intercultural adaptation. One of the most significant sociocultural adaptation challenges faced by Chinese workers in the UK during their intercultural adaptation process is the English language barrier. Despite some Chinese workers having lived in the UK for decades, their intercultural adaptation remains at the adaptation stage, and they struggle to reach the integration stage.

This study compared the vocational identity statuses of skilled migrants who had prior educational experience in Japan to those who did not by using the Vocational Identity Status Assessment. A total of 417 former international students and 97 skilled migrant workers who had entered the Japanese labor market directly from China completed a self-report online survey. Results revealed six vocational identity statuses among the former international student group: achieved, searching moratorium, foreclosed, moratorium, diffused, and carefree diffused. Meanwhile, among the migrant worker population, only four vocational identity statuses were discernible: achieved, foreclosed, moratorium, and diffused. The findings also showed variations in the relationships between the vocational identity development and career outcomes, such as job performance, career satisfaction, and intention to leave the organization, between the two samples. Therefore, this is the first study to assess how prior educational experience in the host country could influence the skilled migrants’ vocational identity development.