Collective Self-Esteem and Intercultural Engagement Among Chinese and Canadian Students at Canadian Universities

• In Event: Engagement in Higher Education

Abstract

This explanatory mixed-method study focused on the collective self-esteem and intercultural engagement of Chinese and Canadian students in English-language Canadian universities. An online survey of 28 Chinese and 22 Canadian students revealed three significant quantitative results: 1) belonging to their cultural group was more important for self-image for Chinese than Canadian students; 2) Chinese students had more social awareness than Canadians in multicultural contexts; however 3) Canadian students were more willing to engage in intercultural dialog than were Chinese students. Qualitative analysis of interviews with four Chinese and three Canadian students revealed that Chinese students’ self-segregation, perception of unwillingness by host students, threats posed to identity, and a different sense of community best explained the quantitative results.

Authors

• Meiting Chen, McGill University

• Michael Lindsley Hoover, McGill University