Impact of Social Capital on Acculturation of Pakistani Students to Chinese Culture

TAYYIBA MUSHTAQ 1 MA JIANHONG 2 TAHIR FARID 3 SADAF IQBAL 4

School of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University,Hangzhou.China.^1,2,3,4 tayyiba@zju.edu.cn

Students Tutorial & Guidance Bureau, UET Lahore, Pakistan.¹ counsellor@uet.edu.pk

Synergistic role of Social Capital in acculturation process to the host culture has been well documented. Social Capital is referred to the social support system exists in human relationships that promotes individual’s well-being. The purpose of this exploratory cross-sectional survey study was to observe the relationship between social capital and acculturation to Chinese society among Pakistani InternationalStudents. A sample of 400 students was collected from different universities of China. The Scales for Social Capital (SSC) Williams (2006) and Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) Ryder, Alden, and Paulhus (2000) with a Demographic Information Form were used in the study. Cronbach’s alpha 9.24 and 8.17 for SSC and VIA respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis （CFA）of the measurement models and a path analysis revealed direct relationships between latent variables. Findings are suggesting that by utilizing the recourses (which called Social capital) derived from old social ties from society of origin and new social ties via face-to-face and online contacts in the host county Pakistani students can better integrate to Chinese culture.

Keywords: Social capital, Acculturation, Pakistani International Students at China.