Comparisons of Chinese and European American College Students on Individual Differences Variables Hypothesized to Predict Self-Reported Interpersonal Competency
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Comparisons of Chinese and European American College Students on Individual Differences Variables Hypothesized to Predict Self-reported Interpersonal Competency A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Shuangmei Zhou (Christine) IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Jo-Ida C. Hansen, Advisor December 2008 © Shuangmei Zhou 2008 i Acknowledgements This dissertation could not have been written without Dr. Jo-Ida C. Hansen who has provided support and guidance as my academic advisor throughout my graduate education at University of Minnesota. I also want to express my gratitude towards Dr. Harriet C. Haynes, Dr. Darwin D. Hendel and Dr. David J. Weiss, who kindly agreed to serve on my dissertation committee and provided me with encouragement and valuable feedback throughout the process. I feel grateful to have love and support from my friends and families here in the United States, in China and throughout the world. Especially, I will not forget the stimulating conversations on cross-cultural research with Jenny Su, my dear friend from graduate school, which sparked my interests in this dissertation project. I am grateful to have Mike Sacken, who has been always the first audience to read my draft and provided me with continuous feedback and encouragement. This project could not have been accomplished without his faith and belief in me. At last, I am grateful to have my parents to come to visit me at Berkeley from China during this last stage of my dissertation project after me being in the United States for eight years. ii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to those who fight to bridge the gap of misunderstandings all over the world. iii Abstract With the increasing economic development, more and more Westerners have opportunities to travel, study and work in China, which raises interesting questions regarding their abilities to establish interpersonal relationships with Chinese nationals. Previous research on cross-cultural adjustment speaks to the importance of effective interpersonal relationship with host nationals on the overall adjustment for expatriates. Efforts have been made to search for useful predictors that contribute to a successful adjustment process but the evidence is far from conclusive. The current study is designed to address some of the gaps in the literature by applying constructs such as naïve dialecticism, sense of self and indigenous Chinese personality traits, such as Interpersonal Relatedness, to investigate cross-cultural differences in establishing effective interpersonal relationships among Chinese and European American College Students. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated individually for both samples. Multiple regression for moderator analysis and Fisher’s Z transformation were used to compare the differences in strengths of correlation coefficients for two samples. Results, limitations and directions for future research were discussed. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction and Review of the Literature .....................................................1 Overview of Expatriates ....................................................................................................1 Theoretical Model for Adjustment ....................................................................................2 Theoretical Models on Cross-Cultural Adjustment ..........................................................4 Importance of Interpersonal Relationship on Cross-Cultural Adjustment .......................6 Interpersonal Aspects of Job Performance within the United States .............................10 Level of Cultural Differences ..........................................................................................14 Eastern and Western Cultures .........................................................................................15 Cognitive Styles and Interpersonal Orientations as Potential Predictors ......................18 Naïve Dialecticism ...................................................................................................18 Principle of Change ................................................................................................21 Principle of Contradiction .......................................................................................26 Principle of Holism ..................................................................................................28 Self-Construal (independent vs. interdependent) ............................................................30 Collectivism and Individualism .......................................................................................33 Personality as Potential Predictor ..................................................................................34 Personality as Potential Predictor for Cross-Cultural Adjustment ..............................34 Personality as Potential Predictor for Contextual Performance ..................................37 v Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory: the Missing Link on Interpersonal Relationship ...................................................................................................................39 The Present Study ............................................................................................................43 Study Hypothesis ...........................................................................................................45 Chapter 2: Method .........................................................................................................47 Participants .....................................................................................................................47 Materials and Procedure ................................................................................................51 Measures ......................................................................................................................52 Biographical Form ...................................................................................................52 Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire-Revised (ICQ) .......................................53 Dialectic Self Scale (DSS) ........................................................................................55 Interpersonal Personality Item Pool (IPIP) .............................................................56 Cross-Cultural/Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) ........................57 Self-Construal Scale (SCS) ......................................................................................60 Analyses ...........................................................................................................................62 Fisher’s Z Transformation to Compare Strengths of Correlation Coefficients .......62 Multiple Regression for Moderator Analysis ...........................................................64 Chapter 3: Results ..........................................................................................................67 Factor Analysis ........................................................................................................67 vi Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................................69 Pearson Correlations ...............................................................................................73 Fisher’s Z Transformation .......................................................................................75 Moderator Analysis ...................................................................................................78 Chapter 4: Discussion ....................................................................................................96 Major Findings ................................................................................................................96 Hypotheses ......................................................................................................................96 Limitations .....................................................................................................................107 Implications and Suggestions for Future Research .......................................................111 Chapter 5: Summary ....................................................................................................114 Tables ...........................................................................................................................122 References ....................................................................................................................141 Appendix A: Measurement Scales – English Version .................................................155 Appendix B: Measurement Scales – Chinese Version .................................................168 Appendix C: Factor Analysis Results ............................................................................183 vii List of Tables Table 1: Description of Demographic Characteristics for the Chinese and European American Students Samples ...........................................................................................122 Table 2: Correlation Matrix of all control variables and the outcome variable of interpersonal competency (ICQ) for the combined sample ...........................................123 Table 3: Correlation Matrix of all predictor variables and the outcome variable of interpersonal