Acculturation orientations and Chinese student Sojourners’ career adaptability: The roles of career exploration and cultural distance

Drawing on career construction theory and Berry's acculturation model, this study examined how student sojourners’ acculturation orientations predicted their career exploration and career adaptability. We conducted a survey study among Chinese student sojourners (N = 222) and the results showed that after the effects of big-five personality and approach/avoidance traits were controlled, both host culture orientation and home culture orientation had positive indirect effects on career adaptability through the mediation of career environmental exploration, but not self-exploration. In addition, cultural distance was revealed as a significant moderator on the effect of host culture orientation such that the relationship between host culture orientation and environmental exploration was only significant when the cultural distance between host country and home country was higher. The corresponding moderated mediation model was also supported such that the indirect effect of host culture orientation on career adaptability through career exploration was only significant when the cultural distance was higher. These findings carry implications for research on acculturation and career development.