The Dynamics between Immigrant Students Intercultural Competence/Adaptation and Language Learning of Chinese Immigrant Students: A Case Study

As a part of the immigrant population, the number of English language learners (ELLs) has steadily increased in United States (U.S.) schools. Most of these young immigrants who come to the U.S. with their parents are not prepared linguistically and culturally for the new culture and new school system. Consequently, many of these students arrive as non-English or limited English speakers. Along with the language barriers, immigrant children face issues of cultural adjustment in schools. Low language proficiency and lack of intercultural adaptation strategies can create difficulties that could impact immigrant students' academic learning, leading to low performance and low achievement. This study examines the dynamics of the relationship between first generation Chinese students' intercultural competence/adaptability and English language learning.