Cultural Exchange and Acculturation at Confucius Institute, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

Abstract

The cross-cultural experiences of Chinese teachers and Igbo learners of Chinese at Confucius Institute (CI) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (Unizik) in Nigeria have in recent years received intense research, but only a few number of studies have considered how these teachers and students adapt to cultural exchange and acculturation strategies employed in their teaching and learning environments respectively. This study adopts Berry’s acculturation framework (1980, 1997, and 2005) to address the academic gap. The study researches the challenges perceived by both the Chinese teachers and Igbo learners of Chinese in both their teaching/learning environments, their coping strategies and their respective pattern of adaptation to cultural integration and assimilation. Findings indicated that the Chinese teachers tended to develop close contact with the host community while maintaining their original culture, adopting integration and assimilation in their acculturation modes. Also highlighted is the teacher-student bonding between the Chinese teachers and the students through personal values, cultural adjustments/shifts, socialization, building networks, etc. The pedagogical implication of the findings suggested that crosscultural communication has been enhanced between Nigeria and China through the teaching and learning of Chinese at CI in Unizik.