《中國學生跨國學習經歷研究：以中英合作辦學項目為例》：
　　Understanding the process of transition to higher education requires an examination from a multidisciplinary perspective （ Goldrick-Rab， Carter and Wagner，2007 ：2470） . Transition in higher education which involves academic and social integration into the university culture is a significant period for students' success all through their university life. Transition and retention are closely related （ Yorke and Longden，2007 ） . Academic and social integration are vital to survival for new students（ Billing，1997：132）. Support has been highlighted relating to positive transitions in the first year university context （ Ramsay， Jones and Barker， 2007： 248 ）. Rather than identifying the difficulties and challenges students will come across，recent research in this area has focused on social and academic support to facilitate students' transition.As argued in the previous sections，transition is a complex issue. Experiences vary across different individuals and successful transition needs a supportive environment. From contextual perspective，situational factors such as social support and formative assessment have been linked closely to the development of supportive environments for students under transition. 3.5.1 Support from ConationaI，Host Natlonal and Other Natlonal Groups
　　Social support has been related to a lower level of acculturative stress （ Duru and Poyrazli， 2007; Lee， Koeske and Sales， 2004; Yeh and Inose， 2003 ）. Adelman（ 1988） argues that social support can help sojourners to cope with uncertainty and enhance perceived mastery and control. Berry et al. （ 1987） ，Searle and Ward （ 1990 ：451） and Tsang（ 2001 ：365 ） consider social support as a buffer against acculturative stress. This has been verified by Lee， Koeske and Sales （ 2004：399） who report that students with high levels of social support were significantly less likely to report symptoms with increasing levels of acculturative stress. Ye （ 2006：12） also found that international students who are more satisfied with their interpersonal support network are more likely to suffer less from acculturative stress.
　　Bochner（1982：30） has found that the peer group is import，ant in the academic sojourn，and exerts a major influence on the cultural orientation of the students. He and his colleges have conducted a series of studies to explore the social networks of international students' friendship patterns. They have identified three kinds of social networks that international students belong to. The primary conational network is mon，oculture and provides a place for international students to rehearse and express their ethnic and cultural values. The compatriot group was found to be the most important social network of sojourning overseas students. The secondary network of these students is bicultural，and consists of bonds with host nationals and will ~ instrumentally facilitate the academic and professional aspirations of the sojourner' （ Bochner， 1982：31）. Academics，landlords，student advisers and government officials are also put into this category （ Furnham and Bochner，1982：173）. The third network is the multicultural circle of friends and acquaintances of international students;which provides6 companionship for recreational，non-culture and nontask oriented activities' （ibid.）. It is predicted that appropriate host culture friends will help sojourners learn the skills of host culture more easily than those whose friends are all compatriots （ Furnham and Bochner，1982 ：174 ） . Ward and Kennedy（ 1994 ：333 ） examined Berry's four modes of acculturation in relation to the two adjustive outcomes of sojourners： psychological and sociocultural adaptations. The results revealed that sojourners with strong host national identification experienced less sociocultural adjustment difficulties， while those with strong co-national identification experienced less psychological adjustment problems. Separation was associated with the greatest level of social difficulty and integrated subjects experienced less depression than assimilated ones（ibid.） . Kashima and Loh（ 2006 ：471） have verified that students with more international ties were better adjusted in general.
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