Cultural Intelligence as a Congruent to Cross- cultural Adjustment, Decision Making Styles and Academic Achievement: A Triangulation Study of Foreign Students in Punjab

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of cultural intelligence with different variables i.e. cross-cultural adjustment, decision making styles and academic achievement of foreign students studying in Punjab. The data were collected from six universities of Punjab with two major considerations i.e. the universities where foreign students were available and the universities who gave their consent for data collection. Convergent parallel design of mixed method research was applied and both qualitative as well as qualitative data were collected simultaneously from foreign students, their Indian peers and teachers. The quantitative data were collected from 350 foreign students with reference to their proportional representation in the selected universities. To obtain the comprehensive information, case studies of 22 foreign students were also conducted. The results of the study revealed that foreign students studying in Punjab have average level of cultural intelligence, cross-cultural adjustment and academic achievement. It was also found that there exists no significant difference in the cultural intelligence, cross cultural adjustment, academic achievement and decision-making styles of foreign students studying in Punjab with respect to gender. Both the quantitative as well as qualitative findings of the study revealed that cultural intelligence of foreign students studying in Punjab is significantly related with their cross-cultural adjustment, academic achievement and decision-making styles.