Language and communication in international students’ adaptation: a bibliometric and content analysis review

This article systematically reviews the literature (313 articles) on language and communication in international students’ cross-cultural adaptation in institutions of higher education for 1994–2021. We used bibliometric analysis to identify the most impactful journals and articles, and the intellectual structure of the field. We used content analysis to synthesize the results within each research stream and suggest future research directions. We established two major research streams: second-language proficiency and interactions in the host country. We found inconclusive results about the role of communication with co-nationals in students’ adaptation, which contradicts the major adaptation theories. New contextualized research and the use of other theories could help explain the contradictory results and develop the existing theories. Our review suggests the need to theoretically refine the interrelationships between the interactional variables and different adaptation domains. Moreover, to create a better fit between the empirical data and the adaptation models, research should test the mediating effects of second-language proficiency and the willingness to communicate with locals. Finally, research should focus on students in non-Anglophone countries and explore the effects of remote communication in online learning on students’ adaptation. We document the intellectual structure of the research on the role of language and communication in international students’ adaptation and suggest a future research agenda.publishedVersio

Analiza fasetowa tekstów prasowych jako metoda rekonstrukcji sposobów profilowania zdarzeń globalnych (na przykładzie polskich i amerykańskich wiadomości dotyczących operacji „Świt Odysei” w Libii)

Facet analysis of press texts as the method for reconstructing the ways of profiling global events (on the basis of the Polish and American news on operation ‘Odyssey Dawn’ in Libya) The “text – reality” relation in the process of creating media reality was studied on the basis of the linguistic material excerpted from the press. The ways of profi ling events and evaluating participants of these events made the object of our research. The textual profi ling of the ‘Odyssey Dawn’ operation, by chosen Polish and American dailies, was discussed. Gazeta Wyborcza presented not only the role of the USA as a coalition leader, but also stressed the important role of France and Britain in the operation, additionally offering the Arab point of view. Rzeczpospolita presented a large number of negative opinions of the opponents of the operation. The Washington Post showed a considerable interest in the role of the USA in the conflict and also in the reaction of the Arab world. On that basis, a polarization of participants emerged: the West world vs. the Arab world. In the Washington Times the main emphasis was put on the American viewpoint, and the standpoints of other coalition members appeared to be of marginal importance. The quantitative axiological analysis of the participants of the event showed that the evaluating opinions were negative in majority. Conservative dailies focus on the negative aspects of participants whereas the liberal ones counterbalance them with positive opinion

Intercultural communication studies : past paradigms and future research

W artykule zaprezentowano przegląd badań z zakresu komunikacji międzykulturowej, opublikowanych w czasopismach naukowych w ostatniej dekadzie. Dodatkowo wprowadzono podejście jakościowe do badania kulturowych doświadczeń i procesów uczenia się w kontekście organizacyjnym, określane w literaturze jako badanie narracyjne. Proponujemy, by podejście narracyjne zostało wykorzystane w badaniach nad komunikacją międzykulturową, gdyż oferuje narzędzia dające dostęp do sposobów, w jakie uczestnicy komunikacji opowiadają o swoich międzykulturowych doświadczeniach, do refleksji na ich temat, więc metoda narracyjna umożliwia ich głębsze zrozumienie. Proces opowiadania historii daje narratorowi okazję (a) na nowo przeżyć (między)kulturowe doświadczenia, (b) nadać znaczenie tym doświadczeniom, a także (c) zrozumieć obecne i przeszłe potrzeby psychologiczne, sposoby postrzegania siebie i odmiennych kulturowo osób, jak również oczekiwania względem kontaktów z nimi. Analiza opowieści o ważnych z punktu widzenia narratora doświadczeniach kulturowych pozwala badaczowi uzyskać lepszy wgląd w proces komunikacji międzykulturowej, a narratorowi daje szansę zrozumienia przeszłych doświadczeń, konstruowania własnej tożsamości i wzmocnienia procesu kulturowego uczenia się.The article gives an overview of past and present intercultural communication studies based on a review of journal articles from the last decade. It also introduces a qualitative approach to studying cultural encounters and learning processes in organizations through narrative inquiry and narrative analysis. We propose that this narrative approach should be moved closer to the intercultural communication realm because it may serve as a tool for getting access to and achieving an understanding of how culturally diverse individuals tell about and reflect upon cultural encounters. The process of storytelling allows narrators to (a) re-experience and reflect on their (inter)cultural encounters, (b) give sense to those experiences, and (c) make sense of their current and previous psychological needs, perceptions of and expectations toward contacts with cultural Others. Analysis of stories about critical cultural encounters in a specific context allows the researcher to gain deeper insight into the process of intercultural communication whereby individuals make sense of challenging cultural experiences and construct their identity and potentially engage in cultural learning processes

Assessment of the Current Potential of Hydropower for Water Damming in Poland in the Context of Energy Transformation

This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower in the East European Region: Challenges and OpportunitiesThe present paper indicates that hydropower, including small hydropower plants (SHPs), may play a very important role in Poland’s energy transformation in the near future. The development of SHPs may also increase water resources in the steppe Poland. Additionally, the aim of the present research is to conduct the PEST analysis of SHPs in Poland, taking into account the SHP potential. For the first time, maps showing the power and location of potential SHPs on the existing dams in Poland are presented. SHPs should be an important element of energy transition in Poland, especially on a local scale—it is stable energy production. Our analysis shows that there are 16,185 such dams in Poland, while the total capacity of potential hydropower plants in Poland would be 523.6 MW, and the total number of new jobs is estimated at 524. It was calculated that the annual avoided carbon dioxide emissions will amount to 4.4 million tons, which will reduce Poland’s emissions by 1.4%. The construction of SHPs can bring significant environmental and economic benefits. As far as the PEST analysis is concerned, the political environment of SHPs in Poland can be described as unfavorable (2.86 points). The economical nature of PEST analysis (3.86 points) should be considered as friendly for the development of SHPs. The social nature of PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.36 points). The technological nature of the PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.21 points)

Cultural novelty and international students’ experience: a five-country study

Research has linked cultural differences between a sojourner’s home and host country with their cultural transformation. Nonetheless, the results of empirical studies are inconclusive due to different operationalizations of cultural differences and testing among different groups of sojourners. We extend previous investigations by examining the effects of cultural novelty (i.e., the subjective perception of cultural differences) on the experience of international students (N = 1114) in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the USA. Drawing on acculturation and social learning theories, we conceptualized a model of students’ adjustment and satisfaction taking into account cultural novelty. We tested the model through multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) and examined the various relationships across subsamples from all five countries. We determined the significant effects of cultural novelty and a range of factors impacting students’ intercultural experience, such as their cultural intelligence, cultural background, second-language skills, time in the host country, and socialization with domestic students, and how the effects may vary by the host country. We discuss implications for future research and practice

Comparison of reorganized versus unaltered cardiology departments during the COVID-19 era: a subanalysis of the COV-HF-SIRIO 6 study

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous cardiology departments were reorganized to provide care for COVID-19 patients. We aimed to compare the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and in-hospital mortality in reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments. Methods: The present subanalysis is a multicenter retrospective COV-HF-SIRIO 6 study that includes all patients (n = 101,433) hospitalized in 24 cardiology departments in Poland between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020, with a focus on patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Results: Reduction of all-cause hospitalizations was 50.6% vs. 21.3% for reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments in 2020 vs. 2019, respectively (p < 0.0001). Considering AHF alone respective reductions by 46.5% and 15.2% were registered (p < 0.0001). A higher percentage of patients was brought in by ambulance to reorganized vs. unaltered cardiology departments (51.7% vs. 34.6%; p < 0.0001) alongside with a lower rate of self-referrals (45.7% vs. 58.4%; p < 0.0001). The rate of all-cause in-hospital mortality in AHF patients was higher in reorganized than unaltered cardiology departments (10.9% vs. 6.4%; p < 0.0001). After the exclusion of patients with concomitant COVID-19, the mortality rates did not differ significantly (6.9% vs. 6.4%; p = 0.55). Conclusions: In cardiology departments reorganized to provide care for COVID-19 patients vs. unaltered ones, observed: i) a greater reduction in hospital admissions in 2020 vs. 2019; ii) higher rates of patients brought by ambulance and lower rates of self-referrals; and iii) higher all-cause in-hospital mortality for AHF due to COVID-19 related deaths

The Role of Cultural Diversity in Business Communication Contacts

This paper discusses the involvement of cultural factors in the process of effective intercultural communication in a business environment. In order to do so, I shall discuss the basic issues concerning culture as a pattern of interactional behaviors, investigating intercultural communication practices as a means to reveal such patterns, communication as a process of activating cultural meanings, intercultural communication in the context of multinational management, and its challenges, strategies and significance for negotiation and decision-making processes. Moreover, the results of my research into the interconnection between belonging to a specific cultural background and respecting cultural values of co-workers and managers’ attitudes towards cultural diversity at work will be shown

Communications Audit in Measuring the Effectiveness of Communication Strategies in Companies

Artykuł przedstawia rolę audytu komunikacyjnego w diagnozowaniu polityki komunikacyjnej przedsiębiorstwa. W tym celu są wyeksplikowane takie pojęcia i ich teoretyczne implikacje dla podjętego zagadnienia, jak komunikacja w przedsiębiorstwach, strategia komunikacyjna, audyt komunikacyjny i przedmioty jego zainteresowania, metody i procedury zalecane w trak- cie przeprowadzania audytu, a także ważniejsze problemy ujawniane w procesie audytowania. Odpowiednia diagnoza i wiedza nt. wad w strategii komunikacyjnej przedsiębiorstwa stanowią warunek konieczny do planowania takiej strategii komunikacyjnej, która będzie znana pra- cownikom przedsiębiorstwa i przez nich wspierana w taki sposób, aby można było usprawnić przepływ informacji wewnątrz firmy.The article presents the role a communications audit plays in diagnosing the current efficacy of a communication policy implemented in a company. To do so, such concepts as well as their theoretical implications are explicated as: corporate communications, communication strategy, communications audit and its subjects of interest, methods and procedures recommended for conducting a communications audit, and major problems revealed in the auditing process. The right diagnosis and knowledge of existing drawbacks in company’s communication strategy is an absolute prerequisite for designing such a strategy which will be known to the employees and supported by them, so that information in the company can be improved

Analiza fasetowa tekstów prasowych jako metoda rekonstrukcji sposobów profilowania zdarzeń globalnych (na przykładzie polskich i amerykańskich wiadomości dotyczących operacji „Świt Odysei” w Libii)

Facet analysis of press texts as the method for reconstructing the ways of profiling global events (on the basis of the Polish and American news on operation ‘Odyssey Dawn’ in Libya) The “text – reality” relation in the process of creating media reality was studied on the basis of the linguistic material excerpted from the press. The ways of profi ling events and evaluating participants of these events made the object of our research. The textual profi ling of the ‘Odyssey Dawn’ operation, by chosen Polish and American dailies, was discussed. Gazeta Wyborcza presented not only the role of the USA as a coalition leader, but also stressed the important role of France and Britain in the operation, additionally offering the Arab point of view. Rzeczpospolita presented a large number of negative opinions of the opponents of the operation. The Washington Post showed a considerable interest in the role of the USA in the conflict and also in the reaction of the Arab world. On that basis, a polarization of participants emerged: the West world vs. the Arab world. In the Washington Times the main emphasis was put on the American viewpoint, and the standpoints of other coalition members appeared to be of marginal importance. The quantitative axiological analysis of the participants of the event showed that the evaluating opinions were negative in majority. Conservative dailies focus on the negative aspects of participants whereas the liberal ones counterbalance them with positive opinion