Thai-Chinese Cultural Differences: An Empirical Study on How Cultural Intelligence and Gender May Affect the Subjective Well-Being of Chinese Students Enrolled at Thai Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of cultural intelligence and gender on the subjective well-being of Chinese students enrolled in Thai universities. It first focuses on the cultural dimensions that differentiate Thai from Chinese culture and then considers the dimensions of cultural intelligence (CQ), which includes metacognitive, motivational, behavioral, and cognitive CQ, and gender. The study uses a mixed methodology. Open interviews were conducted with 6 students with more than two years of cross-cultural experience. As part of the qualitative approach, 237 questionnaires were filled in by Chinese students from a private university in Thailand. It was found that 31.6 percent of the students surveyed frequently feel anxious, sad, or dissatisfied with the quality of their cross-cultural lives. Motivational CQ (β = .174, p < .05) and metacognitive CQ (β =.217, p < .05) were found to be positively related to subjective well-being. However, cognitive and behavioral CQ as well as gender were not significantly correlated with subjective well-being. This study could be used by educational institutions to set up programs designed to enhance student cultural intelligence.