The Role of Metacognitive Cultural Intelligence in Academic Adaptation of Junior College International Students in Guangxi, China: The Mediating Effects of Academic Self-Efficacy
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Based on an integrated theoretical model, this study proposed a mediation model examining the relationships among metacognitive cultural intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and academic adaptation. A survey was administered to 412 international students from five public higher vocational colleges in Guangxi, China. After validating the measurement model using established scales, the hypothesized relationships were tested via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that metacognitive cultural intelligence is not significantly directly associated with academic adaptation, but is significantly positively associated with academic self-efficacy. Academic self-efficacy, in turn, is significantly positively associated with adaptation and fully mediates the relationship between metacognitive cultural intelligence and academic adaptation. These findings clarify an important theoretical mechanism—that metacognitive cultural intelligence supports adaptation primarily through strengthening academic self-efficacy. The study highlights the critical roles of both constructs in promoting international students’ academic adaptation, suggesting that higher vocational colleges should develop structured programs to systematically enhance students’ metacognitive cultural awareness and self-efficacy, thereby facilitating their academic integration and success.
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