Causal Attribution in Culture Learning: a Case of Chinese Students in Russia

A number of Chinese students coming to Russia is growing rapidly. Many theories argue that Russian and Chinese cultures differ significantly in some dimensions. Such differences might lead to various misunderstandings among sojourners. Culture learning allows sojourners to achieve second-culture competence and avoid cross-cultural confusions and misunderstandings. There is a lack of studies dedicated to Chinese students learning Russian culture. Our study aims to examine attributions of Russian behavior made by Chinese students. The study answers the research question: do Chinese students’ attributions of Russian behavior change during culture learning process? The results show that attributions made by students staying in Russia for 3 months differ significantly from attributions made by students staying in Russia for 7 months. The second group managed to made more isomorphic attributions comparing with the first one. The factors facilitating culture learning and practical implications are discussed.