Impactful Factors on International Students’ Acculturation in Tehran’s Medical Sciences Universities

The internationalization of universities, student migration, and the diversity of international students from various cultures have led to elevated communication, interactions, and human commitments. This phenomenon has sparked the interest of scholars in the concept of acculturation and its social, cultural, political, and psychological impacts. The process of acculturation among international students is recognized as stress-inducing due to various factors. The interaction between these students and the host community plays a crucial role in their cross-cultural adaptation. However, limited research has explored and evaluated such interactions in the context of international students' acculturation. Therefore, the main objective of this study has been to enumerate and evaluate the influential factors affecting international students’ acculturation in the Medical Science universities of Tehran, towards facilitating living conditions and enhancing the academic performance of these students in Iran. Consequently, this research, grounded in acculturation, aims to investigate the alignment between students and the university in various dimensions as predictors of the psychological adjustment of international students in Medical Sciences universities in Tehran. The research population consisted of 56 international students enrolled in Medical Sciences universities in Tehran, who were selected using snowball sampling. To analyze the obtained data, statistical analysis was employed in conjunction with descriptive indices. The results indicated that cultural norms significantly influence the level of acculturation in these students. Additionally, the analysis revealed a significant gender difference in lifestyle factors among female and male students, which, in turn, plays a fundamental role in acculturation.