Exploring the effects of music-supported cultural adaptation activities on international students’ sociocultural adaptation and wellbeing: a pilot study

Description

Erkan Sulun and colleagues published a 2026 pilot study of a five-week program using music to ease cultural adaptation for international students in Northern Cyprus. Studying abroad often brings culture stress that undermines social adjustment and wellbeing. Ten students took part in music-supported cultural activities, completing standard scales for cultural adjustment and wellbeing before and after, and keeping reflective journals alongside.

Scores improved significantly on overall adaptation, with the clearest gains in communication and fitting into the local environment. Wellbeing scales rose as well, including emotional and social scores. The authors are explicit about the limits: with ten students, no control group, and a single-group design, the gains cannot be credited to the music activities alone. They present the program as a promising candidate for larger controlled studies, and the journals as useful context for what students themselves felt changed during the five weeks.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13279408