International Journal of Sport Management

College Sports for International Students’ Acculturation: Analyzing the Mediating Effect of Team Identification Between Ethnic Identity, Openness to Diversity, and Acculturation

Kibaek Kim, Rhema Fuller

International students are considered important research populations in higher education and sports management academia. One of the many topics surrounding this population of students is analyzing their successful adaptation to their host country from their home country, namely acculturation. While previous studies found how college sports may contribute to acculturation, what leads them to follow college sports remains uncertain. Hence, this study developed a hypothesized model to find the mediating effect of college sports team identification between cultural factors and acculturation. Results revealed that while team identification significantly influenced acculturation, cultural factors did not predict team identification. This finding suggests that cultural factors alone may not sufficiently explain international students’ identification with college sports teams. Additionally, cultural factors showed different results on their significance and effect on acculturation. The study highlights the potential of college sports to foster acculturation and calls for further exploration of factors influencing sports team identification and acculturation.

Keywords: international students, cultural factors, team identification, acculturation, college
sports

Citation: Kim, K., & Fuller, R. (2025). College sports for international students’ acculturation: Analyzing the mediating effect of team identification between ethnic identity, openness to diversity, and acculturation. International Journal of Sport Management, 26(3), 245-266.

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