THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STYLES OF THOUGHT AND THE LEVEL OF ADJUSTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN ANDALUSIA

Introduction:
The Erasmus Programme (acronym of European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a student exchange programme that supports and facilitates the academic mobility of university students and professors within the member countries of the EU and other partner countries (Switzerland and Turkey). It is included into the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and provided opportunities for close to 3 million students between 1987-2013 (230,000 students benefitted on an annual basis, 300,000 teachers and staff in higher education, 4,000 institutions and 33 countries participating).
One of the elements of the international exchange experience that is considered most valuable is the change and adaptation of the person to a different cultural context.
Some academics who have analyzed this issue point out that the experience of studying for a season in a different country is an enriching experience that substantially improves personal maturity and increases the professional growth of students, opening their minds to new experiences and possibilities.
An interesting question that has been little analyzed so far is the relationship between the thinking styles of the international students and their capacities and levels of adjustment to the cultural context where they develop the experience of academic exchange.

Objectives:
This work aims to analyze the relationship between the thinking styles and the levels of adjustment to the cultural context in a sample of international university students in Andalucia.
In this way, some thinking styles may be related to higher degrees of adaptation than others.

Methodology:
To analyze the thinking styles we have used Linear and Non-Linear Thinking Styles questionnaire (40 items) prepared by Groves and Vance (2014), that includes of eight different Thinking Styles (Linear, Creative, Values-Centered, Imaginative, Flexible, Insightful, and Emotional Thinking).
On the other hand, to analyze the degree of cultural adaptation, a questionnaire has been constructed based on three different complementary scales: psychological adaptation (9 items), social adaptation (22 items), and specific adaptation (14 items).
The questionnaire was completed by 97 undergraduate students during their international exchange experiences in Andalusia.

Results:
We have determined the profile of the eight Thinking Styles as well as the levels of psychological, social and specific adaptation of each international student.
We then segmented the students into three groups, considering the level of adaptation. Finally, we have analyzed the existence of statistically significant differences of the Thinking Styles between the three groups according to the level of adaptation.

Conclusions:
The results confirm, on the one hand, the existence of some Thinking Styles associated with high levels of adaptation and others associated with medium levels of adaptation.
We have also been able to point out the variables (items) that, in this sample of international students, have more strength representing each type of adaptation.