Behavioral cultural intelligence's role in academic adaptation: mediation by academic self-efficacy using PLS-SEM.

• This study developed a mediation model consisting of behavioral cultural intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and academic adaptation. • Behavioral cultural intelligence significantly influences academic self-efficacy and academic adaptation. • Academic self-efficacy significantly influences academic adaptation. • Academic self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between behavioral cultural intelligence and academic adaptation. • These findings emphasized the crucial roles of behavioral cultural intelligence and academic self-efficacy in facilitating academic adaptation for junior college international students, suggesting that educational institutions should recognize and nurture these attributes for enhanced academic experiences. This study developed a mediation model consisting of behavioral cultural intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and academic adaptation. With the subscale of the Cultural Intelligence Scale, the Academic Adjustment Scale, and the General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, a questionnaire survey was conducted among a sample of 412 international students at 5 public higher vocational colleges in Guangxi, China. The statistical technique of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed in the software SmartPLS 4.0 to examine the hypothesized relationships among the targeted variables. Results indicated that behavioral cultural intelligence significantly influences academic self-efficacy and academic adaptation. Moreover, academic self-efficacy significantly influences academic adaptation. Notably, academic self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between behavioral cultural intelligence and academic adaptation. These findings emphasized the crucial roles of behavioral cultural intelligence and academic self-efficacy in facilitating academic adaptation for junior college international students, suggesting that educational institutions should recognize and nurture these attributes for enhanced academic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]