The Relationships Among Expatriates' Intrinsic Motivation, Host Country Language Proficiency, and Work Adjustment

Abstract

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With the globalization and development of international labor market, many people who go abroad to find the job opportunities on their own initiative, which is categorized as self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). The purpose of this study was to explore the intrinsic motivation and its effect on the SIEs’ work adjustment in Taiwan. Also, the present study clarified the motivation based on the intrinsic theory. Furthermore, we examined the moderating effect of the host country language proficiency on the relationship between intrinsic motivation and work adjustment. A paper-based and online survey was completed by 140 SIEs working in Taiwan at least three months and serving as white-collar workers (e.g. teacher, artist, professional technician, etc). The result showed that intrinsic motivation was positively related to the work adjustment of SIEs. Furthermore, we found that the host country language proficiency had a moderating effect on the relationship between intrinsic motivation and work adjustment.