Table Tennis as a Low-Threshold Medium for Intercultural Contact ——A Review of the Psychological and Social Mechanisms of International Students' Sport Participation

Xiong Xulei

Sichuan Technology and Business University

Abstract：

International students often face social and psychological challenges when they enter a new educational environment. Recent research shows that social support, campus belonging, and meaningful contact with local peers can support adjustment, while sport can provide a shared activity in which such contact may develop. Table tennis may be useful in this setting because a game needs few participants, gives constant face-to-face feedback, and can be organized with limited space and equipment. This review brings together evidence published from 2020 to 2026 on table tennis psychology, university physical activity, and international student adaptation, and it proposes a cautious psychological-social framework rather than a proven causal model. The available evidence suggests that motivation and self-efficacy may support continued participation, repeated play may support peer contact, and stronger social ties may contribute to belonging and wider sociocultural adjustment; however, direct studies of table tennis among international students remain scarce.

Key Words：

table tennis; sport psychology; international students; intercultural contact; self-efficacy; social support; sociocultural adaptation