International experiences and the development of intercultural sensitivity among university students

International cultural immersion experiences are deemed one of the most effective ways to prepare multicultural and global citizens. The purpose of the study was to determine: (1) first-year and final-year university students’ levels of Intercultural Sensitivity (henceforth IS); (2) if there was a relationship between IS and experiences of intercultural contact; and (3) the variables that might predict the development of IS. A longitudinal method and a correlational-predictive design was used. The sample comprised 1645 (52.5% women and 47.5% men) undergraduate students from 8 public universities and one private university in Andalusia (Spain) with a mean age of 23.29 (SD = 4.99). The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) was used to measure IS, and the Intercultural Experiences Inventory (IEI) was administered to explore students' intercultural experiences. Findings highlighted that there is little change in the IDI scores among first-year and final-year students, and most students were found to be in the intermediate stages of intercultural development (the minimization stage according to Bennett’s model, characterized by the widespread belief that everyone is quite similar). The lack of development found in the students’ IS could have something to do with the lack of opportunity to reflect and think about cultural differences. Positive correlations were found between IS and mobility experiences and intercultural friendships, and negative correlations were found with the number of intercultural interactions and language knowledge. Having mobility experiences, being female, and having friends from other cultures were predictive variables of IS. Finally, the educational implications are discussed.

Fostering Cultural Awareness Through Storytelling at a Multilingual Primary School

This chapter is a contribution to teacher education and teacher development studies in the field of plurilingualism and intercultural development through critical reflection. It presents a teaching proposal based on the use of a multimodal literary text for the promotion of intercultural awareness and translanguaging practices at its heart. The teaching proposal, which was implemented in a primary education class from a multilingual school in Catalonia in 2015, was designed ad hoc on the basis of relevant research works on TLA, plurilingualism, and intercultural awareness, and in the light of the interviews conducted before and after the implementation in the workfield. The study was carried out in an English as an additive language class to look into the teaching opportunities of storytelling and picture books to foster interculturality and effective language learning practices with a communicative approach.

Sustainable Socio-Intercultural Development

This chapter has the objective to explain and analyze the issues, problems, concerns, and tendencies related to the sustainable socio-intercultural development. The analysis departs from the assumption that the nature of a sustainable socio-intercultural development system should be based on the common socio-cultural values and public understanding to strengthen the sustaining practices of governance. The method employed is the reflective approach based on an analytical review of the theoretical literature and empirically derived current practices in communities, governments, and organizations. The analysis concludes that the implementation of a sustainable socio-intercultural socioeconomic and environmental development needs to be supported by a well-designed institutional governance. To achieve this, a commitment on the practice of effective community economic growth and socio-environmental sustainable development is required.

Intercultural Development Among Music Students and Teachers: A Literature Review

In a diverse society, it is crucial to transform one’s attitudes from ethnocentric to ethnorelative to deeply engage in, negotiate, and reconcile various cultural manifestations. Using the umbrella term of intercultural development, I reviewed empirical studies of cross-cultural endeavors, contexts, and outcomes among music students and teachers in K–12 and higher education settings. Intercultural development takes place in various contexts, including classroom projects, university partnerships, service learning, and professional development. According to the literature, music students and teachers working in intercultural settings have elicited learning outcomes related to their intercultural development. The outcomes included intercultural competence and sensitivity, musical and pedagogical understanding, and critical awareness of power dynamics. Based on the literature review, I provide implications for intercultural development in music teaching and learning, and suggest future research directions for scholars.

Preparing Business Students for the World of Work—Games for Intercultural Skill Development

Most work environments today are diverse—gender, age, culture, language, values, ethnicity. Businesses are also increasing their global presence with branches in international locations and daily interactions across countries and cultures, all made easier through technological advances. Business education must be at the forefront in preparing students to work effectively in these contexts, and in particular, help future managers develop the skills to establish high performing diverse teams within and across organizations. A number of pedagogical approaches can be implemented in business courses to help students develop intercultural competencies. Three games for engaging students in the recognition and appreciation of cultural differences are described in this article. Ideas for debriefing are provided as well as for analyzing learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to share strategies and approaches for implementing intercultural development pedagogies and measuring their effectiveness.

The Proximal Zone of Intercultural Development (PZID)

This article presents results of a comparative analysis of intercultural experiences between French and Singaporean participants. France and Singapore were chosen as research fields because of their difference in terms of the management of cultural otherness: a universalist cultural model for France and a pluralist cultural model for Singapore.Based on an online questionnaire addressing the intercultural experience of the participants, a quantitative analysis allows us to identify singular differences between the French and Singaporean participants . A particularity of the Singaporean context leads us to think about the concept of the proximal zone of intercultural development (PZID) that we will develop in this article.

Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Development of an Early Literacy App in Dhuwaya

Phonological awareness is a skill which is crucial in learning to read. In this paper, we report on the challenges encountered while developing a digital application (app) for teaching phonological awareness and early literacy skills in Dhuwaya. Dhuwaya is a Yolŋu language variety spoken in Yirrkala and surrounding areas in East Arnhem Land. Dhuwaya is the first language of the children who attend a bilingual school in which Dhuwaya and English are the languages of instruction. Dhuwaya and English have different phonemic inventories and different alphabets. The Dhuwaya alphabet is based on Roman alphabet symbols and has 31 graphemes (compared to 26 in English). The app was designed to teach children how to segment and blend syllables and phonemes and to identify common words as well as suffixes used in the language. However, the development was not straightforward, and the impact of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges could not have been predicted. Amongst these was the inherent variation in the language, including glottal stops, the pronunciation of stops, the focus on syllables as a decoding strategy for literacy development and challenges of finding one-syllable words such as those initially used with English-speaking children. Another challenge was identifying culturally appropriate images which the children could relate to and which were not copyrighted. In this paper, we discuss these plus a range of other issues that emerged, identifying how these problems were addressed and resolved by the interdisciplinary and intercultural team.

Rethinking Race, Ethnicity, and the Assessment of Intercultural Competence in Higher Education

This qualitative study aims to explore the limitations of using a cultural assessment tool in higher education with the goal of preparing students to thrive in a highly demanding, diverse, and global community. Colleges and universities are potentially important sites of cross-cultural and cross-racial engagement and socialization, and cultural competence is arguably one of the critical skills that many higher education institutions are embracing to prepare students for our diverse, but increasingly polarized, global society. In particular, this study discusses the use of the intercultural development inventory (IDI), a cultural assessment tool that has not been validated in the U.S. for racial, ethnic, or social class differences, and which leaves out the role of structural inequalities in intercultural relationships. Findings reveal that interview data from black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) did not align with their IDI results and that the tool dismisses the complex experiences of BIPOC students. These findings jeopardize the tool’s purpose and validity. Finally, this study reveals the importance of educating students about structural competence to improve empathy and understanding of a diverse student body.

Evaluating an Intensive Program to Increase Cultural Intelligence: A Quasi-Experimental Design

This study used a quasi-experimental design to compare the effects of an intercultural development program on students' Cultural Intelligence (CQ) compared with students in a summer research program who did not receive the intervention. Social Learning Theory guided a 9-week student-centered cultural learning course focused on attention, retention, and reproduction of each CQ domain. After the course, students had opportunities to practice their CQ abilities while studying abroad. Pre-assessment CQ determined an individualized learning plan. Reflective journaling and cultural mentoring were used to maximize student CQ growth. Using multi-level modeling, we observed a statistically significant increase in three CQ domains compared to the comparison control group: cognitive (p<.01), metacognitive (p<.01), and behavioral CQ (p<.01). Motivation CQ scores did not significantly improve (p=0.08). Our results suggest that a university intercultural development program that intentionally combines a cultural learning course with a study abroad experience may improve students’ CQ.

Integration of Intercultural Learning into an International Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in London, England

As the number of international advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) continues to grow, this is an opportunity to incorporate intercultural learning (ICL) to further advance student pharmacist training. Purdue University student pharmacists participated in a clinical research focused APPE in London, England. To prepare for this APPE, students completed a one-credit course focused on intercultural learning and travel preparation. The purpose of this report is to describe the implementation and assessment of ICL during this course and international APPE. The course includes interactive ICL activities, reflective assignments, and personalized assessments. During the eight-week APPE, student pharmacists worked on an individualized Intercultural Development Plan®, which includes ICL activities, focused reflection, and check-ins. ICL was assessed using the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) at the beginning of the course and at least four weeks after APPE completion. Student APPE feedback was also reviewed for evidence of ICL. Twenty-seven students completed the course and APPE from 2018 to 2020. The average IDI developmental orientation (DO) before the course was 91.7, placing students in minimization. The average perceived orientation was 120.9, placing students in acceptance. There were 18 students who completed the post-APPE IDI: 12 students demonstrated growth in the DO (range: 1.5–23.72), and six students experienced a decrease in their DO. Intercultural learning can be implemented and assessed as part of an international APPE.