Intercultural Effectiveness of International and Domestic Students

Among the vast and diverse discussions and research on international students, the intercultural status of university students holds a special place in terms of integration and academic success. One of the discussions is the intercultural competencies of the students in higher education. In this respect, this study aims to compare the intercultural effectiveness of international and domestic students, as well as examine their intercultural effectiveness status in terms of different background characteristics. The data were collected from a public university in Turkey using the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale developed by Portalla and Chen (2010). The findings revealed that international students compared to domestic counterparts show a higher level of intercultural effectiveness. Additionally, some background characteristics are significant predictors of the intercultural effectiveness of university students: grade level, parent's nationality, being and living in a foreign country, having a close friend(s) from a different culture. Some research and policy recommendations are provided.

The Bentley Global Experience Initiative

Since 2009, Bentley University has engaged in assessment of intercultural effectiveness in undergraduate students. The instrument used was the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale, which measures six dimensions using a self-report instrument. The longitudinal data analysis showing results in correlation and causation indicated that while international education experiences have a significant positive effective on Global Mindset, they do not indicate a positive significant effect on other dimensions of intercultural effectiveness (Berdrow, Woolford, Skaletsky, Bird; 2020). In 2018, Bentley University engaged in a curriculum design process to re-envision its undergraduate core curriculum. Taking the opportunity to apply lessons from the assessment of intercultural effectiveness, a component of the new design was the Global Experience. This paper briefly outlines the assessment initiative and the curriculum design outline, with an emphasis on the creation of the Bentley Global Experience Initiative, a comprehensive program supporting faculty and students.

To Understand You, I Need to Know Me:

Due to Covid-19 and the inaccessibility of study abroad for some students, we successfully tested an alternative for building intercultural effectiveness -- a glocal classroom (GC) pedagogy highlighting assessment as learning. Over a 15-week course, the GC replicated the work context and job demands of expert global leaders and developed global skills via activities and simulations. Pre-posttest measures of the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) found significant improvement in all dimensions. Students with prior international experience had higher pre-test results in the world orientation and relationship development dimensions; however, students without study abroad experience approximated those results in their post-test assessment, apparently as a result of the GC. Quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that assessment, self-awareness, self-directed PDPs, well-designed simulations, receiving and giving extensive feedback, and reflection can be effective methods for moving the needle on intercultural competencies without a physical international experience.

INTERNATIONAL FIELD SCHOOL FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Engineering graduates increasingly find that they are part of teams that draw a multi-disciplinary membership across a broad range of cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic backgrounds. Although engineering students often have the opportunity to participate in international projects (e.g. co-operative education programs, study abroad), formal international field schools are not typical within engineering curricula, particularly at the first- and second-year level. To provide an early introduction to intercultural perspectives, first-year engineering students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) participated in a field school at Tra Vinh University (TVU) in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam over a period of three weeks. This field school consisted of a number of cultural and engineering activities, and involved pairing of students at both TVU and VIU for the duration of the experience. To measure student response during the field school, participating VIU students completed the on-line Intercultural Effectiveness Scale questionnaire pre- and post-experience. Students at both institutions also completed reflection exercises throughout the three-week period. This feedback suggested each student pairing continuously developed skills necessary to overcome linguistic, cultural, and technical barriers to learning and growing over their time together. Students described an enhanced understanding of self, and an increased likelihood to further participate in intercultural experiences.

The Relationship of Global Exposure and Intercultural Effectiveness among Secondary Youth

This study evaluated the impact of varying amounts of global exposure and previous travel experiences have on secondary agriculture students’ intercultural effectiveness (ICE) and global experiences through the lens of Mere Exposure Theory. Using a descriptive correlational approach, we surveyed 387 secondary agriculture seniors from 11 randomly selected schools in Kentucky to evaluate participant self-awareness, exploration, global mindset, relationship interest, positive regard, and emotional resilience. Findings revealed the majority of participants excelled in exploration but lacked in global mindsets. Benefits of successful ICE when applied are expected to increase communication and work effectiveness. Ignoring this approach would create poor abilities to connect with individuals of different cultural backgrounds. Keywords: intercultural effectiveness, global exposure, youth, agricultural education, mere exposure

The Relationship of Global Exposure and Intercultural Effectiveness among Secondary Youth

This study evaluated the impact of varying amounts of global exposure and previous travel experiences have on secondary agriculture students’ intercultural effectiveness (ICE) and global experiences through the lens of Mere Exposure Theory. Using a descriptive correlational approach, we surveyed 387 secondary agriculture seniors from 11 randomly selected schools in Kentucky to evaluate participant self-awareness, exploration, global mindset, relationship interest, positive regard, and emotional resilience. Findings revealed the majority of participants excelled in exploration but lacked in global mindsets. Benefits of successful ICE when applied are expected to increase communication and work effectiveness. Ignoring this approach would create poor abilities to connect with individuals of different cultural backgrounds. Keywords: intercultural effectiveness, global exposure, youth, agricultural education, mere exposure