Search Results (7)

While Japanese universities promote English proficiency and intercultural competence, admissions still rely heavily on the standardised TOEIC test, often prioritising linguistic accuracy over cultural understanding. This emphasis can marginalise the experiential and interpersonal aspects of language learning essential for developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Although ICC is most effectively developed through a combination of formal instruction and informal learning, particularly involving authentic intercultural interactions, there remains a paucity of research examining how learners develop ICC beyond the classroom. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how Japanese university students’ language repertoires, intercultural experiences, and knowledge shape their studies, and how their ICC develops throughout undergraduate education. One English major student was selected for in-depth analysis following his employment in a culturally diverse workplace that fostered meaningful intercultural interactions. His development was examined using four research tools: a survey, a journal, an interview, and TOEIC scores. The survey and test scores revealed growth in communicative assurance and language proficiency, while journal reflections and interviews captured critical incidents—including a shift from indirect to direct speech—that marked cultural adaptation. These findings suggest experiential learning fosters real-time communication, builds learner confidence, and supports transformational ICC development. Full article

Virtual Exchange (VE) has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional physical exchange, experiencing exponential growth in recent years to enhance students’ learning outcomes. However, the ways in which VE can effectively and mutually benefit diverse student populations remain unclear. This study introduces a specifically designed VE project utilizing the “Zoom-Sandwiched Cross-Chapter Concept Map” model and investigates its impact on college students enrolled in an introductory-level course in the US and China. The ten-week VE project incorporated both academic and cultural components. While our previous publication focused on the academic component and its benefits on student academic performance, this article emphasizes the cultural component and the integrated nature of the project. Our results demonstrated the effectiveness of this project in promoting students’ career readiness competencies, particularly teamwork and communication skills. Additionally, our comparative data highlighted how this project significantly improved the behavioral dimension of Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) and influenced career & self-development for Chinese students while fostered leadership skills among US students. The VE project presented in this article provides valuable guidance for integrating VE into curricula across various disciplines, helping to shape future VE initiatives globally. Full article

Globalization has transformed classrooms into culturally diverse environments, highlighting the critical need to prepare future teachers with skills to address these complexities. This study explores Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) as a fundamental skill in initial teacher training (ITT), aligning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 4, which promotes inclusive, equitable and quality education. Through a narrative literature review, this research analyzes the main definitions and theoretical models of ICC, examining their relationship to gender, ethnicity and the teaching competencies of the faculty member. The findings highlight the lack of a unified consensus in the conceptualization of ICC, reflecting its dynamic and interdisciplinary nature. The results indicate that while gender does not significantly influence the development of ICC, ethnicity and migrant background are linked to a greater willingness to acquire it. In addition, the reflective and specialized training of the faculty member emerges as a decisive factor in the promotion of the ICC. These findings underscore the need to integrate ICC into initial teacher education plans to better prepare future teachers in multicultural contexts. By addressing equity and cultural diversity, the ICC supports educators in promoting respectful, effective and inclusive interactions, ultimately contributing to the achievement of SDG No. 4. This study enriches the discourse on teacher education and intercultural education by offering practical perspectives for connecting theory with practice in diverse educational contexts. Full article

International students studying and living in a foreign context often complain about difficulties establishing friendships with host nationals. This study investigates host country nationals’ (HCNs) willingness to develop intercultural friendships with international students who are sojourning in China by exploring the effects of face-to-face and online intergroup contact, HCNs’ attitudes, intercultural communication competence (ICC), and perceived intergroup threats. Survey data from 469 HCNs indicate that (a) face-to-face and online contact are indirectly and positively related to their willingness to form intercultural friendships, (b) face-to-face contact can moderate the relationships of online contact with HCNs’ intergroup attitudes and perceived intergroup threats, and (c) both ICC and intergroup attitudes can positively predict friendship formation whereas perceived intergroup threats act as a negative predictor. The implications of our findings for future research and practice are presented. Full article

Intercultural communication skills play a vital role in achieving success in the global hospitality and tourism profession. This study examined the effectiveness of leveraging social media, specifically YouTube (San Bruno, CA, USA), in developing intercultural competence (ICC) among students enrolled in service management courses within the hospitality and tourism department. The research involved 112 Korean students who were divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 57), which participated in social media-integrated intercultural learning activities; and the control group (n = 55), which engaged in traditional intercultural learning activities. Data were collected through pre- and post-questionnaires using the Intercultural Competence Scale (ICS). The findings indicated that social media-based intercultural activities on YouTube were more effective in improving learners’ ICC levels compared to traditional classroom activities. Significant differences in mean gain scores underscored the impact of social media-based interventions in promoting intercultural learning and fostering meaningful intercultural engagement. The analysis also revealed noteworthy distinctions between the experimental and control groups across various dimensions of ICC. This study emphasized the value of social media platforms, including YouTube, in facilitating positive changes in affective orientation, self-efficacy, behavior performance, and intercultural consciousness. The research provided practical insights for educators and institutions in the hospitality industry to integrate social media-based intercultural activities, thereby enhancing students’ intercultural learning experiences and nurturing their ICC. Full article

The cultivation of college students’ intercultural communication competence (ICC) for sustainable development is a hot research topic in English foreign language (EFL) education. What competencies are they required to have, and how to cultivate them in EFL education? The study is based on Byram’s model of ICC for cultivating students’ ICC for their sustainable development. To this end, an empirical study was conducted by constructing an intercultural comparative teaching mode called Input-Comparison-Output (ICO) in the research by integrating Chinese culture into EFL education for cultivating students’ ICC among Chinese college students. The study emphasizes the importance of the Chinese culture as the native culture by comparing similarities and differences with the targeted culture in EFL education. There are some existing research works on English and its culture, but few of them focus on the role and integration of Chinese culture in China’s EFL teaching. In order to seek some evidence of the function of the Chinese culture as the first culture in EFL education, the authors constructed the ICO intercultural mode, and 58 participants were recruited and divided into two groups randomly as the controlled group and experimental group in the empirical study. Some research methods were used in the study, such as questionnaires, term papers, statistical analyses and interviews. The data were collected through the Star of Questionnaire, the automatic assessing system of the I-write Platform, Excel and WeChat videos. Quantitative and qualitative statistics were adopted to assess the students’ changes of attitudes towards the integration of the Chinese culture into the course and academic development in the research. The ICO intercultural mode creates a novel teaching mode of cultural comparison between first culture and targeted culture, breaking down the traditional monocultural teaching one in the EFL teaching. The results of the research show that the integration of the Chinese culture into the EFL course is important, which can promote the students’ ICC thanks to the application of the ICO intercultural mode in the course. The initiative findings can be used as references for further intercultural teaching in EFL education. Full article

In most medical universities in Taiwan, English-language professional materials are used in professional courses. Thus, a student’s reading ability is very important for understanding the content of English professional materials. The professional knowledge gained will facilitate intercultural communication in their future work setting. In this paper, the authors explored the impact of students’ anxiety when reading English professional materials on intercultural communication competence (ICC). A mixed method was applied. Firstly, sample data from 312 students majoring in the medical profession were investigated to obtain the results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of two scales: a reading anxiety regarding English professional materials scale (RAEPMS) and an intercultural communication competence scale (ICCS). The RAEPMS, with a total explained variance of 81.67%, included three factors: worry about comprehension, lack of satisfaction with one’s reading ability, and language distance. The ICC, with a total explained variance of 80.02%, included four factors: skill, attitude, awareness, and knowledge. Secondly, sample data from 205 students majoring in the medical profession were obtained to form the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the two scales, and then structural equation modeling (SEM) between RAEPMS and ICCS was created. The results showed that “worry about comprehension” impacts “skills” and “attitudes”; “lack of satisfaction with one’s reading ability” impacts all four ICC factors; and “language distance” impacts “skills”, “awareness”, and “knowledge”. Furthermore, interview results from three teachers were obtained to understand the significant connection between RAEPMS and ICCS. Additionally, pedagogical implementations, based on the interviews’ results, which could decrease reading anxiety and increase ICC were discussed. This paper provides a significant contribution to student education and professional training. The benefit of this research is to think how to design the pedagogy implementation to ensure the education of students and their professional training. Thus, students majoring in the medical profession will be more easily trained to communicate with people of different cultures in their future workplace. Full article