149 Increasing intercultural competency in undergraduates through an equine study abroad course

Abstract

Emphasis on intercultural competency (IC) as a learning outcome drives student engagement in diverse environments, encouraging intercultural effectiveness in communication and collaboration. This study assessed if participation in a short-term instructor-led horse industry study abroad in Ireland increased the IC of students from 3 universities. IC areas of interest were curiosity, empathy, and cultural worldview. A mixed model design was used to assess progress toward these competencies. Quantitative data was collected using the Intercultural Development InventoryR (IDIR): a statistically reliable and cross-culturally valid measure of an individual's actual Developmental Orientation (DO) and Perceived Orientation (PO) intercultural profile. The PO is where the individual thinks they are on the continuum, while the DO is where they actually are based on responses to the items. The stages along the IDIR continuum are Denial (D; misses difference); Polarization (P; judges difference); Minimization (M; de-emhasizes difference); Acceptance (Ac; deeply comprehends difference) and Adaptation (Ad; bridges across difference). The IDIR was administered pre- and post-travel. Qualitative data was collected from blogs and end of course digital story assignments, both utilizing guiding questions to stimulate student reflection. Twenty-two undergraduate students, 2 graduate students, and 3 University facultywere in Ireland on an 18-d study tour learning about the horse industry, history, and culture. Pre- and post-travel mean scores (n = 23) for DO and PO were analyzed using a paired sample t-test in IBM SPSS software. One student did not complete all assignments as was removed. A (P < 0.01) correlation was reported between pre- and post-travel means for DO and PO. The pre-travel students' assessment DO's ranged from D (4.2%) to Ac (4.2%), with 58.3% in M and 33.3% in P. The group mean for the pre-travel IDIR was 89.42, which indicated M. Post-travel student assessment DO's ranged from D(4.3%) to Ac (4.3%), with M being the most prevalent (65.2%). The group mean (90.79 ± 14.16) remained in M. Seven individual students moved up the scale 1 step toward Ac, 5 students moved down the scale one step toward P, and 11 students did not change remaining in M. Qualitative analysis revealed cultural challenges like understanding the Irish accent and traffic norms. Students reported participation in this program increased their knowledge of Irish culture and history, their interest in learning about other cultures and broadened their understanding of employment opportunities in the horse industry.