Building an Inclusive Campus: Developing Students’ Intercultural Competencies Through an Interreligious and Intercultural Diversity Program

Abstract

Post-secondary institutions are increasingly recognizing the need to foster intercultural competence (ICC) in students; however, the ways in which these institutions can do so has not been fully explored. The purpose of the current mixed methods study was to investigate changes in post-secondary students’ ICC (N = 35) following participation in an interreligious and intercultural diversity program, based upon changes in students’ scores on the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). A thematic analysis of post-program questionnaires was used to triangulate the data and provide more insight into changes experienced by participants. Quantitative results revealed significant increases in students’ overall ICC, and significant decreases in the discrepancy between students’ perceived ICC and their actual ICC. Qualitative results revealed five overall themes: (1) shifting perspectives, (2) enhancing intercultural engagement skills, (3) connecting, (4) inspiring action, and (5) personal growth. Implications for research and practice are discussed.