Investigation and Analysis of Intercultural Sensitivity of Non-English Majors

Abstract

In the increasingly globalized world, the intercultural competence is of great importance. Intercultural sensitivity is one of the important contents of intercultural competence. This study uses the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale developed by Chen & Starosta among 132 undergraduates who are non-English majors in Hunan Institute of Technology in an attempt to understand the current situation of their intercultural sensitivity and the correlation between the five major dimensions of intercultural sensitivity. This study finds that the levels of five dimensions of intercultural sensitivity of non-English majors in Hunan Institute of Technology are relatively average. Specifically, the level of respect for cultural differences is the highest, followed by interaction engagement, interaction enjoyment, and interaction attentiveness and interaction confidence. Pearson correlation analysis shows there is significant positive correlation between the five dimensions of intercultural sensitivity except that there is no significant correlation between interaction attentiveness and interaction enjoyment. Among them, the correlation between interaction engagement and interaction attentiveness is the strongest, and the correlation between respects for cultural differences, interaction enjoyment and interaction confidence is also strong. This study can provide certain guidance for further improving the intercultural communication of college students in Hunan Institute of Technology and promoting intercultural teaching of college English and enriching intercultural research in the future.