Learning Tolerance Revisited: A Quasi-ExperimentalReplication

Abstract

This paper replicates an earlier project that tested the impact of comparative politics courses on students' levels of intercultural sensitivity. Using a standardized instrument, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), I pre- and posttest students taking an on-campus East-Central European politics course taken in the fall semester and an off-campus course on the politics of the Czech Republic headquartered in Prague during the month of January. The first study, conducted during the 2003–2004 academic year, demonstrated that comparative politics courses have a positive significant impact on students' levels of intercultural sensitivity, that there is no difference between on- and off-campus courses in terms of these differences, and that students who take both courses experience higher rates of positive change than students taking only one of the two courses. The results of the replication, conducted during the 2005–2006 academic year, confirm the original findings that link strongly comparative politics and intercultural sensitivity.