Students’ Perceptions of Intercultural Communication Competence: an Applied Study on the University of Sharjah

Abstract

This study aims to examine the perception of UoS students of intercultural communication from the perspective of three fundamental elements: personal attitude, communication skills and psychological adjustment. The ‘intercultural communication competence’ variable was chosen in view of its significance in the current era and its gradual becoming a must-have for any individual wants to be an effective member in the local and global communities. A set of 10 intensive interviews were conducted, seeking in-depth thoughts, opinions and statements. The interviews were conducted with University of Sharjah students aged between 18 and 24 from different majors and cultural backgrounds. The study found that students realize the importance of the three elements in developing intercultural communication competence, but they expressed the need to better improve their ICC which is not easy. Most of them recognize the role of each element in building such a competence.