The development of Emirati university students' intercultural sensitivity

Tanju Deveci,Glenda Elgamal,Donald John Langille,David Dalton

doi:10.1108/lthe-09-2021-0087

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigated the effects of an intercultural communication (IC) course on Emirati university students' intercultural sensitivity (IS).Design/methodology/approachThe participants were 89 Emirati students. The course required student involvement in a variety of tasks and activities, both inside and outside the classroom. The development of the students' IS was tracked using two instruments: the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and a reflective writing task.FindingsThe difference between the students' overall pre-test and post-test scores was at a statistically significant level. The data from the reflective writing papers showed that the course developed the students' IS with a particular effect on their awareness of other cultures, barriers to effective communication and self-confidence.Originality/valueIn an increasingly globalized world, the findings of this study highlight the importance of a course designed to enhance university students' IS and therefore intercultural competence. They also indicate the need for more experiential learning to bridge in-class and out-of-class experiences which facilitate the development of students' intercultural competence.

Highlights

Culture is a building block of identity
The paired samples t-test analysis showed that the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores was at a statistically significant level (t(88) 5 8.3362, p 5 0.0000)
We live in a moment of history with an unprecedented amount of interaction and contact between different cultures

Summary

Introduction

Culture is a building block of identity. Many factors play a role in regulating and shaping culture and identity including religion, class, gender, race, nation and civilization (Cannadine, 2013). Communication between different cultures, i.e. intercultural competence (IC), can be challenging when it takes place across groups with different values and attitudes. This paper investigates a particular aspect of IC, intercultural sensitivity (IS), which is defined as “an individual’s ability to develop a positive emotion towards understanding and appreciating cultural differences that promotes an appropriate and effective behavior in [IC]” IS requires people to “have a desire to motivate themselves to understand, appreciate and accept differences among cultures and to produce a positive outcome from intercultural interactions” With this in mind, the current paper examined the effects of an IC course on the IS of a group of Emirati

Results

Discussion

Conclusion