The Effects of International Experiential Learning on the Cultural Competence of College Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Abstract

PurposeThis study addressed a need in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) to empirically assess interventions for training students to increase cultural competence. This study assessed the effect of an experiential learning opportunity (ELO), in which undergraduate students served as conversational partners to English language learners, on students' cultural competence. A secondary purpose was to assess the association between cultural competence and demographic characteristics to better inform future interventions.MethodUndergraduate CSD majors who participated in a semester-length ELO and their classmates who did not participate in the ELO provided demographic information about cultural background and completed the Cultural Intelligence Scale (Ang et al., 2007) to assess cultural competence at the beginning and end of the semester. ELO participants' end-of-semester reflections were also analyzed for common themes.ResultsQuestionnaire responses for the ELO participants, but not the control group, indicated that cognitive cultural competence significantly increased over the course of this intervention, which suggests the ELO increased participants' knowledge of other cultures. Qualitative analyses indicated that ELO participants found the experience to be positive and beneficial to their future professional careers. Although ELO participants did not significantly differ from the control group in demographic variables, findings indicated that respondents' years in college, parental country of origin, and respondents' learning of languages other than English were significantly associated with the Cultural Intelligence Scale scores.ConclusionThe on-campus experiential service learning opportunity was associated with significantly increased cognitive cultural competence in undergraduate CSD majors. This educational intervention could serve as an accessible way to improve the ability for students to serve culturally and linguistically diverse populations.