Utilizing cross‐cultural curricula to improve interpersonal job skills training

Abstract

Presents a study that examined the effects of cross‐cultural instruction on the interpersonal job skills of students in secondary vocational programs. The population consisted of a treatment and a control group, with 65 students in each group. A pretest and posttest was administered. The experimental group received the intervention during a six‐week period. The dependent variable was generalizable interpersonal relations skills as measured by the generalizable interpersonal relations skills performance assessment. The independent variables included a cross‐cultural instructional intervention, gender, ethnicity, and school. The findings indicated that students receiving the cross‐cultural instructional intervention had significantly higher generalizable interpersonal relations skills achievement than students not receiving the intervention. Recommends that cross‐cultural instruction be integrated into vocational and industrial training curricula, including instructor preservice and inservice training. Also, trainers should closely link the benefits of cultural awareness to learners’ experiences at home and the work place; and to their personal and professional success.