Multicultural Personality Questionnaire Research Articles

Multicultural personality traits of Chinese university students and their effects on the psychological adjustment in the aftermath of COVID-19 in Shanghai: a scale validation.

This study aims to explore Chinese university students' multicultural personalities and examine how they predict the psychological adjustment of students in Shanghai. In addition, the validation of Multicultural Personality Questionnaire Short Form (MPQ-SF) scale developed to assess the multicultural personality traits of individuals is also aimed in Chinese context. Data were collected after the psychological stresses from restrictions imposed by COVID-19 in China that influenced life adjustments for nearly three years. A total of 1,099 university students participated in this multi-stage study. First, the Chinese version of MPQ-SF (MPQ-SF-C) was developed and validated. The impact of MPQ-SF-C dimensions was then tested through path analysis to establish the effects of Chinese university students' multicultural personality traits on their psychological adjustment using the Schwartz Outcome Scale (SOS-10). The MPQ-SF-C yielded a five-factor solution which accounted for 60.14% of the common variance. The findings indicated that cultural empathy (β = 0.23, p < 0.05), certainty seeking (β = 0.13, p < 0.05), open-mindedness (β = 0.48, p < 0.05), and emotional stability (β = 0.24, p < 0.05) had significant influences on adjustment. Only flexibility was found to have a statistically insignificant impact on adjustment at this time in this context. MPQ-SF-C and SOS-10 scales represented very good psychometric properties in terms of their reliability and validity. The MPQ-SF-C shows good psychometric properties and appropriateness for evaluating multicultural personalities in Chinese contexts. The multicultural personality characteristics of university students using this scale well predicted their psychological adjustment.

Are some individuals more susceptible to intercultural education than others? Multicultural personality predicts the effects of an intercultural training on cultural intelligence

The development of intercultural competences has become a prominent goal for many study programs in higher education. A widely used frame to measure intercultural competence is Cultural Intelligence (CQ). While empirical research has focused extensively on the development of CQ by means of (student) mobility and long-term training, the effects of short-format trainings – a more cost-effective intervention that can be provided to a large number of participants – remain understudied. Existing findings are inconclusive, and it remains unclear under which conditions, and for whom, short-format interventions are effective in improving participants’ CQ. We propose that CQ development is contingent upon individual differences in multicultural personality traits (operationalized through the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, MPQ). More specifically, in this study we investigate (1) whether a short-format (6-hour) training improves CQ among higher education students (n = 108), and (2) whether the development of CQ is moderated by students’ social-perceptual and stress-related MPQ trait scores prior to the training. Using a pre and post-test design we found that across the whole sample, all four facets of the CQ increased after the training. We also found that some social-perceptual traits of the MPQ moderated the development of CQ: Social initiative on Metacognitive CQ, Openmindedness on Cognitive CQ, and Social initiative and Openmindedness on Motivational CQ. Additionally, we did not find a moderator effect of stress-related MPQ traits on the development of Behavioral CQ. Based on our findings, we conclude that multicultural personality influences individuals’ susceptibility to intercultural education, underscoring the importance of individualized approaches in intercultural education.

Multicultural personality and intergroup forgiveness between United States political parties

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to investigate whether multicultural personality orientation as measured by the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire short form (MPQ) predicted intergroup forgiveness, decisions to forgive, revenge intentions, and avoidance intentions in the context of U.S. political conflict. We conducted three replicated studies across three different political, contextual samples. Study 1 was collected from a majority liberal, majority People of Color sample (N = 301), Study 2 was a majority liberal, majority White sample (N = 125), and Study 3 was a majority conservative, majority White sample (N = 160). Participants in these studies completed items from the MPQ short form and read a hypothetical political violence event committed against their political ingroup by a political outgroup. Overall, we found that the cultural empathy subscale of the MPQ short form was a consistent positive predictor of forgiveness even in the presence of other relevant predictors such as strength of ingroup identification and political ideology. We also performed a mini meta‐analysis across our three collected studies which further supported cultural empathy as a consistent positive predictor of intergroup forgiveness.

Who benefits from the international classroom? A longitudinal examination of multicultural personality development during one year of international higher education

Enhancing students’ intercultural competences through international higher education requires a thorough understanding of the way in which these competences develop over time, how they relate to outcomes, and which factors predict their growth. To answer these questions, a three-wave longitudinal study was conducted among a sample of first-year students in an international university program (n = 425). Intercultural competences were operationalized through the five dimensions of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ): Cultural Empathy, Openmindedness, Flexibility, Social Initiative and Emotional Stability. We examined development of these traits across one year, as well as their relationship with stress, life satisfaction, and academic performance (GPA). Cultural background (local vs. international student) and prior international experience (yes/no) were included as predictors. Results show that MPQ scores at the beginning of the year negatively relate to change across semester 1, which in turn is negatively related to change across semester 2. These findings suggest the presence of ceiling effects in MPQ development. In semester 1, emotional stability acts as a buffer against stress. In semester 2, stress is lower among students with higher scores on cultural empathy, and lower scores on flexibility. Cultural empathy and social initiative relate positively to academic performance. No significant main effects were found for cultural background, or prior international experience. However, these predictors interact on openmindedness and social initiative: local students with no prior international experience show a significant increase in these dimensions across the first semester, whereas the others do not.

How does studying abroad affect engineering students' intercultural competence: A longitudinal case study

ABSTRACT We investigated the development of intercultural competence (IC) among engineering students participating in an international study program (GoLaSalle). IC was measured using the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) by Van der Zee and Van Oudenhoven (2001), and the Expanded Cultural Intelligence Scale (E-CQS) by Van Dyne et al. (2012). Data were collected from 293 French engineering students before and after participating in the semester abroad. In line with previous studies, we found that study abroad plays a central role in the acquisition and development of IC. However, such IC development differs across dimensions and gender. While almost all women’s IC dimensions gained from studying abroad, men’s IC showed less malleability. Our results demonstrate the value of integrating a study abroad semester into the curriculum of engineering students. We discuss ways in which students’ IC could be further improved.

The effectiveness of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on intercultural competence development in higher education

In this study we measured the effect of COIL on intercultural competence development using a quasi-experimental design. Our sample consisted of 108 undergraduate students from two universities, one located in the Netherlands (NL) and one in the United States (US). Students’ self-reported intercultural competence was measured using a pre-post survey which included the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Qualitative data were collected to complement our quantitative findings and to give a deeper insight into the student experience. The data showed a significantly bigger increase in intercultural competence for the US experimental group compared to the US control group, supporting our hypothesis that COIL develops intercultural competence. This difference was not observed for the NL students, possibly due to the NL control group being exposed to other international input during the course.

Preditores de Bem-Estar Subjetivo em Expatriados em Missão no Brasil

Abstract Expatriation for work presents several challenges before departure, during expatriation, and on the return to the country of origin that can impact the subjective well-being of these professionals. This study evaluated sociodemographic, labor, cultural distance, and intercultural efficacy variables as possible predictors for Subjective Well-being in 238 expatriates on mission in Brazil. The instruments used were a sociodemographic and labor questionnaire, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, The Scores of Cultural Distance, and the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. The results, analyzed via Stepwise multiple linear regression, revealed a predictor model of SWB consisting of the variables: having children, cultural empathy, social initiative, and emotional stability. The results indicate the need for interventions focusing on subjective well-being aimed at adapting expatriates in Brazil.

An investigation of multicultural personality traits of EFL learners in English as a medium of instruction setting: The case of Saudi Arabia.

Many studies have investigated the effect of multilingualism on improving personality traits, namely cultural empathy, open-mindedness, flexibility, emotional stability, and social initiative of international students, or students in an international degree program. However, few studies have examined such an issue for EFL learners as they further their academic levels in English as a medium of instruction (EMI) setting. The main tool used in this exploratory descriptive study was the short version (40 items) of the multicultural personality questionnaire (MPQ) that was developed by Van der Zee et al. Five hundred and seventy-seven Saudi female EFL undergraduates participated voluntarily across various academic levels (1–8), as well as recently graduated students; all of whom were exposed to various amounts of EMI. Prior to the study and before administering the questionnaire, the IELTS test was used to measure language proficiency of EFL learners to make sure that the collected data of the MPQ were analyzed statistically to generate means and standard deviations. The results of ANOVA test revealed that not only did all participants improved in cultural empathy followed by open-mindedness, but their improvement of the other dimensions of flexibility, social initiative, and emotional stability appeared to be randomly similar between only two or three groups of academic levels. The results also showed that there was no gradual sequence of developments or deterioration of any multicultural personality dimensions as students advanced in their academic levels or as a result of getting exposed to various amounts of EMI. Finally, this research provides some implications related to widening the scope of the study for further research such as comparing trilingual and bilingual learners and modifying the diagnostic ability of the MPQ.

International career aspirations: Can multicultural personality traits predict the interest in working abroad?

The business world is faced with the need to create new strategies in order to identify a global mentality and an international motivation in professionals who hardly work anymore in monocultural environments. This study investigates the characteristics of international career aspirations to identify multicultural personality traits that may predict interest in working abroad. Empirical research has been carried out with 243 individuals using the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), a multidimensional instrument whose objective is to measure multicultural efficacy. The results of the study suggest that open-mindedness and flexibility are the main predictors of interest in working abroad. These findings have important implications for organizations that require suitable candidates to work effectively in international and multicultural environments.

An Investigation of Multicultural Personality Traits of Iranian High School EFL Learners

The current study aimed to investigate the Iranian high school EFL learners’ multicultural personality traits (MPTs) based on their differences in age. To this end, a convenient sample of 138 junior and senior high school learners aged between 14 and 18 years old were selected. Data were collected through a Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. It measures MPTs (open-mindedness, cultural empathy, emotional stability, social initiative, and flexibility) on a five-point Likert scale. An independent samples t-test was used to check the differences between MPTs of junior (14–16) and senior (16–18) high school students. MANOVA was utilized to see the differences between components of MPTs of participants in these two groups. Findings indicated that there is a significant difference between MPTs of junior and senior high school learners in terms of open-mindedness and cultural empathy. That is to say the younger group exhibited more open-mindedness and cultural empathy. Moreover, the results revealed that they were not different in terms of other components of MPTs as social initiative, emotional stability, and flexibility. Besides considering differences between target and native language cultural values and society norms, teachers should attempt to improve students’ cultural empathy and open-mindedness in order to gain the students’ knowledge of language and attain educational purposes.

The Relationships Between Global Citizenship, Multicultural Personality and Critical Thinking

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between global citizenship, multicultural personality and critical thinking in preservice teachers. The study group consisted of 363 preservice teachers who attend different departments of Faculty of Education in Kutahya. Data collection was done through Scale Universal Citizenship, Multicultural Personality Questionnaire and Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Because the data exhibited a normal distribution because of preliminary analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation analysis of parametric tests and multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis. According to the findings, there is positive relationship between critical thinking and multicultural personality trends and global citizenship. In other words, as multicultural personality scores increased, level of global citizenship also increased. Or as critical thinking tendencies decreased, the level of universal citizenship decreased. In a society where people adopt universal values and can think critically, democracy, justice and tolerance become dominant. And in a globalized world where there is no critical thinking, consequences of wrong thinking and wrong decisions will end up with global violence, intolerance, injustice, and war that has high destructive power.

Scale Characteristics of Intercultural Competence Measures and the Effects of Intercultural Competence on Prejudice.

Due to proceeding globalization processes, involving a rise in mobility and international interdependencies, the frequency and relevance of intercultural contact situations increases. Consequently, the ability to deal effectively with intercultural situations is gaining in importance. However, the majority of studies on measures of intercultural competence focuses on Western Europe and the United States or cultures of the Far East. For the present study, previously understudied Eastern European (former communist) cultures were included, by sampling in Hungary, Serbia, and the Czech Republic, in addition to (the Central or Western European country) Germany. Thus, this study enabled comparisons of scale characteristics of the cultural intelligence scale (CQS), the multicultural personality questionnaire (MPQ), as well as the blatant and subtle prejudice scales, across samples from different cultures. It was also examined how the CQS and MPQ dimensions are associated with prejudice. To analyse scale characteristics, the factor structures and measurement invariances of the used instruments were analyzed. There were violations of configural measurement invariance observed for all of these scales, indicating that the comparability across samples is limited. Therefore, each of the samples was analyzed separately when examining how the CQS and MPQ dimensions are related to prejudice. It was revealed that, in particular, the motivational aspect of the CQS was statistically predicting lower prejudice. Less consistently, the MPQ dimensions of open-mindedness and flexibility were statistically predicting lower prejudice in some of the analyses. However, the violations of measurement invariance indicate differences in the constructs' meanings across the samples from different cultures. It is consequently argued that cross-cultural equivalence should not be taken for granted when comparing Eastern and Western European cultures.

Improvement in the Cognitive Aspects of Cultural Competence after Short-Term Overseas Study Programs.

Universities are providing short-term overseas study programs for healthcare students to increase their cultural competence (i.e., capacity to work effectively in cross-cultural situations). However, there is limited empirical research evaluating the effects of these programs using well-controlled research designs. In the present research study, undergraduate healthcare students in an Australian university were selected as participants. Group 1 (n = 32) participated in a short-term overseas study program in Asia (i.e., China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan), whereas Group 2 (n = 46) stayed in Australia to continue their university education as usual. All participants completed a self-developed demographic questionnaire, Cultural Intelligence Scale, and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. Cultural competence was surveyed pre- and post-short-term overseas programs. After controlling for prior overseas experiences and the open-mindedness trait, an ANCOVA indicated that Group 1 had a significantly higher scores than Group 2 in cultural knowledge (p < 0.05), but not in cultural awareness, attitude, or skills. It is suggested that short-term overseas study programs may increase healthcare students’ cultural knowledge, a component of competence, and that more needs to be accomplished to improve other areas of cultural competence.

The Effect Of Intellectual Humility, Multicultural Personality, and Religious Orientation Toward Religious Tolerance On Students Of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

This study aims to determine the influence of intellectual humility, multicultural personality (cultural empathy, open-mindedness, emotional stability, flexibility, and social initiative), religious orientation (quest religiousness, intrinsic religiousness, and extrinsic religiousness) toward religious tolerance on students of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta. Participants in this study involved 360 students using non-probability sampling as a sampling technique. As for religious tolerance measuring instrument uses a measuring instrument from RT Witenberg`s theory with modified into the scale. The intellectual humility variable uses the Comprehensive Intellectual Humility Scale (CHIS), the multicultural personality variable uses the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire Short Form (the MPQ-SF) and the religious orientation variable uses the Introduction to the New Indices of Religious Orientation (NIRO). The findings show a significant influence between intellectual humility, multicultural personality, and religious orientation toward religious tolerance with a proportion of variance of about 51%. The four significant variables are intellectual humility, cultural empathy, open-mindedness, intrinsic religiousness. While the influence of emotional stability, flexibility, social initiative, quest religiousness, and extrinsic religiousness has no significant effect. multicultural personality and religious orientation toward religious tolerance with a proportion of variance of about 51%. The four significant variables are intellectual humility, cultural empathy, open-mindedness, intrinsic religiousness. While the influence of emotional stability, flexibility, social initiative, quest religiousness, and extrinsic religiousness has no significant effect. multicultural personality and religious orientation toward religious tolerance with a proportion of variance of about 51%. The four significant variables are intellectual humility, cultural empathy, open-mindedness, intrinsic religiousness. While the influence of emotional stability, flexibility, social initiative, quest religiousness, and extrinsic religiousness has no significant effect.

Interculturality and social skills? Relationships of the stays abroad of students of different faculties with intercultural and social competence

AbstractPossessing skills in social and intercultural interaction is vitally important for employees who work in globalized environments, especially as people's working lives tend to involve an increasingly large amount of service‐related activities. As a consequence, universities offer cultural studies courses and strive to enable their students to study abroad for a period of time. However, there is still no widely shared agreement on how intercultural experiences and cultural preparation courses predict the perception, thinking and acting of individuals. Therefore, the study at hand uses a cross‐sectional design with N = 430 participants in order to investigate whether students of cultural studies gain more intercultural competencies during the time spent studying abroad, compared to studies of other subjects. The results reveal that students of cultural subjects show significantly higher levels of cultural empathy and openness in the post hoc measurement, even though there was no interaction effect with the amount of time spent studying abroad. Length of stay abroad had a significant indirect effect on social competence via all the dimensions of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. Moreover, results indicate that flexibility to adapt one's behaviour to cultural norms may predict problems when returning to one's home country.

The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (SF-40): Adaptation and Validation of the Spanish Version.

The coexistence of diverse cultures in our society indicates the need to examine the factors related to the success of multicultural interactions. The study aims were to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire short form (MPQ-SF40), in a convenience sample of 392 university students. Then, the effect of sex and age was assessed, and finally, the levels and percentiles of multicultural personality were measured. The scale’s validity was assessed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA). Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). The final structure of the MPQ-SF40 consisted of 18 items grouped into five factors that present adequate psychometric properties. Sex-specific differences in MPQ-SF40 were statistically significant for factor 1, cultural empathy, and for factor 5, flexibility; women showed greater values. When age was analyzed, significant low correlations were obtained. The students showed medium to high levels of multicultural personality. The highest levels correspond to the personality factors of cultural empathy and open-mindedness. The use of the Spanish version of the MPQ-SF40 seems justified to determine students’ multicultural personality traits, developing intervention programs to improve social support and the interpersonal relations between students.

Validation of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire Short Form (MPQ-SF) for use in the context of international education.

The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) is one of the most widely used instruments for measuring individuals’ intercultural competences. The original version consists of 91 items, divided into five subscales, and has been shown to predict attitudes, behavior, and outcomes in a variety of intercultural contexts. Recently, a 40-item short form of the MPQ was developed (MPQ-SF), which may be particularly useful in settings in which time or survey space are limited, or where respondent drop-out is likely to occur. For example, the MPQ-SF would be a valuable tool for assessing longitudinal development of multicultural personality traits in training or educational settings. A prerequisite for such research is to establish measurement invariance of the MPQ-SF between different respondent groups, as well as across time points. Using a sample of students in an international university program (n = 519), the present study examines how the scales perform among male and female respondents, between students of Western and Non-Western background, and across two time points, five months apart. Based on our findings, we conclude that all five subscales of the MPQ-SF display sufficient measurement invariance to be reliably used in this and similar contexts, in comparative as well as longitudinal study designs.

Culturally Mixed Group Work and the Development of Students’ Intercultural Competence

Culturally mixed group work has become a common mode of assessment in higher education to encourage students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds to learn from and work with each other. This article aims to address whether culturally mixed group work can contribute to students’ intercultural competence (IC) development. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire was used to measure students’ IC development over time, while three waves of interviews investigated students’ attitudes on culturally mixed group work. Findings suggest that both staff and students think culturally mixed group work can be beneficial and is an effective way to develop IC and increase intercultural awareness. However, students perceived it as both rewarding and challenging. Findings showed that without staff guidance, mixed group activities can cause a long-term negative effect on students’ open-mindedness. This result points to a need to reconsider how mixed-culture group work can be utilized effectively in class.

Reconsidering the Active Psychological Ingredients Underlying Intercultural Adaptation: Implications for International Business.

A major issue facing many businesses today, both large and small, concerns intercultural adaptation, and more broadly, diversity. Many businesses struggle with their employees sent to different countries and cultures to adapt effectively in host cultures, as well as for their home culture employees to adapt effectively to changing environments brought on by visitors from other cultures and other sources of diversity. To address this issue, many tests and measures have been developed to identify the core psychological skills, competencies, and aptitudes underlying intercultural adaptation. Elucidation of such skills and competencies would have multiple theoretical and practical ramifications. A recent review of this literature indicated that three tests – the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, the Cultural Intelligence Scale, and the Intercultural Adjustment Potential Scale – had the best psychometric evidence for validity to date. No study, however, has examined the statistical overlap among these tests; which scales or combination of scales best predict adaptation; and most importantly, what are possible, yet unassessed, constructs underlying them. The purpose of this study was to examine these three questions initially. Non-immigrant, non-sojourner convenience samples from four countries/language groups completed all three tests and a measure of life satisfaction as a proxy for adaptation. Scales from the three tests were moderately – highly intercorrelated and predicted adaptation. A combination of scales from the tests best predicted adaptation, better than scales from any one test. Analyses examining the latent structures underlying the combined tests suggested several psychological constructs new to the intercultural adaptation literature. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and application in international business.

Multicultural personality and effectiveness in an intercultural training simulation: The role of stress and pro-active communication.

Multicultural personality traits have been shown to predict intercultural outcomes in a range of settings. However, how these traits affect behaviour during intercultural interactions remains an understudied area. A study was conducted among participants in intercultural training sessions, to examine whether scores on the five dimensions of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) could predict how they performed in the intercultural simulation game “Barnga.” Both a self‐rating and other‐rating of intercultural effectiveness were included. Furthermore, we examined whether perceived stress and pro‐active communication played a mediating role. Results of Latent Growth Curve Modelling (LGCM) show that emotional stability has a positive effect on mean scores (intercept) of both self‐rated and other‐rated outcomes, mediated through perceived stress. Social Initiative has a positive effect on the rate of improvement (slope) in other‐rated outcomes during the simulation, mediated through pro‐active communication.