Intercultural Competencies Among Undergraduates in the College of Arts & Humanities at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Presenter Information

Olivia Thomas, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Jonathon Arndt, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 203

Start Date

2-4-2019 10:00 AM

End Date

2-4-2019 11:00 AM

Student's Major

Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Student's College

Education

Mentor's Name

Elizabeth Sandell

Mentor's Department

Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Mentor's College

Education

Second Mentor's Name

Christopher Brown

Second Mentor's Department

Communication Studies

Second Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Description

The study is examining the impact of an intercultural communication course in Arts & Humanities on the Intercultural Competency (ICC) among a group of university students. ICC was defined as “the capability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality.” Globalization has led to increased contact between different cultures, so individuals must know how to communicate between one another and to understand the culture behind the communication (Melles & Frey, 2017). Students must strive for acceptance and understanding of religion, language, communication style, music, or any other aspect of culture. This project addressed: (1) What is the starting level of ICC among students in the intercultural communication course? Data was collected using the computer-based, online Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), developed by Hammer and Bennett (1998, 2001), which identifies five orientations toward cultural differences: denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. Data was collected at the beginning and will be collected at the conclusion of the 16-week course, in order to measure changes that occurred possibly as a result of the course experiences. This will provide baseline and comparison data. Investigators expect that the study may show that the instructional methods of the professors and the course work in the College of Arts & Humanities leads to a positive growth in Intercultural Competency among undergraduate students. The study will offer insight to help determine the efficacy of teaching methods to develop ICC. Results were shared among faculty members seeking to infuse instruction with strategies to foster ICC.