International Students' Voices on the Internationalization of U.S. Higher Education: Is Intercultural Competence Possible?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Multicultural Education: International Perspectives and Global Contexts

Abstract

Intercultural competence is the outcome of higher education institutions’ internationalization, directly impacting international students’ experiences in the receiving country. Phenomenology was used to investigate the lived experiences of international students with intercultural competence while studying at a Southwest Florida university. The data was collected using in-depth interviews with 12 international students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The constant comparison method revealed three dimensions to the participants’ lived experiences with intercultural competence: institutional, curricular, and interpersonal. The findings indicate a lack of intercultural competence applied to these dimensions, which significantly impacted the academic and social experiences of the participants. The findings also emphasize the value of intercultural competence, diversity, and global education in higher education internationalization.

Authors

• Clarisse Halpern, Florida Gulf Coast University

• Bruno Halpern, Florida Gulf Coast University

• Hasan Aydin, Florida Gulf Coast University