Intercultural competence in undergraduate curricula, instruction, & assessments: A comparative multiple case study of public institutions in China and the USA

• In Event: "Transnational Higher Education: Internationalization, Sustainability, and Student Perspectives from China and beyond"

Proposal

Relevance
Protests are often a consequence of exploitation and miscommunication, as people rise up to oppose social injustice (Brown & Harlow, 2019). These injustices often emerge in the interactions between different cultural groups, rooted in misunderstanding, stereotypes, and/or bias (Shriberg & Clinton, 2016). A society with stronger intercultural competence is more likely to avoid many of these injustices through cultural humility (Fisher, 2020), as individuals are better able to see social policies and practices from varied perspectives and understand the experiences of others within their society (Aguado-Odina et al., 2017). Higher education institutions have the opportunity to contribute to the health of our societies by seeking to foster intercultural competence (Pinto, 2018; Zhang & Zhou, 2019). This empirical study examines intercultural competence as an institutional student learning outcome in public higher education institutions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States (US) through a comparative multiple case study design.

Theoretical Framework
For this study, we adopt Deardorff’s (2006) Process Model of Intercultural Competence. According to this model, intercultural competence begins with the cultivation of certain attitudes (respect, openness, curiosity, ambiguity tolerance) that leads to the development of knowledges (cultural self-awareness, deep cultural knowledge, sociolinguistic awareness) and skills (active listening, observation, interpretation, relating). As individuals build these attitudes, knowledge, and skills, they achieve the desired internal outcome of an informed frame of reference and epistemological adaptability, flexibility, ethnorelative perspective, and empathy. These internal outcomes allow for the desired external outcome of effective and appropriate self conduct in intercultural situations. This framework serves as the ideal model against which we compare the curricula, instruction, and assessments of the institutions included within our multiple case study.

Research Method
This study provides insight into similarities and variations in how intercultural competence is incorporated into the curriculum, taught, and assessed for undergraduate students in public higher education institutions in the PRC and US. A comparative, multiple case study model was adopted, targeting three public institutions in each country for a total of six institutions.

Sampling
Purposeful sampling was used for both selecting institutions and individuals for participation in the study. More specifically, criterion sampling was used to identify and invite 18 faculty, staff, and administrators (three from each institution) as participants with knowledge and experience of intercultural competence as it features in the curriculum, instruction, and assessment of their institution. Additionally, snowball sampling was used to follow up on the recommendations of participants to speak to others with relevant knowledge. At some institutions, more than three participants were included where necessary to achieve data saturation.

Data Collection & Analysis
At each case institution, data were initially collected from publicly available documents, including course catalogs, university websites, course syllabi, and published reports. These data were then complemented by transcripts from the semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups with experts from each institution. The results are presented with a thick description of each individual case to ensure a unique case orientation (Patton, 2016) before the content and comparative cross-case analyses. Common themes are highlighted within the PRC and the USA before examining variations that exist across cases and contexts.

Trustworthiness
We have sought to address the credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability (Lincoln & Guba, 1986) of our study to ensure trustworthiness. We seek to achieve credibility through our positionality as dual insider/outsiders with varied firsthand experience of higher education in the PRC and US among our team. Dependability and confirmability are established through detailed protocols, data triangulation, and investigator triangulation. We sought transferability through our focus on public institutions and use of data saturation.

Results & Implications
The study offers insight into the current practices around intercultural competence in public higher education in the PRC and USA. The results capture the reality of how intercultural competency is being planned, taught, and assessed within these contexts. Cross-case comparison offers insights into what institutions within and across cultural contexts can learn from the experiences of peer institutions. Comparison of these practices against Deardroff’s (2006) model inform recommendations for improving the curriculum, instruction, and assessment of intercultural competence across undergraduate public higher education. The results also help to extend current research by documenting the realities of intercultural competence as a student learning outcome in contemporary higher education.

Authors

• Peter G Ghazarian, SUNY Oswego

• Xiaoqiao Zhang, Shanghai jiaotong university

• Jonathan Damiani, Le Moyne College

• Naixin Li, Waseda University

• Xiaoying Jiang, Shandong University of Finance and Economics