Examining Undergraduate Students’ Intercultural Competence in a Teaching Methods Course

Abstract

As our society becomes more interconnected and multicultural, it is imperative we develop and assess intercultural competence among future professionals in agricultural education and communications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intercultural competence training on students’ intercultural competence in a teaching methods course. Students (N = 27) in this experimental design study were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group, where the treatment group members completed the Intercultural Development Inventory and underwent intercultural competence training. Results showed that students in the treatment group scored low in intercultural competence and did not mention social identity factors as frequently as the control group. Additionally, females mentioned more social identity factors than males. Recommendations from the study were that highimpact pedagogical practices should be implemented to teach intercultural competence, longitudinal studies should be used to further assess intercultural competence development over time, and research should examine the role of gender in intercultural competence development.