Cultural Competence and its Influence on the Teaching and Learning of International Students

by Nieto, Claudia P.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which one's level of cultural competence impacts the teaching and learning process for both instructors and students at the university level. Specifically, this study examined whether there is a difference in the level of intercultural sensitivity between university instructors and ESL students, whether ESL instructors and non-ESL instructors vary in their levels of intercultural sensitivity, and the extent to which gender impacts cultural competence. Finally, an investigation was conducted to explore the relationships between the instructors' level of intercultural sensitivity and the challenges they face in instructing international students, in addition to the relationship between students' level of intercultural sensitivity and the challenges they face while pursuing a college degree in the United States. A mixed methodology, using Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (Chen & Starosta) found that instructors in this university reported a higher level of intercultural sensitivity than college students at the same institution; a significant difference between ESL instructors and non-ESL instructors in the area of interaction engagement was revealed; and, that females scored higher than males. Finally, while instructors revealed that culture and language were the challenges most faced in teaching international students, those same students did not reveal them to be significant challenges.