Creativity and Intercultural Experiences: The Impact of University International Exchanges

Abstract

Based on recent findings that highlight the strong links between creativity and interculturality, we will attempt to establish a relationship between intercultural experiences and creativity within the context of international university exchanges in order to propose specific courses of action for improving these skills. The methodology used is based on a quasi-experimental design for a sample of 303 university students from a Spanish university. Data were obtained from a survey that measured creativity with two different instruments (RIBS-s and Divergent Thinking), English proficiency, and intercultural experiences abroad. Results show a strong relationship between creativity and intercultural experiences, suggesting that those students who lived abroad and in a higher number of foreign countries are more creative. Additionally, the most significant differences appear when we establish a comparison between those students who have not lived abroad and those who have done so in more countries, which contributes to highlighting the close relationship between interculturality and creativity. Of special significance is the strong link found between English proficiency and having experiences abroad, suggesting that when the level of a shared international language, English in this case, is higher, there will be more options to increase students’ creativity. Likewise, students who have a higher level of English are more creative. Designing programs for higher education students that combine and integrate foreign language skills, creativity, and interculturality appear to be essential. Thanks to foreign language skills, students will be in a better position to acquire intercultural sensitivity and improve their creativity, making their international experience a valued source of fulfilment both for their personal life and their career.

Cognitive Abilities and Academic Achievement as Intercultural Competence Predictors in Russian School Students

“…Consequently, school students who tend to take into account and accept cultural differences in the process of interaction, as a rule, have better academic performance and cognitive abilities. In general, these results are in line with data on the positive role of cognitions and various cognitive abilities (e.g., creativity) in the development of intercultural competence and related constructs ( Bultseva and Lebedeva 2018 ; De Prada et al 2020 ; Driscoll and Torres 2020 ; Dunne 2017 ; Morris et al 2019 ).…”

“…Thus, with the help of regression analysis, we largely confirmed the conclusions of previous studies on the positive role of various cognitive abilities in the development of intercultural competence and related phenomena ( Bultseva and Lebedeva 2018 ; De Prada et al 2020 ; Driscoll and Torres 2020 ; Dunne 2017 ; Morris et al 2019 ); however, we identified gender differences that were previously poorly studied in this context. The specificity of our study is also that the sample includes schoolchildren, but not university students, who are studied much more often.…”

“…In this connection, we can list the use of cognitive approaches in linguistics in the analysis of intercultural communication ( Nurmoldayev et al 2020 ), in pedagogy in consideration of culturally diverse instructional strategies ( Milhouse 1995 ), and in international management in the study of cross-cultural training effectiveness ( Kempf and Holtbrügge 2020 ). In psychological science, we can cite the general analysis of the cognitive aspects of intercultural competence ( Lonner and Hayes 2004 ), as well as more specific studies on metacognition’s role in cultural learning ( Morris et al 2019 ); on the ability of cognitive schemas of culturally based skills in an acculturation context among Latinx adults ( Driscoll and Torres 2020 ); and on the relationship between intercultural experience and creativity ( Dunne 2017 ; De Prada et al 2020 ). A similar study by Russian scientists Bultseva and Lebedeva ( 2018 ) revealed the links between ICC and creativity in a sample of Russian students.…”

Didactic strategies to promote creative thinking in classrooms

“…De Prada et al(2020) Aprendizaje intercultural Esta estrategia permite el desarrollo de competencias que promuevan la integración e interacción para la realización personal. Motiva la actitud abierta y aumenta su potencial creativo.…”

Estrategias del pensamiento creativo: una mirada desde la educación básica

“…Hay autores que sostienen que la creatividad es un proceso cognitivo que resulta del pensamiento creativo y que se convierte en un reflejo valioso del individuo (Karaca et al, 2020). Otros la consideran uno de los procesos más complejos del ser humano, por lo que identificar su configuración es una tarea muy desafiante (De Prada et al, 2020).…”