Intercultural competence outcomes of a STEM living–learning community

Abstract

Background Living–learning communities and global or diversity learning experiences have been identified as educational practices which often have a “high impact” on student success, as well as providing interpersonal competencies that are greatly valued by employers. Even without a specific intercultural or diversity component, living–learning communities would seem to offer rich settings for the development of the ability to work effectively across cultural difference. Yet intercultural learning outcomes are rarely assessed outside the domain of study abroad or diversity training programs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in a “global science” living–learning community can increase the intercultural competence of first year international and domestic students, as measured by a well-known quantitative instrument, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Results In the first 2 years of the study, the intercultural learning content focused primarily on ‘dealing effectively with difference’ and produced minimal mean gains in intercultural competence. Examination of qualitative data from these experiences (using a well-known rubric to frame the analysis) as well as a review of the literature around intercultural learning (principally in study abroad contexts) suggested that focusing on similarity and self-awareness, coupled with individualized feedback, was likely to be a more appropriate pedagogy for students’ competency development. Following the curriculum revision, 2 years worth of participants exhibited much higher mean gains in IDI scores, as well as higher rates of shifting to a new stage of effectiveness by semester’s end. Conclusions This study contributes to the STEM education literature by attempting to apply several years of research findings about effective intercultural competence development, principally from study abroad programs, to STEM education in on-campus contexts. In so doing, it has implications for how STEM educators can more effectively work towards cultivating global-ready STEM graduates, and towards reaching STEM students who, for whatever reason, do not typically participate in study abroad.

Bridging borders: assessing the impact of semester-long study abroad programs on intercultural competence development in undergraduate engineering students

“…Furthermore, the 50-question IDI was validated using another round of confirmatory factor analysis, and that led to the creation of the version 3 IDI instrument that is used for this study (Hammer, 2011). The IDI is a widely used instrument and has been used in multiple studies to assess the intercultural learning gains of the students (Krishnan & Jin, 2022;Starr et al, 2022). The IDI assess the participants intercultural competence based on five stages, see Fig.…”

“…Helping students develop a global mindset is the top priority in today's higher education (Starr et al, 2022). Intentionally structured study abroad programs have been considered beneficial in helping students develop intercultural competence and global competencies (Bittinger et al, 2022;Davis & Knight, 2018).…”

Educación STEM en la infancia: percepciones del profesorado

“…Las comunidades de aprendizaje vivo y las experiencias de aprendizaje global o de diversidad se han identificado como prácticas educativas que a menudo tienen un alto impacto en el éxito de los estudiantes, además de proporcionar competencias interpersonales que son muy valoradas por los empleadores (Starr, Yngve & Jin (2022). El modelo de educación basado en STEM pone al estudiante en el rol de investigador, explorador y diseñador que, utilizando la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas, se convierte en creador de su propia proyectos, innovaciones, ideas y soluciones a problemas.…”

Enhancing Team Communication Skills via Portable Intercultural Module in a Systems Thinking Class

“…STEM educators are trying their best to infuse intercultural competence and effective team communication among students using multiple methods such as curriculum integration, study abroad, engaging in learning activities, etc. [10]- [12]. For example, a study by Starr et al [12] emphasized the importance of learning community, pedagogical infusion, and guided reflections in helping STEM students develop intercultural competence.…”

“…[10]- [12]. For example, a study by Starr et al [12] emphasized the importance of learning community, pedagogical infusion, and guided reflections in helping STEM students develop intercultural competence. The study used the intercultural development inventory (IDI) and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Intercultural Knowledge and Competence (IKC) Value rubric to measure the intercultural competence of students.…”