Rethinking intercultural competence

Does Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad Improve Students’ Global Competence? Findings From a Systematic Review and Evidence Gap Map

“…Examples of strategies associated with gains on these outcomes included acknowledging how U.S. federal policies supported accessibility for people with disabilities, observing that the history of human habitation on the Galapagos Island influenced the evolution of its animal life, and identifying effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia (Bell et al, 2016;Le et al, 2013;Mason et al, 2018). Given that the ability to identify and reflect on one's own culture, also known as cultural humility, is considered an essential cross-cultural skill in many professional contexts (Baraka et al, 2019;Murray-García & Tervalon, 2017;Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998), it is surprising that so few studies focused on student gains in this area.…”

We Before Me: Developing a Self-Referent Measure of Cultural Humility for Postsecondary Students

“…While not abandoning the importance of constructs like (inter)cultural competence and cross-cultural awareness in addressing common goals of international education programming such as mutual respect and shared understandings among diverse individuals, experts in several fields, including teacher education (e.g., Thapa & Madrid Akpovo, 2022), social work (e.g., Fisher-Borne et al, 2015; Ortega & Coulborn, 2011), health care (e.g., Chang et al, 2012; Foronda et al, 2016; Jisrawi & Arnold, 2018), journalism (e.g., Goltz et al, 2016), and psychology (Hook et al, 2017), highlight cultural humility as a complementary student outcome of international education programs. In contrast with cultural competency (and other, related constructs), development of cultural humility is a fluid, lifelong process that challenges individuals to recognize and address inequalities in power structures (Murray-García & Tervalon, 2017; Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998). Recently, international educators have taken up the term cultural humility to discuss potential outcomes of study abroad (Baraka et al, 2019; de la Garza, 2021; Fernandez, 2020; Kako & Klingbeil, 2019).…”

“…Thapa and Madrid Akpovo (2022) offer a complementary definition, characterizing cultural humility as "an ongoing process of critical self-reflection that continually develops an understanding of how experiences are shaped based on one's assumptions, values, and beliefs" (p. 514). The cultural humility's interpersonal stance is thought to contribute to positive outcomes such as mutual respect and understanding, often a primary goal of postsecondary international education (Murray-García & Tervalon, 2017). This study's purpose was to develop a measurement instrument that scholars and practitioners in international education can use as a means of exploring whether and how students who participate in international programs develop a greater sense of cultural humility.…”

“…Drawing from their work in training medical professionals, Murray-García and Tervalon (2017) suggest that international programs that foster a “deliberate cultivation of awareness [that] comes from stimulating self-critique and reflection about biases we often hold for ‘the Other’” (p. 22) provide a venue for international postsecondary education to offer program participants the background they need to effectively work across difference in their future careers and other aspects of life after graduation. Murray-García and Tervalon (2017) describe this self-awareness with respect to other people as cultural humility. Davis et al (2010) define cultural humility as interpersonal, noting that “humble individuals are able to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other-oriented rather than self-focused, characterized by respect for others and a lack of superiority” (Hook et al, 2013, p. 354).…”

“…Thapa and Madrid Akpovo (2022) offer a complementary definition, characterizing cultural humility as “an ongoing process of critical self-reflection that continually develops an understanding of how experiences are shaped based on one's assumptions, values, and beliefs” (p. 514). The cultural humility's interpersonal stance is thought to contribute to positive outcomes such as mutual respect and understanding, often a primary goal of postsecondary international education (Murray-García & Tervalon, 2017).…”