Intercultural competence refers to productive functioning in a cross-cultural context, appropriate thinking, action, communication, and working with people from various cultural backgrounds regardless of whether it is a domestic or international level. The world is increasingly becoming globalized as people from different cultures and nations have different beliefs, experiences, and values more likely to interact (UNESCO, 2013), making intercultural competence a critical aspect. Intercultural competence is an element of related concepts such as graduate attributes, global citizenship, global employability, global expertise, employability skills, and education for sustainable development. It is important to note that the significant basis of all the concepts is their recognition of globalization as a force that initiates and influences change in every element of the modern world, which is vital for students to engage and act at a global level. While intercultural competence remains a critical element for graduates to fit in a globalized world, university staff play a significant role in supporting the development of intercultural competence among students.
Importance of intercultural competence
Intercultural competence is concerned with how various attitudes and skills affect communication among people from diverse cultural backgrounds (Krajewski, 2011). Intercultural competence is particularly significant in education because it allows appropriate and effective communication with students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Intercultural competence does not mean that an individual abandons their cultural affiliations or identifications. Neither does it, prompt individuals, into adopting beliefs, cultural practices, values, and discourses of other cultures (UNESCO, 2013). Instead, intercultural competence encourages openness to, curiosity about, and developing interest in people from different cultures while understanding, and interpreting their beliefs, values, practices, and discourses. Intercultural competence allows appropriate and effective interactions and cooperation among in disregard to cultural difference and otherness. Also, intercultural competence, through cultural interactions, provides useful lessons and reflections on the cultural affiliations of other people. Intercultural competence allows the acquisition of more critical awareness and an understanding of one’s cultural positioning, beliefs, and values through comparison and about other people’s cultures. As such, intercultural competence allows one to understand themselves and others appropriately.
Additionally, intercultural competence is vital because it acknowledges and allows a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between other people’s languages and cultures hence noting the differences between intercultural competence and language competence. Language competence enables one to understand the cultural perspectives and beliefs and practices to which they are linked (Pinto, & Lukesova, 2018). Therefore, language competence plays a significant role in the interaction among people from different cultures. In other words, intercultural competence alone is not enough to guarantee a fruitful cross-cultural conversation. Therefore, education plays a significant role in developing intercultural competence and dialogue by addressing inequalities alongside structural disadvantages to eliminate discrimination and remedy institutional weaknesses. Education brings people from various cultures together, bringing different cross-cultural experiences together to learn and appreciate one another.
Developing intercultural competence among students
There are various ways in which students can establish intercultural competence within and without their learning institutions. Formal education includes planned learning outcomes whose definitions are based on the aspects of intercultural competence (Gregersen-Hermans, 2017). Institutions of the higher learning plan and develop intercultural competence among learners based on an explicit and hidden curriculum that all staff share regardless of their level of differences in terms of cultural practices and beliefs. One way in which students develop intercultural competence is through experience. In that regard, students use their perspectives to experience people’s actions, interactions, and communications to develop attitudes of curiosity, openness, and respect, thereby acquiring knowledge of other cultural affiliations and orientations. Secondly, learners are exposed to an environment that consists of various cultures from around the world. Consequently, students can understand and respect people with different cultural affiliations (Gregersen-Hermans, 2017). In such circumstances, students compare what they are familiar with what they are unfamiliar with and evaluate the latter as something strange or even worse. Lastly, students develop intercultural competence by analyzing the explanations behind different and similar beliefs, practices, and values that people with different cultural affiliations share within the school.
University staff and intercultural competence
Intercultural competence is an essential skill for university staff interested in profoundly supporting and affirming the diversity among students in their institutions (Gregersen-Hermans, 2017). As a result, university staff provides opportunities for students to learn through experience. Students interact with university staff through face-to-face interactions during activities in and out of class, and games or correspondence. During such communications, university staff help students to develop attitudes and skills that enable the learners to accommodate other people’s cultural practices and values. For instance, a history teacher is likely to plan activities or dramatic reconstructions to make learners look at things from a multiperspective angle (Krajewski, 2011). The arising comparison and analysis provide university staff with the opportunity to challenge the learners’ assumptions and are better positioned to intercultural competence among learners.
Apart from providing opportunities for students to learn about intercultural competence through experience, they also assist learners in understanding other cultures (UNESCO, 2013). In doing so, university staff encourages students to examine the similarities and differences across cultures to understand better and appreciate their diversity and their ability to work together in harmony. In other words, university staff point students to the direction in which the learners do not judge, and instead take the perspective of the other people and look at themselves in the way the other people would see them. As such, university staff encourage students to understand how it is possible to rearrange what is reasonable to them. It becomes unattractive from another person’s perspective and vice-versa. By cultivating such an understanding among students, university staff highlights the differences and similarities among different cultures, which encourages learners to reflect on and consciously compare their attitudes and values with those from other cultures to realize how best they can construct the other.
Also, university staff help students analyze and reflect on the rationale behind certain beliefs, practices, and values that might have hidden meaning. Through analysis, university staff can help learners analyze the reason that people behave in a particular way, for instance, by carefully applying inquiry-based approaches to discuss and explain certain behaviors or actions (Reid, S., & Spencer-Oatey, 2012). More importantly, the university staff can reflect on the actors and students to question their beliefs, values, and practices. Consequently, students not only reflect but also develop critical awareness and understand the rationale behind specific actions and behaviors (Pinto, & Lukesova, 2018). They relate with theirs for a comprehensive understanding, highlighting the role of university staff in facilitating intercultural competence among learners.
Conclusion
The meaning and significance of intercultural competence is not a new phenomenon and remains a critical factor in understanding how people behave and act in specific ways. Through cross-cultural competence, people can interact and communicate appropriately regardless of their linguistic and cultural differences. Intercultural competence bridges the gap between diversity and inclusion besides playing a pivotal role in creating a conducive and welcoming learning environment. Intercultural competence is essential to students and thus develops through various means such as experience, comparison, and analysis. At the same time, university staff help learners make sense of what the actions and behaviors of other people mean in their context. Therefore, there is a need to enhance intercultural competence among learners in higher institutions.