The impact of global-intercultural competence and social capital on students’ motivation to participate in exchange programs: A PLS-SEM approach

The current study investigated the correlation between cross-cultural competence, global competence, social capital, and their incidence in exchange motivation of students in the framework of national and international exchange programs. The study used a modified tool from a recognized framework. G*Power was used to select 303 students from 501 total population from Indonesia and the Philippines. A higher-order causal model was proposed following the partial least squares (PLS) method of structural equation models. The latent factor, global competence, was a higher-order factor containing the lower-order factors of global knowledge, global skills, and global skills. The main result was that cross-cultural competence, global competence, and social capital explained 70.10% of students’ exchange motivation variance. Specifically, we found a substantial link between global competence, social capital, and student motivation. Personal values also affected cross-cultural competence, emphasizing the value of culture in exchange programs. This study underscores the importance of global competency, personal values, and structured social networks in student involvement. The findings can help higher education institutions improve exchange programs by emphasizing intercultural learning and personal values. Future studies should examine additional factors that boost student motivation.