Students on the Move: Assessing Intercultural Competence of American Study Abroad Sojourners in Japan and Korea

Supporting study abroad programs’ overarching objective of producing global citizens is the goal of developing intercultural competence through participants’ interactions with people of different cultures. Asserting the correlation between intercultural competence and acculturation, this study aims to measure the cultural competence of our Japan-Korea study abroad participants who were classified according to ethnicity, gender, and previous language (Japanese or Korean) experience. A modification of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale measured participants’ intercultural competence level pre- and post-study abroad to ascertain the effects of those interactions on their intercultural competence. We found statistically significant effects on cultural behaviors of in-country immersion and significant relationships between gender, ethnicity, and target language experience and intercultural competence, suggesting the benefits of understanding students’ backgrounds in developing programs that more effectively promote global awareness and intercultural competence. Recommendations are proposed to assist study abroad program developers in creating more constructive, successful programs, and ultimately more culturally competent global citizens.