Bridging Cultures in a Globalized World: Concepts, Frameworks, and Intercultural Competence Assessment

ABSTRACT This article aims to explore the history of conceptualizing intercultural competence (IC) and presents a newly designed IC assessment integrated with items from a Korean language course textbook in a U.S. postsecondary context. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, language learners need to develop intercultural skills to communicate effectively. IC is typically defined as one’s engagement to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively across diverse intercultural contexts. Thus, it is important for second language (L2)/foreign language instructors to understand IC to foster these skills among language learners. This article examines the historical development of IC, introduces widely recognized frameworks and methods for assessing IC, and offers educational insights and guidelines for intercultural education in the context of Korean language education in the United States.