Developing and Validating an Intercultural Student Experience Scale Using Structural Equation Modeling

This study proposes and validates a culturally responsive instrument for assessing Student Experience (SX) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Guided by Customer Experience (CX) theory and Hofstede’s cultural framework, we drafted a thirty-item scale: nine educational, seven social, three personal, and twelve cultural items spanning Indulgence–Restraint, Individualism–Collectivism, Masculinity–Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long- versus Short-Term Orientation, and Power Distance. Undergraduate respondents from universities with contrasting cultural profiles completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analyses affirmed a three-dimensional SX structure (Educational, Social, Personal) and six first-order cultural dimensions. A hierarchical second-order Structural Equation Model (SEM) linked the higher-order construct Cultural Aspects (CA) to the higher-order construct SX. The path from CA to SX emerged positive and statistically relevant, indicating that national-culture orientations systematically color students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral evaluations of institutional touchpoints. The scale enables researchers and academic managers to pinpoint SX gaps, benchmark performance internationally, and design culturally congruent and sustainability-aligned interventions. The article deepens theoretical understanding of how culture shapes service perceptions in global HEIs by explicitly integrating cultural theory and cultural studies into SX evaluation.