Psychometric tools for assessing intercultural communicative competence: a case study for evaluating ICC in Kazakhstan

Background The aim of the study was to adopt and validate psychometric instruments for assessing intercultural communicative competence and to examine the relationship between intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and English language proficiency among bachelor’s degree students at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU). The study is based on Bennett’s (1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) and Byram’s (1997) model of intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Methods A mixed-method approach was used, involving a Likert-scale questionnaire, situational case studies, and an ICC knowledge test. The sample consisted of 118 students aged between 18 and 25 years ( M = 3.54, SD = 0.61 on the ICC scale). The qualitative component of the research involved 28 English language instructors, who participated only in interviews aimed at exploring viewpoints on language evaluation, assessment of intercultural competence, and usage of psychometric tools. Reliability (Cronbach’s alpha), construct validity, and factor analysis were performed. This structure was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indices ( χ 2 /df = 2.31, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.067, SRMR = 0.056). Conclusion The results indicate a statistically significant moderately positive correlation between ICC and English language proficiency, suggesting that linguistic competence and intercultural competence may develop in parallel.