Enhancing multicultural competence through English education in Chinese higher education: a study on experiential learning, cultural awareness, and communication skills

Globalization has increased the need for people to acquire skills that can enable them to work effectively in a multicultural setting. This study investigates how English education in China prepares university students for multicultural contexts by focusing on communication skills, cultural awareness, and intercultural adaptability. A mixed-methods approach was used, involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection. The research applied stratified random sampling and snowball sampling. The total sample included 582 participants (467 students and 115 teachers) who responded to the survey, and 84 respondents (55 teachers and 29 students) who had participated in in-depth interviews. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to conduct the quantitative data analysis, and NVivo was used to conduct the qualitative data analysis. The results show that advanced English communication skills enable students to be more effective in different cultural environments; exposure to multicultural content promotes cultural awareness; experiential learning activities improve intercultural communication ability; and digital technology increases engagement with diverse perspectives. This study provides a novel contribution by developing an integrated perspective that links cultural intelligence, experiential learning, and digital interaction within English education to explain how these elements collectively strengthen students’ multicultural competence.