Teachers' views regarding ways in which the intercultural competence of students is developed at an International school in Southeast Asia: a mixed methods study

Abstract

This study is a mixed methods investigation of teachers' views regarding the ways in which the intercultural competence (ICC) of students is developed at an international school in Southeast Asia. To gather data for the study a survey was administered to approximately 90 teachers in the high school section of an international school in Asia to which forty-six teachers responded. The statistical software SPSS was used to analyze the survey data. In addition, nine teachers were interviewed and administered the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Demographic data were also gathered. The results of the study indicate that, in the view of teachers, there are four primary ways that the intercultural competence of students is developed at an international school in Southeast Asia: 1) By spending time with students of other nationalities, 2) The way in which the curriculum is taught in the classroom, 3) By a school environment that is supportive of cultural diversity and 4) By being proficient in English. Results of the IDI show that the nine teachers to whom it was administered had a group Developmental Score that fell within the range of low Minimization, indicating a more ethnocentric world-view, which is consistent with other studies investigating the intercultural competence of teachers in K-12 settings. Teachers whose Developmental Scores fell within Polarization focused on student nationality, culture and difference to a greater extent than those whose Developmental Scores fell within Minimization. These finding indicate that teachers believe immersion in cultural difference is sufficient for the intercultural competence of students to develop, however a growing body of literature points out that this is not the case. The IDI results indicate that teachers may not be prepared to be cultural mentors. There is a need for increased focus on intercultural competence in leadership and professional development programs in K-12 settings, as well as further research into the outcomes of curricular and co-curricular programs in international schools.