STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 1

Investigating the Correlation Between Studying Abroad and Intercultural Competence:

A Specific Look at John Carroll University Students

Emily Mastroianni & Maria Pangori

John Carroll University

 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 2

Studying abroad is an opportunity available at many universities and colleges around the

world. In the United States, although this opportunity is readily available, in 2014, only as few as

289,408 students utilized these programs (Clayton & Witherell, 2014). Many students dont

study abroad because they do not realize the many advantages, thus, missing out on several life

changing experiences. According to Goodman (2014), International experience is one of the

most important components of a 21st century education and study abroad should be viewed as an

essential element of a college degree. Learning how to study and work with people from other

countries and cultures also prepares future leaders to contribute to making the world a less

dangerous place (Clayton & Witherell, 2014). In the latter sentence, the idea of intercultural

competence is introduced, which is defined as, the personal ability needed to communicate and

work efficiently in intercultural, everyday and business situations with members of different

cultural groups or in a foreign cultural environment (Behrnd & Porzelt, 2012, p. 214). Today,

many of the international issues such as terrorist attacks, wars, and religious conflicts are all

rooted in the lack of intercultural competence among different societies. Therefore, our research

will focus on the relationship between studying abroad and intercultural competence. The

specific purpose and goal of our research is to see if students who return from studying abroad

come back with a new worldview, and if immersing themselves in a culture completely alien to

their own actually has a relation to their development of intercultural competence. Because we

are investigating and surveying students from our own John Carroll University community, who

either have or have not studied abroad, we will be able to compare and contrast individual

students levels of intercultural competence. This is important because it will allow us to be more

certain about how effective studying abroad is on a students overall ability to interact with other

cultures and whether or not going abroad changes ones level of intercultural competence. This is
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 3

vital to know because if there is a big difference then it is important for John Carroll to promote

studying abroad more than it currently is.

LITERATURE REVIEW

For our study, one of the variables that we are focusing on is intercultural competence, so

in order to gain an understanding of it, it is vital to comprehend where college students stand in

terms of their level of intercultural competence. According to Karnyshev, Karnysheva and

Ivanova (2014), college students levels of intercultural competence are based off of their

interethnic tolerance. Interethnic tolerance stems from interest and personality and, ultimately,

comes down to whether or not the student has determination to learn more about a culture and

wants to be actively involved in the other culture. It is also evident in their research that students

who grow up in a family with at least two or more cultural traditions, and those who have close

relatives of a different ethnicity, have a stronger level of intercultural competence (Karnyshev,

Karnysheva & Ivanova, 2014). Therefore, it is safe to say that intercultural competence is a

highly personal subject.

Although we are focusing on the relationship between those who study abroad and their

level of intercultural competence as a result, Tarrant, Rubbin, and Stoner state that it would be

erroneous to presume that students always gain in intercultural competence simply by studying

outside their nations borders (2014, p. 153). To go along with this statement, Behrnd and

Porzelt (2012) believe that just simply going abroad cannot promise an increased level of

intercultural competence. They elaborate on how all of the following factors- personal issues,

the host culture, the program, and most importantly, the length of time abroad- play a role in the

effectiveness of the trip.

 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 4

Additionally, these researchers stressed that the factor of receiving intercultural training

beforehand and afterwards is, perhaps, the most influential to ones stay abroad because as a

possible supportive factor, it could lead to an even greater increase of intercultural

competence (Behrnd & Porzelt, 2012, p. 222). Ngampornchai and Root (2013) further

emphasize this belief by stating, intercultural learning is enhanced by much more than just

immersion (Ngampornchai & Root, 2013, p. 529). They argue that it may be true that studying

abroad without a doubt enables first-hand experience of cultures, but cultural mentoring

throughout the entire study abroad experience, including pre departure training, support during

the experience, and follow-up is crucial (Ngampornchai & Root, 2013, p. 529). Through

Gullekson and Tuckers (2012) research, although they didnt study intercultural training, they

found that it may be useful to have emotional intelligence training before going abroad. More

specifically, it may be beneficial to provide students with pre-training in emotional awareness

and regulation in order to enhance their abilities to recognize and regulate their emotions while

abroad (Gullekson & Tucker, 2012, p. 173). From studying undergraduate students levels of

emotional intelligence before and after their abroad trips and how these levels related to the

students development while abroad, they found that higher levels of emotional intelligence

decrease ethnocentrism while increasing intercultural competence, thus, increasing overall

international awareness (Gullekson & Tucker, 2012, p. 173). In fact, Kroll and Sunderman

(2009) say, The demands of a study abroad environment for those individuals with cognitive

abilities beneath a certain threshold may be overwhelming (p. 81). By this, they reinforce the

fact that even other certain cognitive resources other than just emotional intelligence such as,

word memory and lexical processing are necessary in order for a student to take full advantage of

their study abroad experience. This study proves this fact by using the example of certain
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 5

individuals, who participate on the same trip, coming back and having complete opposite levels

of second-language abilities.

The researcher Ireland examined something unique compared to all the previous studies

mentioned. He found that even study abroad programs in developed and English-speaking

countries have cultural differences that cannot be overlooked. Even if these differences are not

apparent, in order to fully experience the foreign and learn from it, the student must learn to

identify difference, negotiate it, learn to embrace it, and come to appreciate it (Ireland, 2010, p.

28). Part of learning these differences comes with the education students acquire while abroad:

Believe it or not, independence is a key to this education. Hadis (2005) even found that high

independence leads to higher global-mindedness, which then leads to higher academic focusing

(p. 67).

Our own research will fill in an important gap that these previous studies did not

elaborate on. By interviewing both students who have gone abroad and who havent, we can

determine levels of intercultural competence between both groups of students. Because other

studies didnt consider the intercultural level of those who have not studied abroad, our study

will fill this gap by interviewing an equal number of students from both groups. By establishing

this difference, we can ultimately determine if study abroad is an important factor in a students

worldly orientation.

From the following three research questions, we will be able to make conclusions from

our results:

1. Is there a relationship between the duration abroad and the students intercultural

competence?
2. Is there a difference between the intercultural competence of students that have studied

abroad and students that have not studied abroad?

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3. Is there a difference between males and females in terms of what country they chose to

study abroad in?

METHODS

Our procedure began by selecting 50 participants from the population of John Carroll

University students. Our sample population consisted of two different groups: the first group

comprised of 25 students who have already studied abroad and the second group comprised of 25

students who havent studied abroad. The sampling method we chose was non-random sampling

because the way we obtained our participants did not give all students in the John Carroll

community an equal chance. Specifically, we used two specific non-random sampling types.

First, we utilized snowball sampling when we needed students to refer us to other students who

have studied abroad. Second, convenience sampling, as our main sampling method, allowed us

to obtain such a high response rate since we knew or knew of all the respondents to a certain

degree. We decided to directly distribute our printed surveys personally to each respondent. By

doing so, again, we achieved a high response rate because people feel obligated to complete the

survey when it is personally given to them; distributing surveys online does not have this same

effect, making respondents less likely to completely answer the questions asked.

In our survey, we created three sections: the first section consisting of questions for those

who have studied abroad, the second section consisting of questions for those who havent

studied abroad, and the third section consisting of questions for both groups regarding

intercultural competence. The two overarching constructs for our survey are study abroad and

level of intercultural competence, and our variables were based off of both the constructs and

each separate section. Some of the variables for those who did study abroad include duration of

time abroad, location of the program, proficiency level of second language and pre-study abroad
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 7

training. For those that didnt study abroad, the variables include level of interest to study

abroad in the future, and where they would choose to study. The variables studied for level of

intercultural competence include, level of immersing oneself in a particular culture, level of

effective communication with the other culture, and ones ethnicity and family origin. We used

three types of statistical analysis tests to assess our research: the Correlation Test to answer our

first research question, the T-Test to answer our second research question and the Chi-Square test

the third research question.

RESULTS
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The following are the results after conducting the correlation test, a t-test, and a chi-

square test. The results vary in significance depending on what they each were measuring

RQ1: Is there a relationship between the duration abroad and the students intercultural

Duration Abroad Level of Intercultural Competence

2 3
2 3
2 4
2 3
2 4
2 4
2 4
2 4
2 2
2 4
2 5
2 4
2 4
2 5
2 5
2 5
2 5
2 2
3 5
2 3
2 4
3 5
2 4
2 3
2 3
competence?
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Correlation Test Result:

The correlation coefficient between students duration of time abroad and their level of

intercultural competence was 0.3635. The direction is positive, and it is a weak correlation.

Conclusion:
The results show that the longer the duration that a student studies abroad, the higher their level

of intercultural competence will be and vice versa. Although this relationship may be positive,

the correlation between the two variables is still considered weaker.

RQ2: Is there a difference between the intercultural competence of students that have studied

abroad and students that have not studied abroad?

Studied Abroad Did Not Study Abroad

2 2
2 2
2 2
2 2
1 4
2 2
1 3
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 10

2 2
2 2
2 3
1 2
2 1
2 3
1 1
2 2
1 3
2 3
5 3
1 2
2 4
2 3
2 3
3 2
2 5
2 2

T-Test Results:

The p-value from the t-test is 0.0163.

Country Gender
1 2 Conclusion:
1 2
1 2 Because this value is less that 0.05, the difference between the intercultural
4 2
3 2 competence of students that have studied abroad and students that have not
2 2
2 2 studied abroad is significantly significant. In other words, there is a clear
1 1
distinction between both groups intercultural competence levels.
4 2
1 1
3 2
2 1 RQ3: Is there a difference between males and females in terms of what
1 1
1 2 country they chose to study abroad in?
4 2
1 2
1 2 Key:
1 1 Country:
4 2 1= Italy
2 1 2=London Popular countries
1 1 3=Spain
4 1 4=Other
2 1
1 1
4 1
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Male ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
Female 11
Popular Country 9 10
Other Country 2 4

Chi-Square Results:

The p-value from the Chi-Square test is .5460.

Conclusion:
Since this p-value is much higher than the conventional criteria (.05), we cannot claim that a
students gender plays a role in whether he or she chooses to study abroad with a popular
program or another program.
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 12

DISCUSSION

Research question 2, regarding the difference between the intercultural competence of

students that have studied abroad and students that have not studied abroad, directly addresses

our two main constructs. Therefore, because it was statistically significant, we can conclude that

these difference are evident and have importance. From our data, focusing on a survey question

that focused on how involved in another culture one is, it was clearly evident that those who did

study abroad strongly agreed to feeling more comfortable interacting with other cultures more

often than those who did not study abroad. The number of respondents who simply agreed was

still higher for those that studied abroad. Another outstanding factor was that when comparing
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 13

who responded with not sure and lower. There was only two respondents who studied abroad

and felt that way compared to 11 respondents who did not study abroad and felt that way.

Although we found that the higher levels of intercultural competence seemed to coincide with

those that studied abroad and vice versa, Behrnd and Porzely (2012) believe: that just simply

going abroad cannot promise an increased level of intercultural competence. In general, studying

abroad will change someones outlook on other cultures, but we need to be careful when making

a generalization. Since the sample group consists of all college students, there is no certainty in

students self-determined intercultural level. Because the majority of students only spend 1-6

months abroad, this short duration cannot determine an intercultural level. As it was stated in the

results of our correlation test, it may be true that, the longer time abroad (in our case about 1-6

months), the higher your intercultural competence, but this does not actually represent a long

period of time, when viewing the entirety of someones life. College students have many more

opportunities besides a few months abroad to increase their intercultural competence level.

When defining intercultural competence, Karnyshev, Karnysheva and Ivanova (2014)

state that college students levels of intercultural competence is based on the degree to which

they are actively involved in the culture of their study abroad program. Our results corresponded

with this assumption. When asking those who have studied abroad the extent to which they

established relationships with the locals, tried authentic food, explored the city, and became

accustomed to daily life, we found that, generally, the students were actively involved. This

reinforces the idea that those who study abroad, and are actively involved in the new culture

prove to strengthen their intercultural competence.

Behrnd & Porzelt also emphasized that a pre-study abroad training program is very

influential to ones stay abroad, which in return, could affect their level of intercultural
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 14

competence. From our data, only 44% of respondents said that were involved in any pre-study

abroad training, which is not a lot. This shows that there should be more of a focus on providing

pre-study abroad programs at John Carroll to improve the students overall experience.

However, this low level of students who claimed to have undergone pre-study abroad training

could be a result of poor wording or misinterpretation of the survey question.

When looking at the results of the comparison of the proficiency level with the countys

language before and after the study abroad program, we generally found that although the level

never worsened, there was only a slight improvement in the level. However, because most

proficiency levels did increase, even if it was only by a small degree, it shows that studying

abroad effectively strengthens second language capabilities, thus, overall increasing intercultural

competence.

CONCLUSION

The goal of our research is to understand the relationship between studying abroad and

ones level of intercultural competence. By considering the research and results of previous

studies and then conducting our own survey for the John Carroll student community, we found

results that generally supported that studying abroad and intercultural competence work hand and

hand. However, fully understanding this relationship requires much more extensive research than

what we were able to conduct. Specifically, after conducting our research, we concluded that

there are a few components of the survey that could be improved for further studies.

First of all, although we surveyed an equal amount of students who did not study abroad

and those who did, we did not survey an equal number of male and females. Secondly, our
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 15

sample size, of 50 students, cannot accurately provide the information on a subject as broad as

studying abroad and levels of intercultural competence. Regarding the questions on intercultural

competence, we feel that because students were self-determining their own level, there could

have been bias. If we constructed more questions in a manner that did not force them to

subjectively determine their own level, the competence levels would be more accurate. Also, in

general, we after looking back on our survey, we found many of our questions to be very broad.

Because we did not make things very specific, people could have misinterpreted what we were

striving to ask.

In regards to the uniqueness of our study, we could have put more of a focus on

connecting respondents ethnicities with whether they studied abroad or not or where they went.

If we emphasized this more, we could have determined if the factor of ones ethnicity supports

Karnyshev, Karnysheva & Ivanovas (2014) findings that students who grow up in a family with

at least two or more cultural traditions, and those who have close relatives of a different

ethnicity, have a stronger level of intercultural competence.

Although there were several factors that needed improvement or that we could have

expanded on, overall, our research confirmed that there is a relationship between studying abroad

and intercultural competence. The T-Test, specifically, established that since there is a clear

distinction between both groups (those that have studied abroad and those that have not studied

abroad) and their intercultural competence levels, we can conclude that studying abroad

generally has a positive influence on students.

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Dear John Carroll Student,

1) The purpose of this survey is to define the relationship between studying abroad and the
intercultural competence of students.
The information you give us will be used to allow us to collect data, analyze it, and present the
findings to our Communication Research class.
Please answer the questions as honestly as you can. There are no right or wrong answers.
2) You can refuse to participate or stop participation at any time if the questions make you feel
uncomfortable.
3) Your answers are confidential. You will not be identified when we analyze the results and
present them.
4) The researcher(s) conducting this study is/are Maria Pangori and Emily Mastroianni. If you
have questions you may contact them at mpangori17@jcu.edu & emastroianni17@jcu.edu.
If you have questions about the rights and welfare of research participants please contact the
John Carroll University Institutional Review Board Administrator at (216) 397-1527.

Thank you for participating in this survey!

 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 17

STATEMENT OF CONSENT
I have read and understand the information above and I willingly give my consent to participate
in this research study. I am 18 years of age or older.
Name (Please Print): ____________________________________________
Signature: ______________________________
Date: _________________________

A COPY OF THIS CONSENT IS BEING PROVIDED FOR YOUR RECORDS

1. Have you studied abroad?

Yes No

**If YES continue answering questions #2-10

**If NO skip to question number #11

2. In what country did you study abroad?

______________________________________________________________________

3. Approximately how long was your time abroad?

Less than a month 1-6 months 7-12 months Longer than 1

year

4. What were your living conditions while abroad?

Homestay Dorm or Apartment Other _________

5. Indicate your proficiency level with the countrys language BEFORE the program
Fluent __1__ __2__ __3__ __4__ Poor

6. Indicate your familiarity with the countrys language AFTER the program
Fluent __1__ __2__ __3__ __4__ Poor
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 18

7. Were you involved in any pre-study abroad training before you left?

Yes No

8. Did you take any classes that regarded the culture of the country/city during your stay?

Yes No

9. Rank each of the following statements based on how well you did each (1= very well 4=
not well)
I established a relationship or relationships with the locals.
1 2 3 4
I tried different, authentic food often.
1 2 3 4
I explored the city I was living in on my own time.
1 2 3 4
I became accustomed to daily life in this country.
1 2 3 4

10. How much do you believe you took away from your study abroad experience?

More than I expected A lot Some Very Little Nothing

*Now skip ahead to question #14

_________________________________________________________________________
_
(FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT STUDIED ABROAD)

11. Since you did not study abroad, what is your interest level in studying abroad in the
future?

Highly Interested Somewhat Interested Not Sure Little Interest No Interest

12. Do you plan to study abroad? If yes/no, why?

Yes No
_________________________________________________________________________

13. If you had the chance, which country would you pick to study abroad in?

_________________________________________________________________________
_
(FOR ALL)

14. Intercultural competence is the personal ability needed to communicate and work
efficiently in intercultural, everyday and business situations with members of different
cultural groups or in a foreign cultural environment.
How would you rate your level of intercultural competence? (1-very low & 5 -very high)
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 19

1 2 3 4 5

15. Rate how much you agree with this statement:

I am a worldly person who is in touch with other cultures other than my own.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree

16. Do you practice a certain ethnic tradition on a regular basis?

Yes No

17. Who would you be more likely to hangout with?

A. Students with the same culture
B. International students with a different culture
C. Both

18. How comfortable are you interacting with people of different cultures?

Very comfortable __1___ ___2___ __3___ __4___ Uncomfortable

19. How important do you think studying abroad is to a college education in todays
society?

Vital __1__ ___2__ __3__ __4__ Not Important

20. What is your gender?

Male Female

21. What is your year in school?

A. Freshman
B. Sophomore
C. Junior
D. Senior

22. Explain your ethnic make-up or what ethnicity you most associate yourself with:
(ex: I am half Ukrainian and half Italian)

_____________________________________________________________________

Thank you!
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References

Behrnd, V., & Porzelt, S. (2012). Intercultural competence and training outcomes of students
with experiences abroad. International Journal Of Intercultural Relations, 36(2), 213-22.

Gullekson, N. L., & Tucker, M. L. (2012). An Examination of the Relationship between

Emotional Intelligence and Intercultural Growth for Students Studying Abroad. Journal Of The
Academy Of Business Education, 13162-178.

Hadis, B. F. (2005). Why Are They Better Students when They Come Back? Determinants of
Academic Focusing Gains in the Study Abroad Experience. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary
Journal Of Study Abroad, 1157-70.

Ireland, C. (2010). Learning to Identify the Foreign in Developed Countries: The Example of
Ireland. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal Of Study Abroad, 1927-45.

Karnyshev, A. D., Karnysheva, O. A., & Ivanova, E. A. (2014). College Students' Intercultural
Competence and Interethnic Tolerance. Russian Education & Society, 56(9), 3-26.

Root, E., & Ngampornchai, A. (2013). I Came Back as a New Human Being: Student
Descriptions of Intercultural Competence Acquired Through Education Abroad Experiences.
Journal Of Studies In International Education, 17(5), 513-532.

Sunderman, G., & Kroll, J. F. (2009). When Study-Abroad Experience Fails to Deliver: The
Internal Resources Threshold Effect. Applied Psycholinguistics, 30(1),
79-99.
 STUDYING ABROAD & INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 22

Tarrant, M. A., Rubin, D. L., & Stoner, L. (2014). The Added Value of Study Abroad: Fostering a
Global Citizenry. Journal Of Studies In International Education, 18(2), 141-161.

Witherell, S., & Clayton, E. (2014, November 17). Open Doors 2014: International Students in
the United States and Study Abroad by American Students are at All-Time High. February 18,
2015.