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Students are unable to view each other's VR content created with 360-degree video technology using head-mounted displays and discuss it in real-time. This limitation may confine the application of 360-degree video technology in the field of intercultural learning to merely passive observation of cultural content on individual devices, thereby preventing simultaneous, interactive peer discussions about each other's VR content, crucial for enriching intercultural learning experiences. Therefore, we aimed to address this issue in the present study by developing an interactive VR learning environment with such elements as (a) 360-degree video camera for creating cultural content, (b) 360-degree video viewing tool for viewing the created content, and (c) online video conference platform, enabling students to watch each other's VR content and communicate about it simultaneously. We explored the feasibility of using such environment to facilitate cross-cultural competence development of students in a learning activity. To this end, we recruited 31 university students from China and Indonesia for this study. In this research, we explored whether the learning activity supported by technology can help to develop cross-cultural competence of the participants, types of interaction behavior among them, and the relationship between interactive behavior and cross-cultural competence. Finally, how the participants perceive the technology-supported cross-cultural learning activity was also investigated. The findings revealed that the activity was beneficial for the development of cross-cultural competence which was significantly improved. Guided by related research, the interactive behavior of students was categorized as cognitive, emotional, and social. Our results showed that only cognitive and emotional interactive behavior had relationship with student intercultural competence. Finally, the students positively perceived the activity because it was beneficial for cross-cultural learning. Our findings can be useful for educators and researchers in designing interactive learning activities in VR contexts, which have been found to impact students' cross-cultural competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's interconnected world, cross-cultural competence is essential for students' success. This article investigates how educational interventions foster this crucial skill. Using a mixed-meta research method, the study combines a meta-analysis of 16 quantitative studies (12,800 participants) with a meta-thematic analysis of 7 qualitative studies. The meta-analysis examines the impact of cross-cultural competence on academic achievement, considering variables like class size, intervention duration, and student levels. The qualitative analysis identifies themes of competence effectiveness, sensitivity, and awareness. Together, these findings highlight the positive impact of targeted interventions on enhancing students' cross-cultural competence, offering valuable insights for educators aiming to prepare students for a globalized society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the capacity of video-streamed content related to intangible cultural heritage (ICH) associated with Chinese ethnic minorities to enhance cross-cultural competence and perceptions about ethnic minority communities among users from China's ethnic majority. Moreover, the research examined how users' motivations and demographic factors moderate these relations. Utilizing a quantitative online questionnaire to examine video-streaming users in China, the research employed linear regression and hierarchical regression analyses to test these relationships. The findings indicated that cross-cultural attitudes and skills served as positive predictors of participants' affinity for ethnic minorities, suggesting more favorable cross-cultural attitudes and skills led to more liking of ethnic minorities. However, these factors did not forecast stereotypical perceptions of ethnic minorities. Notably, crosscultural knowledge was found to have no predictive capability regarding either affinity or stereotypical perceptions. Furthermore, user motivations to use live-streamed ICH content, specifically amotivation and regulation, were found to significantly moderate the connections between cross-cultural competence and attitudes toward ethnic minorities. In other words, participants who perceived the benefits of using live-streamed ICH content contributed to the relationships. These findings provide substantial insight into the complex interrelationship between digital media use, cross-cultural competence, and interethnic attitudes in China's context. The study highlights the ability of video-streamed ICH content to foster positive interethnic relations while unpacking subtle influences of user motivation in the process. The findings presented here may guide the development of approaches aimed at utilizing digital platforms to enhance cultural comprehension and mitigate stereotypes within multicultural communities internationally, thus enriching the overarching discussion regarding the influence of digital media on the formation of cross-cultural perceptions and interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Department of Defense has failed to distinguish and sustain cultural education relative to foreign language and regional expertise, putting servicemembers at a competitive disadvantage in developing skills to engage other cultures. This article draws on recent retrospective publications and multidisciplinary social science perspectives but goes beyond them to argue for social science approaches to culture, department-wide efforts to revive culture education, and an improved transition of sociocultural research to practice. Policy and military practitioners will benefit from understanding how culture-general skills complement other important skills in the human domain and from implementing its recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Changes in Polish demographic data with a growing number of culturally and linguistically diverse patients stipulate new directions in medical education to prepare future physicians to work effectively across cultures. However, little is known about Polish medical students’ willingness to gain cross-cultural knowledge and skills, desire to get engaged in interactions with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, expectations and needs concerning cross-cultural training as well as challenges they face in the path to cultural competence. Methods Therefore, in this study, we conducted and thematically analysed fifteen semi-structured interviews with medical students to broaden our understanding of medical students’ perception of cross-cultural competence enhancement. Results The conducted thematic analysis allowed for the development of four themes, which showed that Polish medical students perceived skills and knowledge necessary to facilitate culturally congruent care as indispensable to form quality patient-doctor relations, believed that lack of cultural sensitivity may lead to dangerous stereotype formation and insufficient competence may be the source of stress and anxiety resulting in confusion and lack of confidence. Finally, numerous suggestions have been made by participants on how to improve their cross-cultural competence. Students emphasized, however, the role of medical education with active and experiential learning methods, including simulation-based training, in the process of equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide best quality care to culturally diverse patients. Conclusions Our analysis indicated that Polish medical students seem to hold positive attitudes towards cultural competence development and view it as an important component of physician professionalism.

The relevance of the research is in the necessity to solve the problems of providing citizens of friendly countries with the means of teaching Russian language, corresponding to modern educational standards, and ensuring knowledge acquisition for successful intercultural communication. Such a tool is the nationally oriented linguistic and country studies learner’s dictionary (NOLCSLD) for Vietnamese citizens learning Russian. The aim of the study is to develop the concept of NOLCSLD, considering the specifics of the addressee's native culture. The bifunctional Dictionary, on the one hand, explains the cultural semantics of nominative units of the Russian language in relation to their equivalents in Vietnamese linguistic culture, and on the other hand, includes a certain set of precedent units reflecting the peculiarities of the Russian linguistic culture, contributes to the formation of cross-cultural communication. The material was obtained in the experiment and includes proverbs, sayings, winged expressions, quotations from prose and poetry, movies, and cartoons. There were 655 units in total. The respondents were 60 students of 2-4 courses and 15 teachers of the Philological Faculty of Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. The research methods were empirical survey in its pilot version, generalization, systematization, structuring; descriptive and comparative methods. The research confirmed that the consciousness of a Russian linguistic culture representatives contains a certain number of precedent units - a part of their “cognitive base”. The units are characterized by nationalcultural meaning, identifying “password function” in the line “own - foreign” and participation in speech generation. There were 82 relevant units. Thus, the conducted research confirmed the necessity of including the article material into the structure of the future NOLCSLD for Vietnamese students studying Russian in Vietnam.

Background: Changes in Polish demographic data with a growing number of culturally and linguistically diverse patients stipulate new directions in medical education to prepare future physicians to work effectively across cultures. However, little is known about Polish medical students' willingness to gain cross-cultural knowledge and skills, desire to get engaged in interactions with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, expectations and needs concerning cross-cultural training as well as challenges they face in the path to cultural competence. Methods: Therefore, in this study, we conducted and thematically analysed fifteen semi-structured interviews with medical students to broaden our understanding of medical students' perception of cross-cultural competence enhancement. Results: The conducted thematic analysis allowed for the development of four themes, which showed that Polish medical students perceived skills and knowledge necessary to facilitate culturally congruent care as indispensable to form quality patient-doctor relations, believed that lack of cultural sensitivity may lead to dangerous stereotype formation and insufficient competence may be the source of stress and anxiety resulting in confusion and lack of confidence. Finally, numerous suggestions have been made by participants on how to improve their cross-cultural competence. Students emphasized, however, the role of medical education with active and experiential learning methods, including simulation-based training, in the process of equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide best quality care to culturally diverse patients. Conclusions: Our analysis indicated that Polish medical students seem to hold positive attitudes towards cultural competence development and view it as an important component of physician professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalization and the concomitant flow of cultural diversity often associated with it are highly prized by universities; many tertiary institutions claim internationalization of the campus, the curriculum, research, and the student body as a major goal, a key performance indicator. However, in the current climate of global international education, overseas student integration and their adjustment difficulties into the life of the host country are often posited as personal failures, and international education scholarship focuses heavily on the failure of international students to integrate into host societies. We question the assumptions underpinning the tendency of universities to link internationalization to the development of interculturality across the campus through bringing together students from different national backgrounds. The belief is that students seek such interactions; internationalization could be achieved through such simplistic practices; this assumption needs empirical scrutiny. In this focused study, we report the motivations and experiences of 24 Chinese international students in an Australian university. A significant majority of the participants reported little interest in intercultural interactions with both host national students and other international students outside their own cultural groups. For those who have hopes of becoming some form of "global citizen," the experiences of these Chinese students suggest that cross-cultural communication is not as successful as hoped in the spaces of encounters, including classrooms, university student accommodation, and social activities out of the classrooms. The voices of these students suggest the need for intervention in the realization of the internationalization vision held by most universities and a reframing of goals and practices to narrow the breach between lofty rhetoric and the practice of international education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the process of developing intercultural and linguistic competence among students in pedagogical universities in Kazakhstan. Among the country's rich ethnicities and languages spread across the country, the study examines the multiple challenges and opportunities faced in building cross-cultural understanding among students. The main focus of the research is the development of cross-cultural competence within Kazakhstan's educational field. The article emphasizes the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity as a foundation for development of intercultural sensitivity and dialogue. By exploring the intersection of cultural diversity and educational practices, the study explains key strategies for integrating intercultural competence into Kazakhstan's education system. Through a comprehensive analysis of socio-cultural dynamics and educational initiatives, the article offers insights into the effective development of intercultural competence among students, thus equipping them with essential skills to navigate and succeed in a globally interconnected landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background To provide better quality healthcare services to patients with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, the cross-cultural competence of medical professionals is important. However, assessing and improving the cross-cultural competence of healthcare professionals is difficult in Japan, as there is no standardized scale to measure the competence. This study’s purpose was to translate the Cross-Cultural Competence instrument for Healthcare Professionals (CCCHP), which was developed and used in Europe, and to examine its reliability and validity among Japanese nurses. Methods During June and July 2021, nursing staff were invited to take web- and paper-based surveys in Okinawa Japan. The CCCHP (five-factor model with 27 items across motivation, attitude, skills, emotion, and knowledge) was translated using a combination translation method, and a five-point Likert scale was used for responses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and known-group method were used to examine structural validity, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to test reliability. Results A total of 294 responses were analyzed; 77.2% had more than five years of experience. Since the fit index indicated that the five-factor model was not a good fit, it was modified to a four-factor model (J-CCCHP24) by moving three variables, removing the knowledge factor, and using the error covariance of the variables. The fit index after the modification was improved to comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.91, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.06, and Cronbach’s alpha was 0.85. The mean scores of J-CCCHP24 were significantly higher in the group with a history of overseas travel, higher foreign language skill, training in intercultural care, experience of foreign patient care, and intercultural interactions outside the workplace than in the group without these characteristics. Conclusion This study confirmed the validity and reliability of the modified Japanese version of the CCCHP (four-factor model with 24 items). The results suggest that the exposure to different cultures on a personal level may help improve nurses' cross-cultural competence. Further refinement of this scale for practical use would encourage the implementation of necessary countermeasures to improve the cross-cultural competence of Japanese healthcare professionals.

This scientific article focuses on cross-cultural competence in education, highlighting the interdependent relationship between language proficiency and intercultural understanding. The authors synthesize theoretical foundations and pedagogical techniques to reveal the multifaceted aspects of integrating cross-cultural nuances into language education. The study presents cross-cultural competence as an essential element of effective communication in a globalised world, rather than a secondary skill. The authors use a holistic approach to examine the complexities of pedagogical strategies that aim to develop cross-cultural communicative competence. These concepts involve the use of innovative technologies and multimedia resources to overcome traditional educational frameworks and model authentic cross-cultural encounters. The article examines the challenges associated with developing flexible competences. The intangible nature of cultural norms and the diversity of students' biographies complicate the process of building soft skills. The article concludes by offering recommendations for improving cross-cultural education and outlining promising trajectories for future research. This study contributes to the debate on the proposed interdisciplinary approach to building cross-cultural competence, combined with the integration of new technologies, which heralds a new era in pedagogy.

Purpose: This study investigates the interplay among curriculum internationalization, service learning, intercultural communication skills, institutional support, and teachers' cross-cultural competence. It specifically assesses how curriculum internationalization and service learning impact teachers' cross-cultural competence, with a focus on the mediating effect of intercultural communication skills and the moderating influence of institutional support. A qualitative methodology was utilized, involving 24 semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers in China. Thematic analysis was performed in three phases to uncover patterns and themes pertinent to the research objectives. Data collection continued until saturation was achieved, ensuring comprehensive and insightful findings. Findings: The findings indicate substantial relationships among curriculum internationalization, service learning, intercultural communication skills, institutional support, and teachers' cross-cultural competence. Both curriculum internationalization and service learning were found to have a positive effect on teachers' cross-cultural competence, with intercultural communication skills serving as a mediating factor in these relationships. Furthermore, institutional support was recognized as a critical moderating variable that enhances the development and application of intercultural communication skills among teachers. Implications/Originality: This study enriches the literature by elucidating the intricate dynamics between educational practices and teachers' cross-cultural competence. The results offer valuable implications for educational practice and policy, guiding the creation of interventions and strategies designed to enhance intercultural competence among both teachers and students. Furthermore, the research underscores the critical role of institutional support in cultivating inclusive learning environments that embrace and respect cultural diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In today's interconnected and globalised business environment, effective risk management is essential for organisations to achieve sustainable success. However, communication and understanding risks across cultural and linguistic boundaries pose significant challenges. This paper explores the concept of risk language barriers and their impact on corporate management and performance. Purpose: This research examines the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to overcome risk language barriers in a globalised world. By shedding light on the importance of effective risk communication in a diverse and interconnected business environment, the study seeks to provide insights into the significance of addressing these barriers for successful management outcomes. Study design/methodology/approach: The study conducted in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, in February 2023 uses data from in-depth interviews and a focus group to investigate risk language barriers. The participants are women entrepreneurs with prior experience in cross-cultural communication and managing people in different countries, e.g. a Slovenian sales guru with a penchant for transcending borders and a Maltese digital strategist who, through global collaboration and expertise, ensures that every corner of the Slovenian organisation aligns with its overarching goals. Their experiences explore the challenges of risk language and the need for intercultural communication skills. Findings/conclusions: The research findings indicate that addressing risk language barriers is a strategic imperative for achieving successful management outcomes in a globalised business landscape. Overcoming these barriers requires a collaborative and proactive approach to risk communication. Developing intercultural communication skills allows individuals to navigate diverse environments effectively, provides them with more excellent networking opportunities, broadens their horizons, and fosters personal development. Furthermore, managers can strengthen relationships with clients and partners worldwide by addressing risk language barriers effectively. Limitations/future research: The study has limitations regarding its focus on women entrepreneurs. Future research should include diverse demographics and industries, conduct quantitative analyses, and explore technology's role in bridging the risk language gap and associated challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To provide better quality healthcare services to patients with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, the cross-cultural competence of medical professionals is important. However, assessing and improving the cross-cultural competence of healthcare professionals is difficult in Japan, as there is no standardized scale to measure the competence. This study's purpose was to translate the Cross-Cultural Competence instrument for Healthcare Professionals (CCCHP), which was developed and used in Europe, and to examine its reliability and validity among Japanese nurses. Methods: During June and July 2021, nursing staff were invited to take web- and paper-based surveys in Okinawa Japan. The CCCHP (five-factor model with 27 items across motivation, attitude, skills, emotion, and knowledge) was translated using a combination translation method, and a five-point Likert scale was used for responses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and known-group method were used to examine structural validity, while Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to test reliability. Results: A total of 294 responses were analyzed; 77.2% had more than five years of experience. Since the fit index indicated that the five-factor model was not a good fit, it was modified to a four-factor model (J-CCCHP24) by moving three variables, removing the knowledge factor, and using the error covariance of the variables. The fit index after the modification was improved to comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.91, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.06, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.85. The mean scores of J-CCCHP24 were significantly higher in the group with a history of overseas travel, higher foreign language skill, training in intercultural care, experience of foreign patient care, and intercultural interactions outside the workplace than in the group without these characteristics. Conclusion: This study confirmed the validity and reliability of the modified Japanese version of the CCCHP (four-factor model with 24 items). The results suggest that the exposure to different cultures on a personal level may help improve nurses' cross-cultural competence. Further refinement of this scale for practical use would encourage the implementation of necessary countermeasures to improve the cross-cultural competence of Japanese healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College is the property of Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The subject of the study is the identification of cross-cultural features of European business under the influence of the implementation of the Green Deal as the main EU development strategy until 2025. Methodology. The research used general logical and theoretical methods of cognition. The method of analysis and synthesis was used to evaluate the components of intercultural competence for the successful development of eco-business in the EU. The method of analogy was used to find out what is similar and what is different in traditional and environmentally oriented business, which affects the specifics of cross-cultural communication. The theoretical method of generalisation is used to substantiate the content and essence of intercultural competence of environmental business. The method of system analysis was used to construct the author's conceptual model of the formation of intercultural competence of European environmental business. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the peculiarities of environmental cross-cultural management in the activities of European business and the role of cross-cultural competencies in the success of European environmental companies, including Ukrainian business. Results. The article has proved the role of green growth as a dominant concept and concrete policy of the European Union, embodied in the strategy of the EU Green Deal Strategy (GDS). The main sectoral determinants of green growth, reflected in the Green Deal, are defined as forming the field of development of environmental business in the EU. It has been shown that this tendency affects the specifics of cross-cultural communication. The need to build effective cross-cultural communications in the European environmental business under the influence of the Green Deal determinants was analysed and addressed through the strategy of green cross-cultural management. Conclusion. European companies implementing eco-innovative developments are faced with expanding the range of cooperation with various partners, including in the multinational environment of creation, approval, implementation and monitoring of implementation effectiveness. The need to build effective intercultural communication in European eco-business under the influence of the determinants of the Green Deal, taking into account cultural differences in business relations and using the tools of effective intercultural management has been emphasised. The list of criteria for effective communication and structuring of relations in cross-cultural management was determined. The positive relationship between the integration of different cultures in EU enterprises and the growth of their competitiveness is emphasised. The prerequisites for the formation of sustainable cross-cultural competence of a business process participant are proved. Prospects for the development of "green" cross-cultural competences in the European business space are outlined. The cross-cultural competences of the European environmental business are considered from the point of view of ethnorelativism formation. The authors emphasize that intercultural communication in environmental business should take into account the peculiarities of national cultures, which make it understandable for everyone, as well as the values of the Green Planet, which is an objective unifying factor. The basic elements of the green intercultural management strategy for European business are proposed and the main obstacles to the implementation of such management mechanisms in the Ukrainian business environment are identified.

Student affairs professionals must strive to address the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. As such, this review critically examines scholarly research over the last 25 years regarding the concept of cultural competence as it pertains to students, student affairs professionals, and faculty members. This review also develops a critique of the concept of cultural competence and proposes to suspend and replace terms such as cultural competence and multicultural competence with what we refer to as transformative cultural responsiveness(TCR). TCR, as an alternative, centers intersectionality in its conceptualization, and locates students' experiences within a systems analysis of oppression. The article concludes with a discussion of the critical gaps in existing research and the questions that warrant further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'Pedagogical Sciences' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Cross-cultural competence is widely regarded to play an important role in being able to deliver appropriate and effective health care to patients with different backgrounds, race, gender orientation and cultural beliefs. This study aims to assess how medical students feel about their comfort, knowledge, and skill level in handling a diverse patient population using a validated questionnaire. Methods This study was carried out over a period of three weeks from July 5th to July 26th of 2021, in the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. All medical students who fulfilled the eligibility criteria and gave informed consent were included in the study. A modified version of the Harvard cross-cultural care survey was used to assess the medical students’ comfort, knowledge and skill level in a variety of circumstances related to patients with different backgrounds and cultures. Descriptive statistical analysis of the questionnaire items was carried out. We reported frequencies and percentages for gender and year of study. For the questionnaire items, we reported mean, assuming that our Likert scale had equivariant intervals. Furthermore, multivariate analysis between demographics and themes was carried out. A p-value of

The article substantiates the importance of forming prospective English teachers' cross-cultural competence. Nowadays, education focuses on cooperation and establishing cross-cultural relations between the representatives of diverse cultural societies. Therefore, it concentrates on forming a personality capable of absorbing and reproducing verbal and non-verbal information during dialogical communication with foreign negotiators. This paper aims to validate the category "cross-cultural competence of a prospective English teacher," develop its structure and experimentally verify its effectiveness. The study establishes that cross-cultural competence covers linguistic, sociocultural, activity, and axiologically-emotive components. The authors used the following theoretical research methods: analysis of philosophical, lingua didactic literature and scientific studies, synthesis, comparison, concretization; empiric methods: questionnaire-diagnostic (survey, testing, summative assessment, interview); analysis of speech activity products (spoken replies); lecture attendance and analysis; pedagogical experiment; methods of statistical treatment and experimental results analysis. The research on the training peculiarities of future English teachers based on cross-cultural grounds allowed us to conclude that the experimentally-verified methodology is effective. The practical data analysis points out the rise of forming cross-cultural competence levels in the experimental group. The reason is the cultural enrichment of linguistic material and the revelation of contrastive aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution we argue that cross-cultural competence (CCC or 3C) is being an indispensable proficiency in professional work of diplomats worldwide despite any changes that happened in professional interaction due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. It is also suggested that deglobalizing processes significantly strengthened by COVID-19 have made the necessity for specialists professionally involved in international relations to acquire cross-cultural competence even greater than before. The current global situation shows that deglobalization — slowing down of globalization in all spheres of life — is a new reality and it is important to adjust to it as soon as possible. Cross-cultural competence is defined here as a complex of theoretical knowledge and key practical skills enabling to efficiently and successfully communicate with the representatives of different cultures and religious traditions as well as to feel psychologically comfortable in a foreign environment. A reduced number of personal business interactions lead to the urge for their higher efficiency that is supposed to be reflected in a better understanding of the interlocutor’s motivations, stands and reactions. At the same time cultural specifics remains the main factor shaping human communication whether it is conducted offline or online. Today as the tendency to conduct online conferences and meetings increases, we witness an increased need to learn to understand the attitudes of our virtual interlocutors, who are coming from various national cultures and traditions. In the course of online meetings, the necessity to correctly decipher their body language, for example, has decreased — one can hardly see a full figure on the PC screen. And consequently, verbal communication started to prevail over non-verbal one increasing the demand for proper interpretation of words, phrases, tone, mimics and gestures that are still very widely used during virtual communication. The next step would be using the most relevant arguments and approaches to deliver one’s own position and/or opinion. To successfully apply both mechanisms — of receiving messages and replying to them — during communication of people from different national cultures it would require the knowledge of cultural specifics that is provided by cross-cultural competence courses, training, seminars, or any other educational programmes. Programmes in cross-cultural competence are supposed to include at least three following components: 1) regional studies, 2) axiological orientations, 3) models and norms of behavior, while axiological orientations are seen as the most important one. Finally, the conclusion is made about a serious need to include cross-cultural competence programmes into the training of diplomats-to-be at the early stages of their professional education. At the same time, it is highly recommended for professional upgrade of the already serving diplomats worldwide. The methodological approach used in the present research combines content analysis of the post-COVID publications by the leading international experts in the diplomatic field as well as acting diplomats with the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) elaborated by the prominent American sociologist Milton Bennet. The latter is a six-level sсheme, according to which it is possible to figure the level of person’s skillfulness in cross-cultural communication.

As multi/plurilingual research advances understandings of plurilingual speakers' fluid language use, particularly in multilingual settings, new research methods and pedagogical orientations that address this complex phenomenon are needed. The present study considered the development, reliability, and validity of the Plurilingual and Pluricultural Competence (PPC) scale. Informed by sociolinguistics theories in educational linguistics, including plurilingualism and translanguaging, the PPC scale had its content validated by researchers, language teachers and learners. It was then implemented with 379 plurilingual speakers in two multilingual cities in Canada: 129 in Toronto and 250 in Montréal. Exploratory factor analysis examined the factors in the scale and whether PPC referred to language and culture as separate dimensions or, as theoretically suggested, a unidimensional construct. Results reveal PPC as one construct, suggesting that language and culture are interrelated. With 22 items on a 4-point Likert scale, the PPC scale is a new instrument that can be used in future multi/plurilingual research and pedagogy. Its significance lies in that the scale can gather overall trends among plurilinguals' PPC levels, which can have implications for language education, curriculum and policy. Recommendations for future use are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to identify and categorise the criteria-specified instructional approaches to fostering undergraduates' cross-cultural skills involving training them in foreign languages and to evaluate their effectiveness and feasibility. It was a systemic review of the effectiveness type. The descriptive content analysis was used as a methodology within the study to analyse the relevant short-listed sources. The triangular assessment method (TAM) was applied by instructors from Ukraine to rate each approach's/programme/course's potential effectiveness and/or feasibility for the context of higher education in Ukraine. This review identified potentially effective and feasible approaches/programmes/courses that can be converged to produce more efficient instructional models for fostering undergraduates' cross-cultural skills. The selected approaches or courses or programmes could be categorised as technology-driven approaches, approaches based on classroom activities or using specific instruction models, psychological effect-driven approaches, and combined or converged approaches. The use of technology-driven approaches seems to be the emerging instructional trend specifically in training students' cross-cultural skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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استهدفت هذه الدراسة تقديم أساس نظري لموضوع الذکاء الثقافي، وتقييم صلاحية مقياس الذکاء الثقافي (CQS) في سياق بيئة منظمات الأعمال المصرية، وقد تم تطبيق مقياس الذکاء الثقافي (CQS) على عينة مُکَوَّنَة من 66 مديرًا مصريًا يعملون في شرکات دولية في مصر. دعمت نتائج تحليل المُرَکَّبْ التوکيدي (CCA) هيکل الذکاء الثقافي المُکَوَّنْ من أربعة أبعاد: الذکاء الثقافي ما وراء المعرفة، والذکاء الثقافي المعرفي، والذکاء الثقافي الدافعي، والذکاء الثقافي السلوکي، کذلک أشارت النتائج إلى أن مقياس الذکاء الثقافي الذي تم ترجمته إلى اللغة العربية يعتبر أداة موثوقة وصالحة لقياس ذکاء الفرد بين الثقافات. The purpose of this study was to provide a theoretical basis for the subject of cultural intelligence and to assess the cultural intelligence scale (CQS) validity in the Egyptian organizations. The CQS was administered to a sample of 66 Egyptian managers working in international firms in Egypt. Results of a confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) supported the four-factor structure of the CQS: metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral. In addition, the results indicated that the Arabic version of the CQS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring an individual’s intercultural intelligence.

Hingga awal 2021, terdapat 12 misi perdamaian PBB yang dilaksanakan di bawah Department of Peace Operations. Namun demikian, tidak semua misi perdamaian yang pernah dilakukan oleh PBB berhasil. Salah satu contoh misi perdamaian PBB yang dinilai gagal adalah misi United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) I (1992-1993) dan II (1993-1995). Salah satu penyebab kegagalan misi UNOSOM adalah karena misi tersebut tidak dapat menjawab tantangan berupa perbedaan kebudayaan yang ada, baik antar peacekeeper maupun dengan warga lokal. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengelaborasi upaya untuk meningkatkan kecerdasan lintas budaya dan ketahanan bagi peacekeeper dan keluarganya agar misi-misi yang akan dilaksanakan oleh mereka di masa depan dapat menghasilkan outcome yang lebih baik daripada sebelumnya. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian kualitatif. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa kecerdasan budaya dan kompetensi budaya merupakan dua kemampuan penting yang harus dimiliki oleh peacekeeper yang bertugas di lingkungan budaya yang berbeda. Di sisi lain, potensi peacekeeper terpapar stress selama penugasan di wilayah konflik dan dampak negatif yang mungkin dialami keluarga peacekeeper selama ia ditugaskan juga perlu menjadi perhatian, baik bagi PBB maupun negara-negara pengirim peacekeeper. Baik upaya peningkatan kecerdasan budaya, kompetensi lintas budaya hingga ketahanan peacekeeper dan keluarganya dapat dilakukan dengan pelatihan-pelatihan. Namun demikian, diperlukan komitmen dan kemauan politik yang kuat dari para stakeholder terkait agar pelatihan-pelatihan ini dapat dilaksanakan dengan sistematis, komprehensif dan berkesinambungan untuk mendukung berbagai misi perdamaian yang masih dan akan dilaksanakan oleh PBB.

Over the course of 50 years, the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) and its flagship journal, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JCCP), have been lynchpins in the relationship between theory and practice. We provide evidence that cross-cultural psychology, as practiced by members of the IACCP, performs an essential bridging function between theoretical psychology and applied psychology. Employing survey data of IACCP members, bibliometric analyses of core members' publication history, and of the citation patterns of JCCP and other journals, we reveal the extent to which IACCP members contribute to applied psychology and how JCCP contributes to the research published in applied psychology journals. We further review strategies and controversies extant in teaching theoretical and applied cross-cultural psychology to university undergraduate and graduate students in the service of preparing them to live and work in a globalized world. Finally, we look at research traditions, issues, and prospects of a key applied field to which cross-cultural psychology contributes—cross-cultural training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cross-cultural competence is widely regarded to play an important role in being able to deliver appropriate and effective health care to patients with different backgrounds, race, gender orientation and cultural beliefs. This study aims to assess how medical students feel about their comfort, knowledge, and skill level in handling a diverse patient population using a validated questionnaire. Methods: This study was carried out over a period of three weeks from July 5th to July 26th of 2021, in the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. All medical students who fulfilled the eligibility criteria and gave informed consent were included in the study. A modified version of the Harvard cross-cultural care survey was used to assess the medical students' comfort, knowledge and skill level in a variety of circumstances related to patients with different backgrounds and cultures. Descriptive statistical analysis of the questionnaire items was carried out. We reported frequencies and percentages for gender and year of study. For the questionnaire items, we reported mean, assuming that our Likert scale had equivariant intervals. Furthermore, multivariate analysis between demographics and themes was carried out. A p-value of < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: It was found that students of year 5 considered themselves more knowledgeable, comfortable and skilled in dealing with patients of different backgrounds, religions and beliefs compared to students of year 1 and had a higher average score in all of these categories which was statistically significant. Additionally, students who believed it is extremely important to practice medicine with a diverse patient population also had the highest averages in perceived knowledge, comfort and skills in dealing with patients of different sociocultural backgrounds compared to students who believed it wasn't important at all. Conclusion: This is a first of its kind study in a private medical university in Pakistan and highlights the students' self-assessment of their competence when caring for patients from different backgrounds. This study can be used as a reference study in the region to carry out further studies and to assess and improve the gaps in medical training being provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expatriation is still a challenging task, although the determinants of expatriate adjustment and performance have been evaluated extensively. This study aimed to empirically investigate the influence of the expatriates' personality and cross-cultural competence on social capital, cross-cultural adjustment, and performance with expatriates from foreign-owned multination firms in Taiwan. This study integrated three perspectives to explain expatriate success and failure. The first perspective involves expatriate-related factors, including the Big Five personality traits, and the emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) of expatriates. The second perspective is cross-cultural competence factors, including cultural intelligence, cultural adaptability, and cultural empathy. The third perspective is the social capital of expatriates, which includes leader-member exchange (LMX), perceived organizational support (POS). Furthermore, this study incorporated these perspectives into antecedents and identified their individual and combined effects on expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment and performance. The findings of this study may be helpful for human resource managers in managing their expatriates. The findings may also help academicians in exploring expatriate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern educational landscape has been undergoing drastic changes due to the processes of internationalization and transnationalization. Internationalization in higher education is manifold, student academic mobility being one of its manifestations. It is often associated with ERASMUS, the programme that has been implemented in European higher education for almost 30 years. It provides short-term student exchange programmes and involves EU member states as well as other European countries, including Russia. The effect of ERASMUS on higher education of EU countries has been thoroughly studied, while its Russian segment remains a white spot. This article reports on the study done among Russian students who participated in ERASMUS students exchange programmes in 2018–2020 as well as the Russian students educated along with their international colleagues in a home university. The employment of qualitative methods revealed that Russian participants of ERASMUS exchange programmes find them very effective. The most significant benefits include the development of cross-cultural competence as well as professional skills and personal growth. Students working with international participants of ERASMUS programme in a home university were very positive about the experience. Such communication makes the classes interesting, helps Russian students develop understanding of cultural issues, increases their motivation and gives impetus to self-development.

The article deals with the problem of engineer’s professional ethics formation by teaching foreign language (at a technical university). The authors show some considerable disadvantages of the predominant approach presupposing the basic ethical principles translation in isolation from sociocultural specificity of the target-language country and offer a way to make the sociocultural aspect actual. The authors give a suggestion, that the engineer’s professional ethics should be conceptualized and represented as a phenomenon with nationally determined sociocultural distinguishing features, e.g. firstly as a part of professional culture of engineering community in the target-language country and secondly as a part of this country’s nationwide sociocultural experience. The elaborated approach lets include the fostering an attitude of social responsibility into the cross-cultural dialog which the modern communicative language teaching underlies. So this is more aligned with the targeting logic of the discipline by itself and can be more effective for pursuing its main goal - the development of foreign-language communicative competence. The elaborated approach is, also, more aligned with the logic of the engineering ethics, which like any other applied ethics should base on empiric material, e.g. on other people’s experience. The elaborated approach was realized in the two 2018 published study guides for civil engineering students, where the experience of Germany (as a target-language country) is to be analyzed and comprehended.

Despite large literature on Cross-Cultural Competence (3C) there is a gap in understanding learning processes and mechanisms by which people arrive at successful 3C. We present a novel perspective for 3C learning and decision-making in innovative assessment contexts. We use Mindset theory (i.e., believing ability is fixed or changeable) because it is shown to be a powerful motivator for general learning and performance and in cross-cultural contexts. We propose the notion of cultural mindsets – beliefs, affect, and cognition that govern how people adapt, learn, and update cultural information. To understand how cultural mindset affects learning and performance, we apply computational cognitive modeling using Markov decision process (MDP). Using logfile data from an interactive 3C task, we operationalize behavioral differences in actions and decision making based on Mindset theory, developing cognitive models of fixed and malleable cultural mindsets based on mechanisms of initial beliefs, goals, and belief updating. To explore the validity of our theory, we develop computational MDP models, generate simulated data, and examine whether performance patterns fit our expectations. We expected the malleable cultural mindset would be better at learning the cultural norms in the assessment, more persistent in cultural interactions, quit less before accomplishing the task goal, and would be more likely to modify behavior after negative feedback. We find evidence of distinct patterns of cultural learning, decision-making, and performance with more malleable cultural mindsets showing significantly greater cultural learning, persistence, and responsiveness to feedback, and more openness to exploring current cultural norms and behavior. Moreover, our model was supported in that we were able to accurately classify 83% of the simulated records from the generating model. We argue that cultural mindsets are important mechanisms involved in effectively navigating cross-cultural situations and should be considered in a variety of areas of future research including education, business, health, and military institutions.