Intercultural Competence: Development and Validation of a Theoretical Framework, a Cross-Cultural Multimethod Test, and a Collaborative Assessment Intervention

Globalization, migration, and international traffic have substantially raised the relevance of intercultural competence (ICC) in today’s world of work (Fantini, 2009; Leung, Ang, & Tan, 2014; Spitzberg & Changnon, 2009). This has also increased the demand for assessing and training individuals to enable them to handle their intercultural encounters while studying or working in an international context. Despite the existence of many definitions, models, and approaches to the measurement of ICC, the circular process of understanding, assessing, and training ICC has been understudied (Schnabel, Kelava, Seifert, & Kuhlbrodt, 2015). The interconnection between assessment and training calls for behavior-oriented characteristics that can actually be trained, whereas most of the ICC concepts are trait- and/or attitude-based (e.g., Multicultural Personality Model: Van der Zee & Van Oudenhoven, 2000; Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity: Bennett, 1993). This monograph presents a novel ICC framework that was created by using a phenomenological expert-based strategy. The framework includes an ICC onion model, which organizes the various aspects of ICC. Malleable ability-based intercultural competences are located in the heart of this model, whereas traits, attitudes, or (cultural) intelligence are situated in an outer layer of the onion model. As competence is directly linked to performance (Erpenbeck, 2010), ICC is subsequently defined as a global behavioral orientation, which enables individuals to handle intercultural situations (Schnabel et al., 2015). Moreover, ICC is understood as a multidimensional construct in which multiple competences, together or separately, influence the quality of intercultural interaction. These competences were collected through exploratory expert interviews and literature research and empirically investigated in a pretest. The results are outlined in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 shows how the Test to Measure Intercultural Competence (TMIC; Schnabel et al., 2015) was developed on the basis of the preliminary model presented in Chapter 3. Even though there is a strong need for researchers to use more than one method to assess a complex construct such as ICC, there was no validated multimethod instrument that was available in the ICC field (Leung et al., 2014). To fill this gap, Schnabel et al. (2015) created a situational judgment test (TMIC-SJT) that complements a Likert-scale-based self-appraisal scale (TMIC-SA). Chapter 4 illustrates the design and results of two studies, one conducted with German students and the other one with German professionals. I show the satisfactory fit statistics of a first-order factor model with 17 factors, calculated with exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM; Asparouhov & Muthén, 2009), and of a second-order factor model with six factors, calculated with confirmatory factor analysis. Evidence for construct and criterion validity as well as for the incremental validity of the TMIC-SJT is given. Chapter 5 reviews a newly designed brief training intervention that was based on collaborative assessment (Fischer, 1994, 2000). The benefits of taking part in the TMIC and receiving written feedback as well as a 1-hr collaborative test-feedback intervention for students going abroad are illustrated with the results of an experimental study (Schnabel, Kelava, & Van de Vijver, in press). There is a focus on self-reported ICC development, the stages of change (DiClemente & Prochaska, 1998; Prochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross, 1992), intercultural self-confidence, and intercultural self-understanding. Chapter 6 shows how a short version of the TMIC (TMIC-S; Schnabel, Kelava, Van de Vijver, & Seifert, 2014), particularly useful for employee selection purposes, was developed and tested in Germany and Brazil. Through the analysis of measurement invariance (Meredith, 1993), a cross-culturally valid model of ICC was supported. The overall discussion in Chapter 7 integrates the aforementioned subtopics of this monograph and describes the major implications and limitations. Additionally, I give a global outlook concerning future research topics in the ICC domain.

Author

• Schnabel, Deborah Bianca Larissa

Identifier

hdl:10900/64278

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