Psychometric Properties and Factor of Intercultural Competence Based on the Intercultural Development Continuum for Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the psychometric properties and components of intercultural competence using the concept of the Intercultural Development Continuum. The sample consisted of 131 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education. The research tool was a situational test for evaluating intercultural competence. Data were analyzed using content validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), correlation coefficients, variance analysis, and difficulty and discriminant analysis using the Graded-Response Model (GRM). The research findings indicate that: 1) The questions were all content-valid. 2) Intercultural competence comprises three components, namely (1) conflict management, (2) respecting differences in ideas and (3) adhering to societal rules. 3) The situational assessment test showed internal consistency based on Cronbach's alpha, the expected a posteriori method was moderate, and the stratified alpha coefficient was determined to be .52. 4) The analysis of the test using the GRM model suggests that the questions were appropriate. 5) The comparison of the difference in mean scores between year levels did not show statistically significant differences at the .05 level, while the difference in mean scores between men and women was significantly different at the .05 level. 6) The results of the situational test for assessing intercultural competence showed no relationship with the social desirability test.