Impact of plurilingualism and previous intercultural experienceon undergraduates’intercultural sensitivity at the start ofuniversity studies

Pastena, Andreana; Sesé, Albert; Trenchs i Parera, Mireia

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.2013854

Impact of plurilingualism and previous intercultural experienceon undergraduates’intercultural sensitivity at the start ofuniversity studies

License

Citation

Pastena A, Sesé A, Trenchs-Parera M. Impact of plurilingualism and previous intercultural experienceon undergraduates’intercultural sensitivity at the start ofuniversity studies. J Multiling Multicult Dev. 2021. 13 p. DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2021.2013854

Abstract

This study investigatesfirst-year undergraduates when starting theirstudies in a highly internationalised public university settled in amulticultural and multilingual European city. It focuses on to whatextent individual differences as regards plurilingualism and previousintercultural experience are related to a higher or lower degree ofIntercultural Sensitivity (IS), in thefive dimensions of this construct(Chen and Starosta2000). 881 students from 15 Bachelor’s degreesanswered two questionnaires covering background profile and Chenand Starosta’s Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (2000). Both descriptive andinferential analyses were performed. Participants from and in such acontext showed high IS at the start of university. However, the analysisyielded differences between the IS Scale dimensions: from highest tolowest means,Respect for Cultural differences,Interaction Enjoyment,InteractionEngagement,InteractionAttentiveness, andInteractionConfidence. Gender, individual plurilingualism, family plurilingualism,and intercultural friendships emerged as the profile variables mostcorrelated with higher IS; birthplace and place of schooling, the least.Results raise awareness on what profile of undergraduates may be morein need of educational interventions not just aiming at their individualIntercultural Sensitivity but also making truly intercultural HigherEducation possible.