A qualitative study on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' beliefs about incorporating intercultural competence into foreign language teaching.

Intercultural competence has become one of the important goals of foreign language education. The potential and value of foreign language education on students' intercultural competence (IC) has been widely recognized by academia. Currently, most of the research on intercultural foreign language teachers in China focuses on university teachers, with little attention paid to primary school EFL teachers. However, the cultivation of IC is a staged and continuous process which cannot be achieved in one stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to include primary school EFL teachers in the study of IC cultivation. This paper presents data on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' beliefs about incorporating IC into foreign language teaching. Specifically, their understanding of culture, IC, and intercultural teaching practices are investigated through interviews. The interview transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research found: 1. Chinese primary school EFL teachers generally hold an essentialist view of culture; 2. Teachers emphasize the attitudinal dimension of IC; however, they also exhibit a tendency to oversimplify IC or perceive it as a higher-order skill than language proficiency, hence deeming it unsuitable for cultivation at the primary school level; 3. Most cultural teaching practices are teacher-centered, focusing on background knowledge-style introduction. In general, teachers' intercultural teaching practices align with their cultural outlook. At last, the study explores two suggestions for promoting intercultural foreign language teaching: 1. Supporting primary school EFL teachers in updating their language and culture concepts system; 2. Encouraging teachers to reflect on their daily teaching practices as a major opportunity to promote the development of intercultural foreign language teaching.

The added value of a face-to-face pan-European course-what makes it worth it?

Introduction: Over the past decade, digital education has seen widespread adoption, particularly accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The post-COVID era has further emphasized the advantages of digital education in terms of cost, availability, and sustainability. However, concerns regarding the efficacy of digital education, particularly in skills-based learning and the absence of social interaction, have been raised. This paper will look at the added value of international, face-to-face, skills-based courses. Method: This study evaluates the potential added value of face-to-face international skills courses using the European "Gynecology Experts Training for Upcoming Professionals" (GET-UP) course. Focus group discussions were conducted with participants and faculty members to explore beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions regarding face-to-face learning. Qualitative analysis was performed using thematic analysis to identify domains of added value. Results: The GET-UP course, conducted over 4 days with a diverse European faculty and participants, highlighted several added-value domains. Themes including diversity, role models, preparation, live interaction, and community emerged from the analysis, emphasizing the significance of face-to-face interaction in enriching the learning experience beyond attaining learning goals. Discussion: The study underscores the importance of face-to-face interaction in educational settings, offering insights into diverse teaching methods, role modeling opportunities, enhanced preparation, live interactions, and fostering a sense of community. While digital education continues to evolve with interactive features, this study suggests that the inherent pressure and dynamics of face-to-face learning provide unique benefits that may not be easily replicated in digital environments. Future research should investigate and validate these findings further to inform educational practices effectively.

Factors influencing intercultural competences of hospital workers for multicultural patients in South Korea.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the intercultural competence of general hospital workers in South Korea by examining their understanding of cultural diversity in healthcare and to identify factors influencing their intercultural competence. Methods: A cross-institutional survey was conducted with 439 participants from four South Korean general hospitals, employing inferential statistics such as one-way Analysis of Variance, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis test followed by post-hoc, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: While 85% (n = 362) of participants acknowledged the significance of multiculturalism in Korean society, only 11% (n = 49) felt competent in treating multicultural patients. Additionally, 72% (n = 315) experienced significant linguistic difficulties in medical communication. Multiple regression analysis identified advanced English competency, multicultural training experiences, and peer support with organizational awareness of multicultural importance as significant positive contributors to intercultural competence. Conclusions: Despite recognizing the importance of multiculturalism, general hospital workers face significant language barriers and low self-efficacy in providing care to multicultural patients. To address these challenges, hospitals should designate resident translators for culturally appropriate communication. Furthermore, a tri-tiered training approach is proposed to enhance the five domains of intercultural competence among general hospital workers in Korea, including overarching multicultural training, occupation-specific courses, and long-term managerial programs aimed at managing cultural diversity effectively in healthcare settings.

Aktueller Stand der Interkulturellen Öffnung der psychiatrischpsychotherapeutischen Versorgung von Kindern und Jugendlichen aus Sicht von Fachkräften / The Current Status of the Intercultural Opening of the Psychiatric-Psychotherapeutic Care for Children and Adolescents from the Perspective of Professionals.

The Current Status of the Intercultural Opening of the Psychiatric-Psychotherapeutic Care for Children and Adolescents from the Perspective of Professionals Children and adolescents with a migration background have a high demand for psychiatricpsychotherapeutic care in Germany. Nevertheless, they often do not receive the care needed, despite the Intercultural Opening, which aims at adjusting the services to their needs.The aim of the study is to get insights in the current status of the Intercultural Opening of the psychiatric- psychotherapeutic care system by examining the perspectives and needs of the staff working with this vulnerable population. A sample of N = 232 pedagogical and health care professionals completed the online survey. Intercultural competencies, further training needs and challenges in their work were assessed by open and closed questions. Overall, our results demonstrate high intercultural competencies. Pedagogical and health care professionals reported several challenges in their work (e. g. with the language barrier). There was a great demand for specific transcultural trainings. Despite high intercultural competencies of the professionals, there is a clear need for action to improve the Intercultural Opening of the psychiatric-psychotherapeutic care systems. Further transcultural trainings and several structural improvements (e. g. changes in the training curriculum of the professionals, provision of more trained translators) would help to open the care system.

Cultural topics with clinical implications needed in the dental curriculum to develop intercultural competence: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify cultural topics with clinical implications to be incorporated into the dentistry curriculum to develop Intercultural Competence. METHODS: Systematic review with PRISMA criteria that exported 216 articles from the Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO databases from 2012 to 2022, of which 40 were selected. The inclusion criteria were theoretical and empirical scientific articles, of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods nature, on cultural topics. RESULTS: The data analysis allowed the organization of information into four cultural topics: Development of professional intercultural self-awareness, Individual, family, and cultural implications, Construction of intercultural therapeutic relationships, and Specific clinical aspects, each with particular contents to be developed in the dentistry curriculum. However, some clinical issues have yet to be explored in-depth, leaving research possibilities open to all disciplines in dentistry. Additionally, it is necessary to analyze the cultural bias in the discussion and conclusion of some reviewed articles, as they were conducted from an ethnocentric perspective. Thus, peer reviewers of scientific journals and researchers in these topics must have appropriate training in Intercultural Competence. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides a guide and pedagogical sequence of the cultural topics that should be incorporated into the dentistry curriculum to achieve Intercultural Competence, it also highlights a wide range of relevant aspects to consider in establishing an adequate therapeutic relationship. Explicit accreditation criteria contribute to the establishment of Intercultural Competence in the curricula; however, in countries that lack regulations, there is a moral and ethical duty to incorporate the subject so that the future professional can manage and establish inclusive healthcare.

Validation of intercultural competence scale in the Ethiopian context: Exploring the factor structure and psychometric properties among university students.

BACKGROUND: Although intercultural competence is a crucial factor for university students' academic achievement and inter-ethnic conflict resolution, psychometrically sound intercultural competence scale is not available in the Ethiopian context. The aim of the present study was to translate the original English version of intercultural competence into Amharic language and validate the scale in the Ethiopian context. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the processes of retaining culturally equivalent translated measure symmetrical approach was used. Data were collected from 476 (Male = 244 and Female = 232) arbitrarily selected university students with an age mean of 22.35 enrolled in undergraduate degree programs at Ambo University. The total sample was randomly split into two equal-sized group to execute exploratory factor analysis (EFA, N = 238) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, N = 238). RESULT: The result of the study showed that both EFA and CFA supported a significantly correlated four-factor model of intercultural competence (Attitude, Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills). Moreover, the Amharic version of the intercultural competence scale showed good psychometric properties in terms of content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and good fit indices to the data. CONCLUSION: This generally justifies the use of the Amharic version intercultural competence scale in the Ethiopian context. To satisfy the needs of the labor market, universities in Ethiopia should promote intercultural dialogues that improve the intercultural competence of university students.

Practice of Vietnamese tertiary learners' intercultural competence: An influential factor affecting entrepreneurial capabilities.

Intercultural competence (IC) is believed to enhance new graduates' entrepreneurial capabilities and employability in this 21st century. This quantitative study investigates learners' perceived levels of IC, regarding its four components: knowledge, attitudes, skills, and awareness [1,2]. An online survey comprising 40 items adapted from Baroudi's questionnaire [3] based on Byram's conceptual framework of IC [1,2] was administered to learners at a recently established state university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. 148 eligible respondents were recruited on a volunteer basis. SPSS was used to analyze collected data. Results show learners' high perceived level of IC. Learners' intercultural attitudes component was found to be at the highest perceived level. In addition, knowledge and skills equally stood at the lowest level of learners' perceived IC. Learners' gender and academic field did not affect their perceived IC levels. However, participants' academic major showed to have a significant impact on learners' intercultural awareness. The findings inform stakeholders about the appropriateness of currently-implemented curricula for intercultural education and raise their awareness of the possible gap between learners' perceived levels of IC and their actual IC. The study also contributes insights into the literature on the relationship between learners' IC and entrepreneurial capabilities and employability. Finally, suggestions for future studies on IC are included.

Assessing learning gains of pharmacy students in communications, ways of thinking, and intercultural skills through self-assessment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intercultural and Global Health Issues was developed to address learning outcomes in communication, ways of thinking, intercultural personal skills, and intercultural knowledge. The aim of this study was to assess learning gains of pharmacy students through self-assessment. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Course design, learning outcomes, objectives, and activities were created to meet the expected educational outcomes. A revised rubric was created from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education rubrics on Intercultural knowledge, Information literacy, and Creative thinking. Students completed self-assessments at the beginning and end of the course. Ward hierarchical clustering, paired sample t-tests, and independent t-tests analyzed multidimensional data in two clusters. FINDINGS: Cluster 1 (C1) students reported pre-course capstone performances for cultural self-awareness, problem solving, and access and use of information ethically and legally. Post-course scores for C1 students statistically increased for all AACU domains reaching capstone performances for intercultural competence, creative thinking, and information literacy. Cluster 2 (C2) students reported capstone performance levels for all AACU domains from the beginning to the end of the course. All students reported achievement of self-efficacy, creative thinking, and cultural competency at the end of the course. There was no statistically significant difference in course learning outcome scores for C1 and C2 students. SUMMARY: Students achieved embedded learning outcomes of ways of thinking, communication, interpersonal skills, and intercultural knowledge as demonstrated from self-assessments. Course activities aided students' demonstration of self-efficacy, creative thinking, and intercultural knowledge.

Multicultural personality profiles and nursing student attitudes towards refugee healthcare workers: A national, multi-institutional cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Multicultural organizations in the era of globalization require intercultural leadership skills. Healthcare, as a sector serving diverse populations, necessitates culturally sensitive staff. Intercultural nurse education should start in undergraduate education. A tailored approach is needed, especially in the context of Poland's refugee crisis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how a multicultural personality profile and specific intercultural perspectives affect the attitudes of nursing students towards Ukrainian refugee background healthcare professionals. DESIGN: A nationwide cross-sectional multicentre online survey study was conducted. The questionnaire was distributed with the aid of the Lime Survey web platform. METHODS: The study utilized a Polish version of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. The questionnaire also included demographics and questions assessing intercultural competence and attitudes towards refugee medical professionals. K-Means Cluster Analysis was used to classify different patterns of multicultural personality. P-value <0.05 was deemed to be statistically significant. PARTICIPANTS: The study sample consisted of 1325 undergraduate nursing students from 39 nursing schools in Poland: 54.0% in first year, 28.7% in second year, and 17.3% in third year. Most respondents were female (N = 1229, 90%). RESULTS: Using cluster analysis respondents were categorized into four groups based on their level of three analyzed multicultural personality traits: cultural empathy, social initiative, and open-mindedness (high, low, average or mixed level). Statistical analysis demonstrated that personality profiles significantly affected nursing students' attitudes towards refugee health professionals (p = 0.003). Additionally, students' willingness to engage in intercultural communication classes and their belief in the learnability of intercultural competence also impacted their attitudes (p < 0.001 for both). Further analysis revealed correlations between personality profiles, belief in competency acquisition, and willingness to enhance competencies. CONCLUSION: The design of intercultural competence education for undergraduate nursing students should be preceded by a mapping of the students' personality profile and a needs analysis in this regard, which may contribute to long-term effectiveness of such initiatives.

Beyond borders: exploring the impact of augmented reality on intercultural competence and L2 learning motivation in EFL learners.

Introduction: This mixed-methods study investigates the impact of augmented reality (AR) on the development of intercultural competence and L2 (second language) learning motivation among Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The research comprised forty-eight intermediate-level learners who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, receiving AR-based language instruction, or a control group, receiving traditional instruction. Methods: Both groups underwent pre- and post-tests to assess their intercultural competence and L2 learning motivation. The experimental group engaged with an AR application, which exposed learners to a variety of cultural scenarios, customs, and norms. Results: The results indicate that the experimental group, exposed to AR-based instruction, demonstrated significantly higher levels of intercultural competence and L2 learning motivation in comparison to the control group. Discussion: Qualitative data analysis further elucidated that AR-based instruction enhanced learners' engagement, motivation, and deepened their cultural understanding. This study highlights the potential of augmented reality as a powerful tool for fostering the development of intercultural competence and L2 learning motivation within the EFL context, suggesting promising opportunities for innovative pedagogical approaches in language education.

Investigating the association of informal digital learning of English with EFL learners' intercultural competence and willingness to communicate: a SEM study.

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE), such as watching online videos, playing games, or chatting with English speakers beyond the classroom, has received increasing attention over recent years as a potential source of intercultural competence (IC) and second language willingness to communicate (L2 WTC) development among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. However, little is known about how IDLE influences IC and L2 WTC among EFL learners, who face various challenges and opportunities in learning and using English in Iran. Thus, this research examined the relationship between IDLE and IC and L2 WTC in Iranian EFL learners. For this purpose, the study was conducted with the participation of 325 EFL learners from a language institute in Arak City, Iran, who were selected using convenience sampling. The participants completed the Digital Informal Learning Scale, the Intercultural Competence Scale, and the Willingness to Communicate Questionnaire. The results of the structural equation modeling revealed that IDLE had a significant positive association with both IC and L2 WTC. Further, the results indicated that IDLE dimensions, such as cognitive, meta-cognitive, social, and motivational aspects were significantly related to IC and L2 WTC. The findings approve that promoting IDLE among Iranian EFL learners could enhance their intercultural awareness and communication skills.

Competencias interculturales desde un enfoque ético intercultural en la formación inicial de profesionales en ciencias de la salud. un desafío ineludible

Chile es un país culturalmente diverso cuya población debe enfrentar dificultades relacionadas con la salud. Este ensayo tiene por objetivo reflexionar en torno a las competencias interculturales desde un enfoque ético intercultural, en la formación inicial de profesionales en ciencias de la salud. Se constata una salud carente y descontextualizada de la realidad cultural en la formación inicial en ciencias de la salud. Para evolucionar en esta área, se requiere imperiosamente formar a los profesionales en competencias interculturales desde un enfoque ético intercultural. Ello contribuirá al reconocimiento y comprensión de la otredad desde su propia cultura, a partir de la relación e intercambio de experiencias, conocimientos, saberes, entre otros. Para ello se requiere del diálogo intercultural entre profesionales y expertos pertenecientes a distintos sistemas de salud, con el fin de coconstruir desde la salud y enfermedad, para responder de forma oportuna y adecuada a las demandas de salud, y brindar un cuidado en salud digno y de calidad. En efecto, mitigará las desigualdades e injusticias, a la vez que proporcionará una vida más plena a las personas que conviven en una sociedad culturalmente diversa.

Chile is a culturally diverse country, and this population must face difficulties related to health. This essay aims to reflect on intercultural competencies from an intercultural ethical approach, in the initial training of professionals in health sciences. The initial training in health sciences shows that health is lacking and decontextualized from the cultural reality. In order to evolve in this area, it is imperative to train professionals in intercultural competencies from an intercultural ethical approach. This will contribute to the recognition and understanding of otherness from their own culture, based on the relationship and exchange of experiences, knowledge, wisdom, among others. This requires intercultural dialogue between professionals and experts belonging to different health systems, in order to co-construct from health and disease. This will allow a timely and adequate response to health demands. It will also provide quality and dignified health care and attention. In effect, it will mitigate inequalities and injustices, while providing a fuller life to people living in a culturally diverse society.

O Chile é um país culturalmente diverso, essa população deve enfrentar dificuldades relacionadas à saúde. Este ensaio tem como objetivo refletir sobre as competências interculturais a partir de uma abordagem ética intercultural, na formação inicial de profissionais em ciências da saúde. A saúde carente e descontextualizada da realidade cultural é verificada na formação inicial em ciências da saúde. Para evoluir nesta área, é imperativo formar profissionais em competências interculturais a partir de uma abordagem ética intercultural. Isso contribuirá para o reconhecimento e compreensão da alteridade a partir da própria cultura, do relacionamento e troca de experiências, saberes, saberes, entre outros. Para isso, é necessário o diálogo intercultural entre profissionais e especialistas pertencentes a diferentes sistemas de saúde; a fim de co-construir a partir da saúde e da doença. Isso permitirá uma resposta oportuna e adequada às demandas de saúde. Da mesma forma, prestará cuidados e atenção à saúde dignos e de qualidade. Com efeito, atenuará as desigualdades e as injustiças, ao mesmo tempo que proporcionará uma vida mais plena às pessoas que vivem numa sociedade culturalmente diversa.

Massive Open Online Courses and intercultural competence: analysis of courses fostering soft skills through language learning.

This paper aims to survey language teaching MOOCs that promote intercultural competence (IC). Specifically, the survey aims to identify the keywords most relevant to MOOCs with IC components, the languages taught, the offering countries, and the embedded soft skills. The selection of keywords is important because they can indicate connection between different disciplines. After trialing a broader set of keywords in several rounds of initial search, we identified five keywords that are the most relevant to language education with IC components on MOOCs: culture, intercultural, cross culture, multi culture, and society. Then courses with these five keywords on language learning are selected for further analysis. The results are summarized as follows: (1) Most language teaching MOOCs are found under the keyword "culture," indicating a strong connection between language education and intercultural communication; (2) In terms of the target languages and the offering countries, it is found that English, Chinese, and Spanish are the major languages widely taught in the context of intercultural competence; China, United States, and Ireland are the three countries which offer the highest numbers of MOOCs in this respect; United States, United Kingdom, and Australia are the three countries which offer the highest numbers of MOOCs of different languages. The results indicate that a limited number of languages and offering countries dominate the language learning MOOCs. The study calls for a plurality of languages and cultures to be taught through MOOCs, making more diversified knowledge systems accessible to global audiences. (3) The language teaching MOOCs not only focus on language but also aim to foster five types of soft skills (language learning skills, communication skills, business and entrepreneurship skills, career development skills, and cultural development skills), suggesting that intercultural competence and its related soft skills are usually important components embedded in such MOOCs courses.

Promoting culturally informed and sensitive practice in day-care centers-a contribution to the professionalization of day-care teachers.

Background: Based on the growing number of families and young children with a refugee background in Germany, day-care teachers face enormous challenges regarding culturally informed practice. The project "Gemeinsam stark durch den Start" (Stronger together by starting together) addresses these challenges on various levels. At the level of day-care teachers, training in culturally informed and sensitive education is combined with reflection sessions about their own attitudes and prevailing intercultural norms, thus contributing to the professionalization of day-care teachers. Aim: This paper focuses on mechanisms of action that contributed to the effectiveness of the training from two perspectives: the day-care teachers' perspective and the trainers' perspective. Methods: Staff members of 11 German day-care centers underwent graded online training sessions (team and in-depths trainings) addressing intercultural topics. All participants were presented with a questionnaire for their training evaluation before and after the training sessions. Also, participants of the in-depths trainings participated in semi-structured interviews on the training. Furthermore, qualitative interviews were conducted with all trainers (N = 4) of the workshops. Results: Day-care teachers evaluated the online training positively, especially the improvement of professionalization and the implementation of training elements. Results reveal that (work-related) reflexive sessions as well as sessions dealing with the implementation of exercise tools into daily practice were rated as fundamental parts in the training. Teachers from high-risk day-care centers estimated the trainings' effectiveness lower than those working in low-risk day-care centers. Qualitative data shows that the day-care teachers are in need of (theoretical) knowledge about all training elements and hands-on advice for dealing with specific situations. Especially day-care teachers within a high-risk environment, who already report having an elevated level of intercultural knowledge and skills, may need a higher dose training while low-risk day-care teachers may profit more from a low threshold training. Conclusion: The introduced training sessions focusing on intercultural sensitivity and competence present an important contribution to the professionalization of day-care teachers in working with children from different cultural backgrounds. Trainings should focus on reflexive elements as well as exercises in perspective taking and provide hands on materials for daily work.

Desarrollo de la Competencia Intercultural desde la formación de pregrado en la educación médica superior

La necesidad de desarrollar competencias interculturales no solo es un imperativo ético, en términos del respeto y comprensión de aquellas culturas diferentes, sino también un requisito técnico. Un profesional que pueda vincularse exitosamente con personas de diversas culturas probablemente logrará una interacción efectiva con usuarios y comunidades, un mayor nivel de confianza, que se traducirá en una mayor satisfacción con el cuidado y mejor adherencia terapéutica. En el presente artículo se analiza desde el punto de vista teórico la incorporación de la competencia intercultural en los currículos de las carreras de la salud. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de artículos y documentos relacionados con la competencia intercultural en la educación superior en bases de datos Pubmed y Scielo, y en páginas web de organizaciones ligadas con la temática de enseñanza y aprendizaje en educación superior, cultura y diversidad.

The need to develop intercultural competences is not only an ethical imperative, in terms of respect and understanding of those different cultures, but also a technical requirement. A professional who can successfully connect with people from diverse cultures will probably achieve effective interaction with users and communities, a higher level of trust, which will translate into greater satisfaction with care and better therapeutic adherence. This article analyzes from a theoretical point of view the incorporation of intercultural competence in the curricula of health careers. A bibliographic review of articles and documents related to intercultural competence in higher education was carried out in Pubmed and Scielo databases, and in web pages of organizations linked to the subject of teaching and learning in higher education, culture and diversity.

Presenting the direct intercultural effectiveness simulation: an implicit trait policy on intercultural competence.

Background: An implicit trait policy (ITP) represents the interaction between a personal disposition and general domain knowledge on how to effectively handle a specific (intercultural) situation. Such an ITP is a proven construct to create instruments that can predict future effective behavior. Moreover, such a simulation can provide valuable proxies for actual (future) behavior, as measures of (future) real life intercultural interactions are not always available. Methods: In a series of three studies (N1 = 224, N2 = 291, N3 = 478), the present research introduces a "Direct Intercultural Effectiveness Simulation" or DIES, an instrument that simulates intercultural effectiveness by directly tapping into an ITP on intercultural competence. Results: First and foremost, the present research demonstrates that the DIES instrument generates reliable and construct-valid measures of intercultural effectiveness. Second, the DIES instrument also shows expected converging and diverging patterns when correlated with a nomological network on intercultural effectiveness. And third, the DIES measure is further validated by integration into an ITP framework of intercultural effectiveness based on theoretical and empirical accounts from literature. Conclusion: The DIES instrument generates a reliable and valid measure of intercultural effectiveness by tapping into an ITP on intercultural competence. Theoretically, the present research integrates the instrument into literature by empirically verifying an ITP framework of intercultural effectiveness. In practice, the DIES instrument can be used as an awareness or training proxy for actual behavior to tackle important problems like ethnic prejudice and discrimination.

Music teachers' professionalism: Realizing intercultural competence in guzheng education when using a MOOC.

The proliferation and increasing application of modern technology have led to the improvement of tactics used to teach to play guzheng, the Chinese national instrument. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for this purpose to argue on the possibility of reforming guzheng instruction in Chinese schools. The basis of this investigation was represented by a specially developed MOOC and an online survey. Verification of the collected data was made by means of Fisher's exact test. As research participants, 88 seventh graders and 10 teachers from three schools in China (China, Taiyuan, Jinzhong) were invited. The time frame this study covered was from February to June of the 2020-2021 academic year. The outcomes obtained from the conducted experiment indicate that the lowest grades were obtained by students who took traditional guzheng lessons and did not take advantage of online learning (71.1, 72.9, and 73.0 for each institution, with an average of 72.3). At the same time, the results of respondents who were additionally involved in the dedicated MOOC were notably higher: 78.8, 78.1, and 79.2, with an average of 78.7 (8.1% better). These data show that the use of modern technology when teaching students to play guzheng is effective. The outcomes of the survey on students' impressions from the proposed learning course and its usefulness revealed that 98% of all the persons involved were satisfied with their participation in the MOOC. Students showed high support for the statements claiming MOOC's positive impact on teachers' intercultural professionalism in guzheng teaching and overall approach to instruction. The practical and scientific significance of this study resides in the fact that it demonstrates the effectiveness of modern technology, particularly distance learning platforms, in the context of guzheng learning. This paper demonstrates clearly that through the use of additional multimedia, better results can be achieved.

Concreción de competencias transversales para lograr competencia intercultural en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud / Concretization of Cross-Sectional Competences for Achieving Intercultural Competence among Health Sciences Students

El proceso formativo de estudiantes de ciencias de la salud se ve desafiado a responder ante una sociedad diversa. Las experiencias, las costumbres, las creencias, la religión y la cultura influyen en las decisiones del paciente ante un proceso de salud/enfermedad, lo que genera incertidumbre en el estudiantado. A nivel internacional, la capacitación en competencia intercultural en salud es requisito de acreditación; pero en Sudamérica no ocurre lo mismo. Lineamientos internacionales han instaurado el desarrollo de competencias transversales para adquirir habilidades que le permitan al individuo desenvolverse en el escenario mundial, lo cual podría constituirse en la base fundamental para adquirir competencia intercultural en salud. Los objetivos de este artículo son identificar cómo los lineamientos para desarrollar competencias transversales tributan al logro de competencia intercultural en salud en relación con cuatro modelos de competencia cultural en salud, y exponer estrategias didácticas que permiten desarrollar ambas competencias durante el proceso formativo del estudiantado de las ciencias de la salud. Se concluye que las competencias transversales permiten adquirir habilidades, valores y competencias que facilitarían lograr las características que los diferentes modelos de competencia cultural en salud indican. Diversas metodologías activas resultan apropiadas para concretar el desarrollo de ambas competencias; no obstante, deben acompañarse de debriefing para adquirir pensamiento crítico y reflexividad en el estudiantado, además de que este proceso no se realice bajo patrones etnocentristas. Por lo tanto, es necesario indagar cómo se está desarrollando la reflexividad en el proceso formativo del estudiantado de ciencias de la salud(AU)

The training process of health sciences students is challenged to respond to a diverse society. Experiences, customs, beliefs, religion and culture influence the patient's decisions in the face of a health/disease process, which causes uncertainty among students. Internationally, training in intercultural competence in health is a requirement for accreditation, but this is not the case in South America. International guidelines have established the development of cross-sectional competences for acquiring skills that allow the individual to practice an activity in the global scenario, which could become the fundamental basis for acquiring intercultural competence in health. The objectives of this article are to identify how the guidelines to develop cross-sectional competences contribute to the achievement of intercultural competence in health in relation to four models of cultural competence in health, as well as to expose didactic strategies that allow to develop both competences during the training process of health sciences students. It is concluded that cross-sectional competences allow to acquire skills, values and competences that would facilitate the achievement of the characteristics indicated by the different models of cultural competence in health. Different active methodologies are appropriate to concretize the development of both competences; however, they should be accompanied by debriefing for the students to acquire critical thinking and reflexivity, while this process should not be carried out under ethnocentric patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how that reflexivity is being developed in the training process of health sciences students(AU)

Developing intercultural competence through a cultural metacognition-featured instructional design in English as a foreign language classrooms.

The soaring demand for intercultural competence (IC) in the globalized world has made it a key concern in foreign language education. Most existing training on IC has often focused on providing immersive intercultural experiences, equipping learners with cultural knowledge, and simulating intercultural situations. However, some of these approaches may not be feasible in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms, nor are they effective to prepare learners to cope with the complexities and uncertainties in novel intercultural situations unless there specifically involves higher-order thinking. Thus, this study took a perspective of cultural metacognition and examined whether and how could an instructional design that highlighted cultural metacognition facilitate learners' IC development in an EFL classroom at the tertiary level in Chinese mainland. Fifty-eight undergraduate students enrolled in an English Listening, Viewing, and Speaking course were involved in the instruction, and questionnaires and focus groups were employed for the data collection. A paired sample t-test revealed that there was a significant enhancement in students' intercultural competence in terms of affective, metacognitive, and behavioral dimensions, but not in the knowledge dimension. Thematic analysis indicated that the instructional design was effective in supporting students' intentional knowledge acquiring, developing positive intercultural attitudes, and promoting the translation of cognition into actions. The findings thus confirmed that the instructional design featuring cultural metacognition can be used in domestic EFL contexts, such as College English classrooms at the tertiary level in Chinese mainland, as an effective way of enhancing learners' IC. This study also offered additional evidence of how students' IC development was achieved through a range of metacognitive processes, which may provide implications for teachers to design their IC instructions in similar EFL educational settings.

Considering the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to Assess Intercultural Competence at U.S. Pharmacy Schools.

BACKGROUND: U.S. pharmacy schools need to engage in improving intercultural competence among administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) can be a possible tool to determine the level of intercultural competence. U.S. pharmacy schools need to examine the validity of the IDI within the context of health professional education prior to using this tool. OBJECTIVES: To describe the relationship between the IDI and its underlying theory, identify whether the validity of the IDI has been established within two specific contexts, and discuss the practical issues and implications of using the IDI. METHODS: Medline, Embase, and selected health professional education journal websites were searched to identify fully published studies utilizing the IDI within health professional education. Eligibility of articles was determined with a standardized approach. RESULTS: Ten studies were identified by full-text reviews, but none investigated the validity of the IDI. CONCLUSIONS: The IDI has been shown to be valid in certain contexts, but its validity has yet to be confirmed within health professional education. U.S. pharmacy schools need to examine practical issues and implications when deciding if the resources required to administer, analyze, and report IDI results are reasonable.