Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of STEM Program on Student Intercultural Development: Do Intercultural Interventions Work?

  • Published:
Innovative Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Developing an interculturally competent STEM workforce is the need of time. Research has demonstrated that STEM students find it challenging to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. This study used Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) instrument to understand the intercultural learning gains of technology students by administrating the survey in the program’s first year and final year. The data were analyzed using multivariate statistics to assess the intercultural learning gains of the students. The study results indicate that students demonstrated a statistically significant increase in intercultural competence as they progressed from their first year to their final year of college. The study also indicated that having an intercultural mindset and participating in intercultural activities such as study abroad programs or intercultural mentoring can help students internalize intercultural competence and make meaningful gains on the intercultural development continuum. The study also provides recommendations to help students develop interculturally.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to participants’privacy and confidentiality but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Anderson, C. (2016). Instructor influence on student intercultural learning during instructor-led, short-term study abroad. (Publication No. 10153243) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://search.proquest.com/openview/ef0647b29a30a5b99867fa010653e0b8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750

  • Bahrami, P., Kim, Y., Jaiswal, A., Patel, D., Aggrawal, S., & Magana, A. J. (2023). Information technology undergraduate students’ intercultural value orientations and their beliefs about the influence of such orientations on teamwork interactions. Trends in Higher Education, 2(2), 270–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A., Bhatt, R., Rubin, D. L., & Shiflet, C. (2023). Effects of education abroad on indices of student success among racial–ethnic minority college students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(2), 226–235. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000327

  • Berg, M. V., Connor-Linton, J., & Paige, R. M. (2009). The Georgetown consortium project: Interventions for student learning abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 18(1), 1–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, N. A. (2014). Conceptualizing openness to diversity and challenge: Its relation to college experiences, achievement, and retention. Innovative Higher Education, 39(4), 277–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bremer, D. (2008). Engineering the world. Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, 3(2), 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deardorff, D. K. (2011). Assessing intercultural competence. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(149), 65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demetry, C., & Vaz, R. (2017). Influence of an education abroad program on the intercultural sensitivity of STEM undergraduates: A mixed methods study. Advances in Engineering Education,  6, 1 - 32. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1138841. Accessed 02 June 2022.

  • Downey, G. L., Lucena, J. C., Moskal, B. M., Parkhurst, R., Bigley, T., Hays, C., Jesiek, B. K., Kelly, L., Miller, J., & Ruff, S. (2006). The globally competent engineer: Working effectively with people who define problems differently. Journal of Engineering Education, 95(2), 107–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fantini, A. (2018). Intercultural communicative competence in educational exchange: A multinational perspective. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351251747

  • Gwillim, T. D. (2022). The effectiveness of short-term study abroad on student retention, completion, and growth in intercultural competence [PhD Thesis]. Wingate University.

  • Hajiro, T., Nishimura, K., Tsukino, M., Ikeda, A., Oga, T., & Izumi, T. (1999). A comparison of the level of dyspnea vs disease severity in indicating the health-related quality of life of patients with COPD. Chest, 116(6), 1632–1637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, M. (2012). The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI): Making intercultural competence development a reality. Paper presented at the 8th annual conference of the Forum on Education Abroad, Denver, CO.

  • Hasan, I., Hendricks, S., Todd, M., Yun, G., Antoniou, S., Miller, M., (2021). From there to here: Evaluating the transition of an international advanced pharmacy practice experience in london. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 8(1), 16. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/pjsl/vol8/iss1/16/. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Jaiswal, A., Patel, K., Patel, D., & Magana, A. (2022). Perceived scrum Values, Conflict Resolution Ability, and Cultural Self-Awareness in the Context of System Analysis and Design Teamwork. Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/40455

  • Jaiswal, A., Karabiyik, T., Jin, L., & Acheson-Clair, K. (2023a). Enhancing Team Communication Skills via Portable Intercultural Module in a Systems Thinking Class. Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, Maryland. https://peer.asee.org/43373

  • Jaiswal, A., Masters, C., Jin, L., Inani, T., Schenkel, A., Sapkota, M., & Krishnan, L. (2023b). It’s never too soon! Comparing intercultural learning outcomes of undergraduate students via face-to-face and online teaching modalities. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(4), 761-781.

  • Jaiswal, A., Thomas, P., & Karabiyik, T. (2023c). characterizing intercultural competence among cybersecurity majors. Proceedings in IEEE ASEE Frontiers in Education, 2023, College Station, Texas.

  • Johri, A., & Olds, B. M. (2014). Cambridge handbook of engineering education research. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. C., Campbell, M. M., & Acheson, K. (2019). Intercultural learning in semester-long study abroad: A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of one-on-one versus group-mentored interventions. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 30(4), 7–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishnan, L. A., & Jin, L. (2022). Long-term impact of study abroad on intercultural development. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 7(2), 560–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishnan, L.A., Masters, C., Holgate, H.. Wang, C., & Calahan, C.A. (2017). Structured study abroad enhances intercultural competence. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 1(1), 5. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=tlcsd. Accessed 02 June 2022.

  • Krishnan, L., Jin, L., & Calahan, C. (2021a). Enhancing intercultural competence: Can it be done without studying abroad? Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 5(2), 5. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd/vol5/iss2/7/. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Krishnan, L.A., Sreekumar, S., Sundaram, S., Subrahmanian, M., Davis, P. (2021b). Virtual “Study Abroad”: Promoting intercultural competence amid the pandemic. The Hearing Journal, 74(4), 38 - 40. https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2021/04000/Virtual__Study_Abroad___Promoting_Intercultural.13.aspx?context=LatestArticles. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Kruse, J. A., Didion, J., & Perzynski, K. (2014). Utilizing the Intercultural Development Inventory® to develop intercultural competence. Springerplus, 3(1), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices. Peer Review, 10(4), 30–31.

  • Lucietto, A., & Russell, L. (2020). Comparison of pre-intervention IDI results from STEM and non-STEM undergraduate students. Journal of Global Education and Research, 4(2), 113-124. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jger/vol4/iss2/2/. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Maurer, K., Hinze, A., Schuhbauer, H., & Brockmann, P. (2021). Diversity as an advantage: An analysis of the demand for specialized and social competencies for stem graduates using machine learning. In: Balancing the Tension between Digital Technologies and Learning Sciences (pp. 151–166). Springer.

  • Meier, U. (2006). A note on the power of Fisher’s least significant difference procedure. Pharmaceutical Statistics: The Journal of Applied Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry, 5(4), 253–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mu, B., Berka, S., Erickson, L., & Pérez-Ibáñez, I. (2022). Individual experiences that affect students’ development of intercultural competence in study abroad. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 89, 30–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neally, K. (2022). Underrepresentation of minoritized groups in STEM education: A metasynthesis review. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 57(1), 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Dowd, R., & Dooly, M. (2020). Intercultural communicative competence development through telecollaboration and virtual exchange. In The Routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication (pp. 361–375). Routledge.

  • Paige, R. M., Jacobs-Cassuto, M., Yershova, Y. A., & DeJaeghere, J. (2003). Assessing intercultural sensitivity: An empirical analysis of the Hammer and Bennett Intercultural Development Inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27(4), 467–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paras, A., Carignan, M., Brenner, A., Hardy, J., & ... (2019). Understanding how program factors influence intercultural learning in study abroad: The benefits of mixed-method analysis. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 31(1), 22-45. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1214420. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Parkinson, A. (2007). Engineering study abroad programs: Formats, challenges, best practices. Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, 2(2), 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rexeisen, R. J., Anderson, P. H., Lawton, L., & Hubbard, A. C. (2008). Study abroad and intercultural development: A longitudinal study. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 17(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v17i1.241

  • Spitzberg, B. H., & Changnon, G. (2009). Conceptualizing intercultural competence. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, 2, 52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Starr, L., Yngve, K., & Jin, L. (2022). Intercultural competence outcomes of a STEM living–learning community. International Journal of STEM Education, 9, 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00347-x. Accessed 01 June 2022.

  • Terzuolo, E. (2018). Intercultural development in study abroad: Influence of student and program characteristics. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 65, 86-95. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147176717303103. Accessed 01 June 2022

  • Wickenhauser, J. L. (2021). Development of Intercultural Competence Through Embedded Course Curriculum [PhD Thesis]. Purdue University Graduate School.

Download references

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research (CILMAR), Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Aparajita Jaiswal, Lan Jin & Kris Acheson

Authors
  1. Aparajita Jaiswal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lan Jin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kris Acheson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Aparajita Jaiswal: Research Design, Data Analysis, Data interpretation, and manuscript writing.

Lan Jin: Data Analysis, Manuscript writing.

Kris Acheson: Research Conceptualization, Manuscript Writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aparajita Jaiswal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jaiswal, A., Jin, L. & Acheson, K. Evaluation of STEM Program on Student Intercultural Development: Do Intercultural Interventions Work?. Innov High Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09691-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09691-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation