Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence - Center for ...

Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence
As an acknowledged leader in international, intercultural education, service, and development,
The Experiment maintains both academic and project capabilities dedicated to promoting
intercultural understanding, social justice, and world peace. Since its founding in 1932, its values
have become ever more relevant in today’s world, and its programs have grown in scope and
intensity. Through distinctive methods based on experiential approaches to education and training
and the integration of theory and practice, the Experiment Federation’s diverse programs are
designed to provide life-changing experiences that develop intercultural competencies, create
leaders, contribute to global development, and effect positive change.
Summary
The approach to developing world peace, one person at a time, follows Ghandi’s challenge when
he said: “You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.” In other words, change
occurs from the inside out. FEIL programs help this to occur in the context of providing quality
intercultural programs, including some with a service component. All of these experiences
include selection, orientation, language study, a homestay, and usually an additional component.
In FEIL’s VIP Programs, this component involves participation in a service project. Most
importantly, each individual intercultural sojourn is done in-country on that culture’s own terms.
This means that participants learn in the way of the culture of the host society, requiring the
development of an emic approach.
The findings in this study reinforce numerous anecdotal and statistical reports accumulated over
three-quarters of a century. While learning about others, participants also learn about themselves.
Because the nature of intercultural encounters is always provocative, it promotes deep
introspection and reflection. Rarely does one return with more stereotypes or intolerant attitudes.
And learning about others provides new vantage points for learning more about oneself. The
returnee typically remarks: “I learned so much about Ecuador, but you know what? I learned even
more about myself.” Looking out is looking in. Understanding and changes of perspective occur
for most and, as a result, they return home deeply changed.
The intercultural experience normally constitutes the most profound educational experience of
their lives. And changed participants return to live their lives differently, affecting others in the
process. And, in so doing, they are moving in the direction of the institutional vision and mission.
This is what one sees consistently throughout all of the reports provided in this study.
D. The Host Perspective
As previously stated, mentors completed two types of survey forms: 1) about their views of
volunteer performance (Mentors/Volunteers or MV) and 2) about their own development
(Mentors/Self, or MS). In the first case, of 5 supervising mentors, 4 completed questionnaire
forms at the beginning of the volunteers’ programs, 3 at the end, and 4 gave personal interviews
(+I). This summary examines mentor views of volunteer performance.
Center for Social Development
Washington University in St. Louis
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