Instrument to Evaluate Intercultural Competence in Pedagogy Students

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper presents the results of constructing and validating an instrument to evaluate intercultural competence in pedagogy students at a Chilean university. The instrument, named Intercultural Competence for Pedagogy Students (CIEP), was developed in response to the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in classrooms.

 

1. Introduction

The section discusses the importance of intercultural competence (IC) in the context of globalization and the increasing cultural diversity in classrooms. It also presents various theoretical models on IC and the challenges posed by multicultural coexistence in Chile, particularly due to the arrival of the Latin American migrant population. The introduction provides a good background on the importance of intercultural competence in pedagogy and the need for a valid instrument to measure it.

1.     The section needs to state the research questions the study aims to answer more explicitly.

2.     Some subject-specific concepts, such as ‘ethnocentric’, ‘ethnorelative’, ‘interculturality’, ‘transversal’, need to be elaborated to strengthen the arguments and claims made in the paper.

3.     Line 32 on p. 1: What does ‘all of this’ entail?

 

2. Materials and Methods

The section is well-structured and provides a detailed description of the research process.

1.     The study does not include a qualitative component to explore the participants’ perspectives on the instrument and its relevance to their experiences with intercultural competence. Therefore, the authors may want to discuss the limitations of their methodology.

2.     The sample size and selection process need to be justified here.

 

3. Results

1.     It is unusual to see under each table the following: “Source: Own elaboration based on the […]”. Such a remark would typically be added to indicate that the information presented in the table/figure was adopted from someone else’s analysis or research, and not the author’s work.

2.     No elaboration is provided for Figure 1.

 

4. Discussion

The section needs to be improved by comparing the findings with those of similar existing instruments and discussing their implications for practice and future research.

 

5. Conclusions

The section needs to be expanded by discussing the limitations of the study (as suggested above) and providing some specific suggestions for future investigations.

Author Response

1. The section needs to state the research questions the study aims to answer more explicitly.

Line 111 to 114

From this perspective, the research team wonders if it is possible to measure the perception of intercultural competence through this new Likert scale in pedagogy students, understanding that future teachers mediate the interaction between the different cultures present in the classroom through language.

2. Some subject-specific concepts, such as ‘ethnocentric’, ‘ethnorelative’, ‘interculturality’, ‘transversal’, need to be elaborated to strengthen the arguments and claims made in the paper.

Line 22 to 26

One model traces the evolution of speakers from an ethnocentric plane of communication (exclusive use of one's own cultural frameworks to interpret other cultures) to an ethno-relative one (acceptance and adaptation of cultural diversity in a society) [2]. Another model emphasizes self-awareness as a fundamental component in interaction with other cultures [3].

Line 45 to 49

The Pyramid Model of Intercultural Competence, at its base, is composed of the required attitudes such as respect (valuing other cultures), openness (learning about other cultures without judging them), curiosity, and discovery (tolerance towards ambiguity and uncertainty). The second rung of the pyramid is shared by knowledge and understanding in conjunction with skills. Knowledge is composed of the elements: cultural self-awareness, in-depth understanding and knowledge of cultures, culture-specific information, and sociolinguistic awareness. The skills component integrates them: listening, observing, interpreting, analyzing, relating, and evaluating.

The third level of the pyramid corresponds to the desired internal outcome component. Its elements are adaptability (to communication behaviors as well as to new cultural environments), flexibility (using appropriate behavioral styles with a new cultural context), ethnorelative vision (understanding of culture from the specificity of each cultural context), and empathy (ability to identify with a cultural other). The desired external outcome component, which involves behavior and communication effectively and appropriately, is at the top of the pyramid.

 

3. Line 32 on p. 1: What does ‘all of this’ entail?

 Line 26 to 28                     The writing was improved

A third model posits that IC is established as a mechanism of attitudes, knowledge, and skills to interact appropriately in intercultural situations [4].

 

2. Materials and Methods

The section is well-structured and provides a detailed description of the research process.

1. The study does not include a qualitative component to explore the participants’ perspectives on the instrument and its relevance to their experiences with intercultural competence. Therefore, the authors may want to discuss the limitations of their me

 

Considering the perspective of the participants is not the objective of the present study. Likewise, it may be pertinent to explore the students' perspective in other studies. What some of the researchers are doing in a research whose objective is to evaluate the relevance of an interdisciplinary didactic proposal for the promotion of intercultural competence in three pedagogical careers.

2. The sample size and selection process need to be justified here.

Line 126 to 135

2.1. Participants

The study was carried out using a non-probabilistic convenience sample of university students (N=521) from two pedagogical careers at a Chilean university (Pedagogy in English and Pedagogy in Basic Education), belonging to four branches of a private university with regional headquarters. In the capital of Santiago de Chile, it was applied in two offices: the San Miguel Campus (n=69) and the Providencia Campus (n=34). In southern Chile, they were applied at the Talca (n=297) and Temuco (n=121) sites. The distribution of the sample according to sex corresponded to 450 women and 71 men. On average, the students evaluated were in semester 5.04 (SD=2.4), with an average age of 22.2 years (SD=3.37), with a minimum age of 18 years and a maximum of 40 years.

 

3. Results
4. It is unusual to see under each table the following: “Source: Own elaboration based on the […]”. Such a remark would typically be added to indicate that the information presented in the table/figure was adopted from someone else’s analysis or research, and not the author’s work.

               Those expressions were removed

 

3. No elaboration is provided for Figure 1.

Line 309 to 317

Finally, Figure 1 shows the graphical representation of the proposed model for Intercultural Competence where the factor loads of IC are expressed as a theoretical construct in the components of the initial theoretical model. In this sense, IQ is strongly explained by the components of Knowledge and Internal Results, followed by the attitudinal component and the skills component, respectively. This seems to coincide with studies in the area where it is found that the greatest challenge for institutions that train professionals is to develop skills associated with IC, as opposed to learning some notions related to the understanding of IC, which is the first thing that students in vocational training reach [47].

4. Discussion

The section needs to be improved by comparing the findings with those of similar existing instruments and discussing their implications for practice and future research.

Line 341 to 348

 

The results show that when applying the CFA, the instrument fits the model hypothesized in the first instance [49]. The model validated in this research allows us to affirm the composition of the construct in four dimensions present in the Intercultural Competence for Pedagogy Students (ICPS) model. This fact corroborates the initial underlying structure ratified by analyzing the factor loads of the analyzed dimensions (between .84 and .94), with items that present a high factor load. The literature shows that applying the CFA to validate the construct with which the instrument was constructed is recurrently used in education [50, 51, 52].

Line 373 to 386

Its contribution lies in constructing and validating an instrument that contributes explicitly to teacher training, considering the diversity in the Chilean school classroom that teachers in training must face. In addition, it is observed that most instruments that assess intercultural competence are based on something other than the totality of the theoretical dimensions of the theoretical models on the subject. On the contrary, they include one or two theoretical dimensions for their understanding.

On the other hand, as a projection of the study, the instrument allows the exploration of the development of intercultural competence in initial teacher training. For example, the theoretical dimensions of the instrument can be worked on didactically in a transversal way in the students' professional practices. In that learning space, like internships, preservice teachers find themselves in classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Therefore, using this instrument makes it possible to project teacher training in intercultural competence.

5. Conclusions

The section needs to be expanded by discussing the limitations of the study (as suggested above) and providing some specific suggestions for future investigations.

Line 396 to 407

It is also essential to have been able to design and validate a model to measure intercultural competence with these characteristics and with a sample considered to be very good. The instrument has the value of offering educational teacher training to measure intercultural competence through diagnostic strategies. At the same time, it can be pedagogically trained students through methodological devices associated with the validated dimensions to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students in the Chilean context.

Consequently, the results of this research open up a series of future investigations that allow us to work with the validated dimensions to access genuine reflections that deconstruct beliefs and judgments and enable professional competencies that strengthen professional development and interculturality in the classroom, in teachers in training, and also in active practice.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

1. The section needs to state the research questions the study aims to answer more explicitly.

Line 111 to 114

From this perspective, the research team wonders if it is possible to measure the perception of intercultural competence through this new Likert scale in pedagogy students, understanding that future teachers mediate the interaction between the different cultures present in the classroom through language.

2. Some subject-specific concepts, such as ‘ethnocentric’, ‘ethnorelative’, ‘interculturality’, ‘transversal’, need to be elaborated to strengthen the arguments and claims made in the paper.

Line 22 to 26

One model traces the evolution of speakers from an ethnocentric plane of communication (exclusive use of one's own cultural frameworks to interpret other cultures) to an ethno-relative one (acceptance and adaptation of cultural diversity in a society) [2]. Another model emphasizes self-awareness as a fundamental component in interaction with other cultures [3].

Line 45 to 49

The Pyramid Model of Intercultural Competence, at its base, is composed of the required attitudes such as respect (valuing other cultures), openness (learning about other cultures without judging them), curiosity, and discovery (tolerance towards ambiguity and uncertainty). The second rung of the pyramid is shared by knowledge and understanding in conjunction with skills. Knowledge is composed of the elements: cultural self-awareness, in-depth understanding and knowledge of cultures, culture-specific information, and sociolinguistic awareness. The skills component integrates them: listening, observing, interpreting, analyzing, relating, and evaluating.

The third level of the pyramid corresponds to the desired internal outcome component. Its elements are adaptability (to communication behaviors as well as to new cultural environments), flexibility (using appropriate behavioral styles with a new cultural context), ethnorelative vision (understanding of culture from the specificity of each cultural context), and empathy (ability to identify with a cultural other). The desired external outcome component, which involves behavior and communication effectively and appropriately, is at the top of the pyramid.

 

3. Line 32 on p. 1: What does ‘all of this’ entail?

 Line 26 to 28                     The writing was improved

A third model posits that IC is established as a mechanism of attitudes, knowledge, and skills to interact appropriately in intercultural situations [4].

 

 

2. Materials and Methods

The section is well-structured and provides a detailed description of the research process.

1. The study does not include a qualitative component to explore the participants’ perspectives on the instrument and its relevance to their experiences with intercultural competence. Therefore, the authors may want to discuss the limitations of their me

 

Considering the perspective of the participants is not the objective of the present study. Likewise, it may be pertinent to explore the students' perspective in other studies. What some of the researchers are doing in a research whose objective is to evaluate the relevance of an interdisciplinary didactic proposal for the promotion of intercultural competence in three pedagogical careers.

2. The sample size and selection process need to be justified here.

Line 126 to 135

2.1. Participants

The study was carried out using a non-probabilistic convenience sample of university students (N=521) from two pedagogical careers at a Chilean university (Pedagogy in English and Pedagogy in Basic Education), belonging to four branches of a private university with regional headquarters. In the capital of Santiago de Chile, it was applied in two offices: the San Miguel Campus (n=69) and the Providencia Campus (n=34). In southern Chile, they were applied at the Talca (n=297) and Temuco (n=121) sites. The distribution of the sample according to sex corresponded to 450 women and 71 men. On average, the students evaluated were in semester 5.04 (SD=2.4), with an average age of 22.2 years (SD=3.37), with a minimum age of 18 years and a maximum of 40 years.

 

3. Results
4. It is unusual to see under each table the following: “Source: Own elaboration based on the […]”. Such a remark would typically be added to indicate that the information presented in the table/figure was adopted from someone else’s analysis or research, and not the author’s work.

               Those expressions were removed

 

3. No elaboration is provided for Figure 1.

Line 309 to 317

Finally, Figure 1 shows the graphical representation of the proposed model for Intercultural Competence where the factor loads of IC are expressed as a theoretical construct in the components of the initial theoretical model. In this sense, IQ is strongly explained by the components of Knowledge and Internal Results, followed by the attitudinal component and the skills component, respectively. This seems to coincide with studies in the area where it is found that the greatest challenge for institutions that train professionals is to develop skills associated with IC, as opposed to learning some notions related to the understanding of IC, which is the first thing that students in vocational training reach [47].

 

 

 

4. Discussion

The section needs to be improved by comparing the findings with those of similar existing instruments and discussing their implications for practice and future research.

 

Line 341 to 348

The results show that when applying the CFA, the instrument fits the model hypothesized in the first instance [49]. The model validated in this research allows us to affirm the composition of the construct in four dimensions present in the Intercultural Competence for Pedagogy Students (ICPS) model. This fact corroborates the initial underlying structure ratified by analyzing the factor loads of the analyzed dimensions (between .84 and .94), with items that present a high factor load. The literature shows that applying the CFA to validate the construct with which the instrument was constructed is recurrently used in education [50, 51, 52].

Line 373 to 386

Its contribution lies in constructing and validating an instrument that contributes explicitly to teacher training, considering the diversity in the Chilean school classroom that teachers in training must face. In addition, it is observed that most instruments that assess intercultural competence are based on something other than the totality of the theoretical dimensions of the theoretical models on the subject. On the contrary, they include one or two theoretical dimensions for their understanding.

On the other hand, as a projection of the study, the instrument allows the exploration of the development of intercultural competence in initial teacher training. For example, the theoretical dimensions of the instrument can be worked on didactically in a transversal way in the students' professional practices. In that learning space, like internships, preservice teachers find themselves in classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Therefore, using this instrument makes it possible to project teacher training in intercultural competence.

 

 

5. Conclusions

The section needs to be expanded by discussing the limitations of the study (as suggested above) and providing some specific suggestions for future investigations.

 

Line 396 to 407

It is also essential to have been able to design and validate a model to measure intercultural competence with these characteristics and with a sample considered to be very good. The instrument has the value of offering educational teacher training to measure intercultural competence through diagnostic strategies. At the same time, it can be pedagogically trained students through methodological devices associated with the validated dimensions to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students in the Chilean context.

Consequently, the results of this research open up a series of future investigations that allow us to work with the validated dimensions to access genuine reflections that deconstruct beliefs and judgments and enable professional competencies that strengthen professional development and interculturality in the classroom, in teachers in training, and also in active practice.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Some important changes have been made by the authors(s) based on my earlier suggestions. I think the revised manuscript can be accepted for publication now.