Intercultural Competence Assessment: What Are Its Key Dimensions Across Assessment Tools?

Prior research has identified different dimensions of intercultural competence (IC). However, its focus remains inconsistent across different disciplines and contexts. Existing assessment tools do not focus on all dimensions of Intercultural Competence. Instead, each focuses only on a subset of the IC dimensions. To fill this gap, this study aims (1) to provide a review of currently available assessment tools for IC and (2) to identify a comprehensive list of the key dimensions of IC. This will help researchers agree on a unified definition of IC and develop a measurement of IC that is applicable across contexts and disciplines. The authors find that a comprehensive IC definition and measurement should take into account cognitive (culture-specific knowledge, attitude, open-mindedness/ flexibility, critical thinking, motivation, and personal autonomy), affective (cultural empathy and emotional stability/control), and behavioral (experience, social initiative, leadership, and communication) dimensions.