The Development and Application of an Intercultural Competence Scale for University EFL Learners

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply an intercultural competence scale (ICS/Chinese version) to understand the intercultural competence (IC) of Taiwanese university English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Development of the scale was conducted through a literature review, IC model building, item pool generation, and data collection, including a pilot survey (valid ＂n＂=389) and a formal study (valid ＂n＂=1,117). Finally, five factors were generated following exploratory factor analysis, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=.93) of the final 30-item ICS indicated the scale’s high reliability. Derived from the outcomes of IC self-assessment in the formal study, the means of the five IC factors were ranked in descending order: affective orientation to intercultural interaction, display of intercultural consciousness, self-efficacy in intercultural situations, knowledge of intercultural interaction, and behavioral performance in intercultural interaction. A significant difference existed between men and women in affective orientation toward intercultural interaction and display of intercultural consciousness. Also, the IC of the participants in the formal study seemed to be related to the type and location of their universities. Based on the results, pedagogical implications are provided and relevant limitations are discussed regarding future studies.