Self-reflection as a pathway to intercultural competence for students in home-learning environments

This study examined how reflective learning through collaborative digital storytelling contributed to the enhancement of intercultural competence among EFL students in a home-country context. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted to investigate how students developed their intercultural competence cognitively, attitudinally, and behaviourally. Data were collected from students enrolled in an Intercultural Communication course at a Vietnamese university, including 102 reflection essays and 69 follow-up survey responses. Findings show that critical self-reflection fosters understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’ while also supporting cognitive awareness of cultural diversity, affective awareness of empathy, and behavioural awareness of cultural flexibility. The findings of this study carry important implications for both pedagogical practices and classroom design in intercultural education allowing students to link abstract theoretical concepts to their own cultural realities and transform IC from an abstract ideal into a concrete, lived practice.