Developing Intercultural Competence “at Home”: Domestic Students’ Experiences in Chinese Universities

This book presents a mixed-methods study that explores the development of intercultural competence among local Chinese students in Chinese universities, using Deardorff’s process model of intercultural competence as a theoretical framework. In the global higher education context, “internationalization at home” is significant in (re)shaping educational practices, especially under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese higher education is also actively engaged in domestic internationalization. Specifically, this book explores the factors that influence Chinese students’ development of intercultural competence and their understanding of it in the context of internationalization at local Chinese universities. The findings suggest that many universities in China are trying to improve domestic students’ intercultural competence through various strategies, such as foreign language learning, extracurricular intercultural communication activities, and international cooperation programs. Notably, the effects are diverse. Based on these findings, this book also discusses the potential theoretical, practical, and policy implications. This book will be an excellent resource for students and scholars in comparative and international education, student development, cultural studies, Chinese studies, and those interested in Chinese higher education. Chapter 8 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Table of Contents:
1. Intercultural Competence and Internationalization at Home in the Chinese Higher Education Context 2. University Students’ Intercultural Competence Development in the Global Context 3. Contemporary Theories and Models of Intercultural Competence 4. Exploring Chinese Students’ Intercultural Competence ‘at Home’ 5. Influential Factors of Chinese Students’ Intercultural Competence ‘at Home’ 6. Intercultural Competence Development as a Complex Process 7. The Influence of IaH Experiences on Chinese Students’ Intercultural Competence Development 8. Critical Reflections from Theoretical and Practical Perspectives 9. Conclusion

About the Author :
Xiaoqing Wang is a Lecturer at the School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. He is a co-founder and the first rotating chairman of the “Diversity, Local & Innovation” Education Academic Salon at Peking University, 2017–2018. His research interests include international higher education, student development, educational policy, and qualitative research methods. Dr. Wang is the author of The Impact Mechanism of the Chinese College Student Learning Assessment Project (Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press) and he also co-edited The History of Academic Dress (Peking University Press). Kun Dai is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Dr. Dai’s research interests include international and comparative education, transnational higher education, education policy, and intercultural learning and adjustment. Dr. Dai’s work has appeared in several leading international peer-reviewed journals, such as Studies in Higher Education, Higher Education Research & Development, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, and Compare. Furthermore, Dr. Dai is an Associate Editor of the Journal of International Students, an editorial board member of Compare, and a referee for more than 40 international journals.

Review :
As the boundaries of ‘culture’ have become fluid and fuzzy and borders no longer describe many intercultural encounters, it is high time that a book like this address the ‘internationalization at home’ realities. Universities in China and other nations have been developing many programs that allow for international and intercultural exchanges on-site to support students’ intercultural competence development. This book documents the case of internationalization at home in China as a significant cultivator of intercultural competence for college students. Professor Steve J. Kulich, Past President (2019-2021) International Academy of Intercultural Research (IAIR), Shanghai International Studies University Developing intercultural competence is a hot topic in international education. The Covid-19 has changed the landscape of previous views on international education, particularly student mobility, and many issues need to be reconsidered. This volume, written by Dr Xiaoqing Wang and Dr Kun Dai, provides a critical analysis of Chinese students' intercultural competence development in the Chinese higher education context, which is actively embracing 'internationalization at home'. This volume presents critical views and rich empirical analysis of Chinese students' intercultural competence development 'at home'. This issue is a significant research problem for students, academics, policymakers, and institutions. Associate Professor Wenqin Shen, Head, Department of Education and Human Development, Graduate School of Education, Peking University This book deftly peals back myriad obstacles to reveal the fascinating dynamics of Chinese students’ intercultural experiences ‘at home’, shedding light on a huge, growing, and hitherto under-explored area of global higher education. Professor Hamish Coates, Director, Higher Education Division, Institute of Education, Tsinghua University