Intercultural sensitivity and measurement instruments: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Over the last decades, European Union policies and the 2030 Agenda have focused on promoting social inclusion and fighting discrimination for achieving a better citizenship cohesion. To this end, intercultural sensitivity (hereafter, IS) is a determining factor. This situation has led to a proliferation of studies and research on this concept. However, no review of the scientific literature reporting on the current advancements has been found. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse recently published research and studies (2017–2021) on IS, so to obtain an approximation on the advances that have been made in this field and at which point is the research currently. The methodology followed for the systematic review is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model. The initial search yielded 221 articles and, after an exhaustive review, 32 studies were selected. The main findings revolve around the description of the studies, their aims and their new contributions on the subject. These results allow us to propose a reorientation of the research that should be carried out to continue investigating and advancing in the field of IS.