International Journal of Intercultural Relations最新文献

Global identity (i.e., an identification with and concern for all humanity) and nature connectedness are positively related to people’s pro-environmental attitudes and behavior. Therefore, ways to develop these traits are sought after. There are preliminary indications that stays abroad may provide opportunities to do so. In the current study, we thus examined the potential effects of long-term stays abroad on global identity and nature connectedness. Furthermore, we investigated how different experiences made abroad are related to travelers’ global identity. We conducted an online survey in three participant groups (N = 292): An experienced group which had returned from a long-term stay abroad, a planning group which intended but had not yet experienced such a stay, and a home group which had neither experienced nor planned a long-term stay abroad. We found higher levels of global self-investment (i.e., one dimension of global identity reflecting concern for all humanity) for the experienced group compared to the home group but not the planning group. The planning group did not differ regarding global identity from the home group. Moreover, we found that global identity was positively related to the amount of contact with international people met abroad, but to almost no other of the examined cultural experiences made. The three groups did not differ regarding nature connectedness. In sum, long-term stays abroad and positive international experiences with people appear to be associated with global self-investment. However, a causal effect of long-term stays cannot be derived unambiguously, and future research should use longitudinal designs.

The increased migration of the last decades has contributed to the generation of diversified societies, raising the need to understand perceptions about cultural diversity and educate on intercultural communication, intending to shrink discrimination. In order to be able to impact and instruct on intercultural competence, professors must possess preparation and development related to interaction in culturally diversified settings. With the aim to recognize the necessity for improving the interaction between professors and students in multicultural environments, this research explores the role of professors’ identity as an antecedent of intercultural competence, further designating their job engagement. The results of the survey with 322 university professors reveal the central role of professors’ commitment to social justice, as the link between their dedication to students’ needs and their own keenness towards continued involvement in working tasks. The implications emphasize the professors’ predisposition to building a productive and harmonious learning environment as a trigger for their enthusiasm, efficacy and commitment while working in culturally diverse environments. Intercultural competence presents the individual commitment to act with respect and avoid issues that could jeopardize communication in a culturally diverse environment, pointing out its importance for personal and professional relationships. In this way, this study observes cultural diversity from the lens of the impact on professors’ engagement, as the critical tool of diversity-competent, aware and sensitive communities in the long run.

The image of a place is subjective and open to change: it depends on an individual's perspective and cultural background. Notwithstanding years of research on destination image, no attempt has been made so far to evaluate the Muslim-Friendly Tourist Destination Image (MFTDI) in the travel and hospitality industry, in which Muslim visitors not only evaluate cognitive and emotional attributes but also Muslim-friendly attributes. In this research a qualitative research and literature review was carried out to develop the items of the proposed scale. The study began with a pilot study in which a committee of experts, and focus groups reduced the topic quantitatively and qualitatively. A follow-up quantitative assessment was then carried out to evaluate and authenticate the suggested scale, using two studies (n1 = 481 and n2 = 269). The significance of the proposed scale was conceptually justified. The scale measured reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and external validity. As a result, the outcomes suggest that the 31 items to be considered fall into three factor categories: cognitive, emotional, and Muslim-friendly qualities. Finally, this paper assesses the article's significant implications for theory and practice, as well as its limitations.

Successful integration of immigrants in the receiving society depends on the acceptance of the majority population and their preferences for immigrants’ acculturation orientations. However, political discourse often promotes hostility and feelings of threat from immigration, which contribute to the increased perception of prevalence and acceptability of anti-immigrant attitudes in the society. Such social norms may also shape the acculturation attitudes among the majority youth, as adolescents are particularly sensitive to social norms. Previous research has shown significant effects of parental and peer norms on adolescents’ intergroup attitudes, while there is a lack of studies examining the role of social norms in acculturation preferences. Moreover, the role of perceived norms from broader social environments, such as the normative climate on the national level, is not yet well understood. The study was conducted in Slovakia, where the percentage of immigrants at the time of the research was low, but the topic of immigration was highly politicised. We examined the role of perceived parental, classmates’, and national level anti-prejudice social norms as well as perceived threat in majority adolescents’ (N = 438) preferences towards immigrants’ acculturation. Our findings point to significant associations between adolescents’ perceptions of anti-prejudice norms and their preferences for immigrants’ culture maintenance and preferences for contact. The relationship between perceived norms and acculturation attitudes was mediated by perceived threat, suggesting that, in the context of low intergroup contact, social norms may transmit perceptions of threat, which in turn negatively affect acculturation attitudes.

Research has consistently supported a positive relationship between acculturative stress and depression among international students. However, variations in findings have indicated the need for a quantitative synthesis of existing studies. This random-effects meta-analysis included twenty-four independent studies meeting eligibility criteria, comprising 5712 international university students (Female = 55.56 %; mean age = 24.49, range 17–64 years old). Findings revealed a robust relationship (Fisher’s Z = 0.531; CI [0.305, 0.756]; p < 0.001) between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms among international university students, indicating a large effect (Cohen, 1992). Moderating variables such as age, gender, host culture, and measurement scales showed no significant effects on this association. The findings confirmed the positive correlation between acculturative stress and depression, showing that increased levels of acculturative stress among international university students are linked to higher levels of depression. The results suggest the potentially pivotal role of acculturative stress in understanding and addressing depressive symptoms among international university students. Importantly, the study highlights the need for future research involving a more diverse range of international students and countries, given the predominance of studies conducted in the United States with samples primarily of Asian origin.

The article reports on a qualitative study of how schools in Estonia were incorporating Ukrainian war refugee students in the spring of 2023. Observations and interviews were conducted in 7 schools with teachers, school administrators, psychological support staff, refugee students in grades 7–12, and their parents. The study found that schools were balancing three overlapping goals: (1) to ensure psychological adjustment of the refugee students by creating a safe, supportive, and welcoming school environment; (2) to provide students with opportunities to learn and be academically successful, and (3) to facilitate acculturation of refugees into Estonian culture and language. These three “A’s”: adjustment, academics, and acculturation were important in all schools in the study. As schools engaged in implementing the three goals, they found that at times they were in conflict with one another, requiring them to prioritize some and de-emphasize others. The Ukrainian secondary school was created specifically for these students and prioritized adjustment but faced challenges motivating students to engage academically and learn the Estonian language. Russian-medium schools provided the easiest access to the academic curriculum in Russian, without the need to acculturate; but students experienced some anti-Ukraine attitudes from peers and teachers. In Estonian-medium schools, students had the best opportunity to learn Estonian but felt socially isolated and were unable to engage with the Estonian-language curriculum. The study highlights the need for schools to balance these different goals and work to resolve contradictions as they arise in their unique context.

Among the various factors influencing matrimonial choices, religion holds long-standing sociological significance. Utilizing a unique dataset, “Muslim Life in Germany,” this study examines the attitudes of Muslim migrants toward their actual or imaginary children’s decisions to marry individuals from different religious backgrounds. The results indicate that the gender of the respondents, the gender of their actual or imaginary children, and the subjective, individual, and communal religiosity of Muslim migrants are significantly associated with the level of approval for their children’s interfaith marriages. This study establishes a framework to discuss how interfaith marriage attitudes are gendered, manifesting in the differential standards applied to daughters versus sons, and further gendered by the distinct standards employed by mothers and fathers, each influenced by varying levels of different types of religiosity—incorporating the “religious gender gap” phenomenon.

This study focused on the Leadership in Cross-Cultural Teaching Program (Cross-Teach), which retrains academics to become teachers in the ‘other’ (Jewish vs. Arab) educational stream in Israel, a high-intensity conflict society. The research aimed to uncover lecturers' understanding of intercultural competence (henceforth, IC), investigating how they perceive it should be imparted to pre-service teachers operating across intercultural boundaries. Nine lecturers, representing diverse backgrounds and extensive experience, were interviewed and the transcripts were used as data for qualitative analysis. This research presents a novel perspective on IC among educators, emphasizing comprehensive skills ranging from cognitive and emotional dimensions to identity exploration. Diverging from existing literature, our study uniquely focuses on identity and conflict as an essential component of IC among teachers. The lecturers delve into the reciprocal learning environment, exposing participants to identity conflicts and fostering intercultural encounters. The inclusion of diverse Arab and Jewish lecturers further enriches our exploration of identity formation. Our findings illuminate the complex dynamics, challenges, and opportunities for IC within a society marked by high-intensity conflict.

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.

This paper reports results from a systematic review that organizes existing knowledge about re-entry stress and adaptation to one’s heritage culture after returning from abroad. In this review, we sought to describe the prevalence of re-entry stress, how stress levels change over time and identify factors associated with reacculturation. We searched seven subject-specific and multidisciplinary databases for English language, peer-reviewed papers, and theses/dissertations with original qualitative or quantitative data, published from 2009. Fifty-five studies met the selection criteria. The prevalence of re-entry stress ranged between 40 % and 92 %. Studies used various scales with distinct characteristics to measure re-entry stress. Longitudinal information about patterns of changes in re-entry stress levels was insufficient. The analysis provided information about the variety of situational, demographic, intrapersonal, interpersonal/intergroup, and contextual factors associated with re-entry stress and adaptation. The literature to date has mostly focused on situational and intrapersonal factors while explorations of the broader cultural context have been scarce. Current knowledge is largely limited to more privileged groups of returnees, such as students and employees from the Global North. This paper highlights important gaps in the literature and provides scope for future research. We argue that inconsistencies in reacculturation research are mainly due to a lack of clear conceptual and theoretical frameworks.