ABSTRACT

This descriptive research attempts to investigate the intercultural competence of the students at St. Paul University Philippines for the SY 2021-2022. As its participants, the Lynch’s Formula was used to determine the sample size at 5% margin of error with 1,104 students from the different schools of St. Paul University Philippines. Results showed that the participants have a “moderate extent” of exposure to language interaction with diverse cultures and a “moderate level” of intercultural competence. Inferential tests revealed that participants’ extent of exposure to language interaction with diverse cultures correlates with their level of intercultural competence. The notable best experiences of the participants on intercultural interaction include the following: it is an avenue for understanding culture; it is an avenue for learning different languages and communication styles; it is an avenue for meeting and gaining new friends with diverse culture; lastly, it is an avenue for tourism opportunities. Along with knowing the best experiences in intercultural interaction is knowing the intercultural challenges. The intercultural challenges are the following: Difficulty understanding non-verbal cues, gestures, and body language; Difficulty in understanding differences in culture, communication styles, stereotyping, and regionalism; lastly is language barriers. As an offshoot of the study, a proposed intercultural development program was crafted to address the participants’ level of intercultural competence and other problems related to intercultural interaction through simulations, networking, and direct exposure.

Keywords: Diverse culture, intercultural challenges, intercultural competence, intercultural experiences, language interaction