IDENTIFIERS Cultural Adjustment; *Cultural Experience

A study investigated the relationship between self-perceived intercultural competence and previous intercultural experience among three groups of student sojourners. Subjects, 179 undergraduate intercultural communication students at a large midwestern university, and with varying degrees of intercultural experience (none; less than three months; and 3-12 months) completed an 18-item questionnaire measuring various cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of intercultural competence. The questionnaire dealt with four general areas of intercultural competence, drawn from previous literature. Results identified most clearly the cognitive and affective aspects of intercultural competence, less clearly the behavioral. Concerning the primary research question--the relationship between intercultural competence and previous sojourn experienceresults suggest that the duration of the intercultural sojourn is related to self-reported competence in two cognitive dimensions: Awareness of Self and Culture, and the Ability to Facilitate Communication. These finding!: are consistent with previous research investigating ovtcomes of intercultural-ileums. (Data tables and an extensive bibliography are appended.; (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that cz I be made from the original document