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Abstract

Developing a professional STEM workforce with a high degree of intercultural competence is essential in today’s globalized world. To this end, Higher Education Institutions incorporate reflection to help students make meaning of their learning experiences. In this study, we investigated the development of intercultural and teamwork skills among undergraduate first-year STEM students enrolled in a global living- learning community. The goal of the community was to help students develop intercultural competence and teamwork skills by engaging them in active learning environments and reflection. The study used an inductive thematic approach to characterize the impact of the learning community on intercultural competence and teamwork skills. The themes for intercultural competence showed that students develop cross-cultural communication skills, cultural self-awareness, and respect for people from other cultures. The themes for teamwork indicated that students learned to work in multicultural teams and developed the ability to recognize cross-cultural conflict and manage time. An additional theme of a sense of belonging emerged during the analysis; students mentioned that they felt a sense of connectedness and made new friends. Overall, the results of the study underscore the importance of reflection, engaging students in a living-learning community, and fostering intercultural competence and teamwork skills in first-year students. Also, the development of a sense of belonging among first-year students highlights the value of embedding reflection and creating living-learning communities within higher education settings.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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