Information and digital technology-assisted interventions to improve intercultural competence: A meta-analytical review
Zhang, XT (通讯作者),Univ Macau, Fac Educ, Ave Padre Tomas Pereira, Taipa, Macau, Peoples R China.
This study synthesized 56 studies published during year 2000-2021 that measured the use of technology to develop students' intercultural competence (IC). Meta-analysis, a statistical process that combines the quantitative findings of multiple relevant studies, was used to analyze the effectiveness of the interventions to improve IC. The findings suggested that technology-based interventions generally produced a positive and intermediate effect (with an effect size of .35) on the students' overall and subdimensions of IC. Subsequent publication bias analyses and sensitivity analyses revealed that our findings were not affected. Based on the high heterogeneity between the reviewed studies, the types of intervention and IC measurement tools were identified as moderating variables. Among the four intervention types, computer simulation had the largest effect size (0.40) and blended learning environment had the smallest effect size (0.22). The effect sizes of digital materials/tools and computer-mediated communication were 0.38 and 0.35, respectively. Compared to studies using self-developed scales (0.38) and previously validated scales (0.33), studies that employed self-developed tests to assess IC produced a larger effect size (0.66). The impact of the technology-based interventions at different levels of moderating vari-ables was discussed. Implications of the findings were provided.