Intercultural Skills’ Assessment

1. When you are on university grounds, do you regularly hear different languages being spoken?

2. At your university, can you observe a growing cultural diversity?

3. Age, gender, and nationality are essential characteristics of a person.

4. How would you evaluate yourself on empathy on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

5. How would you evaluate yourself on cultural self-awareness on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

6. How would you evaluate yourself on verbal and non-verbal communication on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

7. How would you evaluate yourself on knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

8. How would you evaluate yourself on openness on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

9. How would you evaluate yourself on curiosity on a 1-5 scale, where 1 means very weak, 2 weak, 3 neither weak nor strong, 4 strong, and 5 very strong?

10. There are different cultural identities in the different regions of my country.

11. Culture is given from one generation to the other and stays the same.

12. Cultural differences can also be observed between different generations.

13. Culture is:

14. The national culture of my country defines my country and makes it better than others.

15. Cultural bias is different from racism in that it targets cultural differences rather than anthropological characteristics like skin color.

16. I believe that the social conventions of my country are universal. People who do not follow those conventions are outcasts.

17. The term stereotype refers to:

18. Cultural bias is the tendency of people to judge the outside world through a narrow view based on their own culture.

19. I am aware that certain idiomatic expressions in my language may not be understandable in another cultural setting or translatable to another language.

20. It is important to suspend judgments vis-à-vis different values and customs, and to consider multiple meanings.

21. A foreign friend of yours is always late for your dates out and every time he/she explains that in his/her country time perception is different. How would you react?

22. When stereotypes come up during a discussion, what do you usually do?

23. To be able to empathise with someone else’s feelings is more often a strength than a weakness.

24. How would you define empathy?

25. Empathic communication is a powerful tool to solve interpersonal conflicts and establish deep connections.

26. The more one is positively exposed to people from different cultures, the lower his/her cultural empathy.

27. During lunch, there is a heated discussion between two of your classmates from different cultural backgrounds. You don't want to take a side. How do you react?

28. Do you think that linguistic competences could support you with your communication skills?

29. In your country, a person who does not speak your language asks you a question. How do you react?

30. While working with a group of foreign students, do you pay attention to body language and gestures?

31. If a foreign student came to your class, how would you react?

32. During a festive event, a group of foreign students encourages you and your colleagues to participate in one of their traditional dances. How would you react?

33. Before, during, or after visiting a foreign country, are you interested in learning about its culture?

34. You have just arrived in a foreign country for a year of studying abroad. A local classmate invites you for dinner to his/her parents' house, where many things (the welcoming, manners, the food, etc.) will be new for you. How do you feel?

35. Do you think that an open person is, consequently, a flexible person?

36. In a working group formed by students with different cultural origins, do you try to impose your working method or do you rather value diversity in finding a common approach?

37. Do you define yourself as an open-minded person?

38. A culturally open individual does not assume, but questions.

39. The greater the comprehension an individual has of his/her own culture (cultural self-awareness), including stereotypes and generalisations, the more that person can appreciate and understand other cultures.