Intercultural Skills’ Assessment

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

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 curiosity 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 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?

10. Culture is:

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

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

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

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

15. Which of the following could describe culture?: A. Learned and dynamic; B. Static and unaffected; C. Shared and integrated; D. Based on symbols and inseparable from language.

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

17. I believe that nobody tasting my country's cuisine could dislike any of our traditional dishes.

18. Can you explain your personal values to people who are culturally different from you?

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

20. 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?

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

22. Do you think that the number of times people kiss when meeting each other may differ from country to country?

23. Do you think that cultural empathy is a prerequisite for effective cultural communication?

24. What do you think empathic listening means?

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

26. Do you think that empathy and sympathy are synonyms?

27. I look for opportunities to talk in foreign languages, even though I may make mistakes.

28. Communication is made to a significant extent of sounds and body language.

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

30. 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?

31. When you are abroad, are you interested in trying the local food?

32. When you are abroad, do you like to engage in a conversation with locals?

33. You have just moved abroad for a two-month internship in an organisation where your mother tongue is the working language. Do you still try to acquire a basic knowledge of the local one?

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

35. A culturally open individual judges other people.

36. How would you react if, during a working experience abroad, you are asked to adapt your schedule, personal and working routine, to local habits?

37. 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?

38. During a friendly discussion, a foreign friend says something that seems insulting to you. How do you react?

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.