TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schwarzenthal, Miriam Jelena
A1  - Juang, Linda P.
A1  - Schachner, Maja Katharina
A1  - van de Vijver, Fons J. R.
A1  - Handrick, Anna
T1  - From tolerance to understanding
BT  - exploring the development of intercultural competence in multiethnic contexts from early to late adolescence
JF  - Journal of community & applied social psychology
N2  - We investigated intercultural competence among immigrant and non-immigrant background adolescents in multiethnic schools in relation to intercultural contact, age, and ethnic identity exploration. The sample included 631 adolescents in Germany (49.4% of immigrant background, 48.2% female), aged 11 to 18 years (Mage = 13.69 years, SDage = 1.83). Intercultural competence was measured using a self-report questionnaire and situational judgment tests capturing the adolescents' interpretation of and reaction to intercultural conflicts. Intercultural contacts and ethnic identity exploration were measured using self-report questionnaires. Results showed that among immigrant and non-immigrant background adolescents, intercultural contact and ethnic identity exploration were positively related to different aspects of intercultural competence. As predicted, self-reported intercultural competence was unrelated to age in both groups, whereas this competence, as measured by the situational judgment tests, increased with age. Thus, learning about others (e.g., by engaging in intercultural contact) and learning about yourself (e.g., by exploring your own ethnic background) are both important for developing pivotal intercultural skills.
KW  - contact
KW  - cultural intelligence
KW  - ethnic identity
KW  - intercultural competence
KW  - multiethnic contexts
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2317
SN  - 1052-9284
SN  - 1099-1298
VL  - 27
SP  - 388
EP  - 399
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schwarzenthal, Miriam Jelena
A1  - Schachner, Maja Katharina
A1  - Juang, Linda P.
A1  - van de Vijver, Fons J. R.
T1  - Reaping the benefits of cultural diversity
BT  - Classroom cultural diversity
JF  - European journal of social psychology
N2  - Culturally diverse schools may constitute natural arenas for training crucial intercultural skills. We hypothesized that a classroom cultural diversity climate fostering contact and cooperation and multiculturalism, but not a climate fostering color-evasion, would be positively related to adolescents’ intercultural competence. Adolescents in North Rhine-Westphalia (N = 631, Mage = 13.69 years, 49% of immigrant background) and Berlin (N = 1,335, Mage = 14.69 years, 52% of immigrant background) in Germany reported their perceptions of the classroom cultural diversity climate and completed quantitative and qualitative measures assessing their intercultural competence. Multilevel structural equation models indicate that contact and cooperation, multiculturalism, and, surprisingly, also color-evasion (as in emphasizing a common humanity), were positively related to the intercultural competence of immigrant and non-immigrant background students. We conclude that all three aspects of the classroom climate are uniquely related to aspects of adolescents’ intercultural competence and that none of them may be sufficient on their own.
KW  - color-evasion
KW  - contact
KW  - intercultural competence
KW  - multiculturalism
KW  - school climate
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2617
SN  - 0046-2772
SN  - 1099-0992
VL  - 50
IS  - 2
SP  - 323
EP  - 346
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -