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Developing students’ intercultural competencies: A critique of the Kaleidoscope Project at the University of Calgary
July 4, 2020
In their study “Building an Inclusive Campus”, Green et al. (2018) employed a mixed method approach to investigate the impacts of an interreligious and intercultural diversity program on participants’ self-perceived and actual intercultural competencies (ICC), defined by Hammer (2015) as “the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonalities” (as cited in Green et al., 2018, p. 44). This research was intended to evaluate how the Kaleidoscope Project at the University of Calgary might be serving the need of fostering students’ ICC within an increasingly diverse post-secondary campus environment. The Kaleidoscope Project was designed specifically with the goal of helping further develop participants’ orientations regarding ICC, and having their self-assessment for ICC better align with their actual ICC following program participation. Through pre-program workshops and an immersive week-long experience, the Kaleidoscope Project is intentionally aimed to challenge and transform participants frames of reference regarding cultures and faith traditions, employing the following pedagogical tools: experiential learning, critical thinking, self-reflection and cultural mentoring…
