International Students' Intercultural Sensitivity and Intercultural
Communication Competence in Malaysia
Abstract
This study is set out to understand intercultural communication
competence and sensitivity among International students in Malaysia. In
the discipline of communication, intercultural communication competence
(ICC) has been a subject of study for more than five decades. Over this
time, many have identified a number of variables that contribute to
intercultural communication (ICC). This paper examines significant
relationship between international students’ intercultural communication
competence and their intercultural sensitivity as per their everyday
situations in Malaysia. Anxiety uncertainty management theory is applied
to the study to explain the relationship between intercultural
communication competence and intercultural sensitivity among
international students studying in Malaysia. Gudykunst (2005) described
seven factors that envisage a person’s uncertainty and anxiety levels
while communicating with unfamiliar persons: motivation to interact with
strangers, self-concept, reactions to strangers, social categorization
of strangers, situational processes, ethical interactions and
connections with strangers. These help reduce other people’s anxiety as
well as their uncertainty. The study employed a quantitative research
design using the survey method where a self-administered questionnaire
was employed and respondents were recruited using non-random sampling to
generate the data. 300 international students from international Islamic
university Malaysia (IIUM) who have studies in Malaysia for over a year
participated in the study. Findings show, that there is a significant
relationship between students with intercultural sensitivity and
intercultural communication competence. The study recommends, that
further research should be done to examine whether a single mediating
factor such as change in anxiety and uncertainty can affect the level of
intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication competence.
The theory is also supported in the study.