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Intercultural Competence and Training Needs of University Staff: Insights from Critical Incident Analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper explores intercultural training needs of university staff through the analysis of intercultural critical incidents that were shared by participants in a survey conducted in four universities in Switzerland. In the survey, participants were prompted to describe intercultural critical incidents, to self-assess their intercultural sensitivity and competence, and to indicate their interest in further development. Using qualitative content analysis, categories of incidents were developed based on the Critical Incident Technique. The findings suggest that participants whose scores indicate a higher level of readiness to engage in intercultural training are better able to perceive nuanced details of intercultural critical incidents and to analyse them from an ethno-relative perspective. The findings further suggest that workshops on relationship-building and empathy in intercultural contexts may offer relevant entry points for training of participants with lower scores.

Source: Journal of Studies in International Education

DOI: 10.1177/10283153251414846

Authors: Patrick Studer, Nadja Sudalei Spillmann, Sandra McGury, Jacqueline Bürki

Institutions: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Bern University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: International Student and Expatriate Challenges

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650