A Study Of The Impacts Of Intergroup Contact On Intercultural Communication Competence

Against the background of the globalization of economy, intercultural communication becomes more pervasive. Hence, it is imperative to conduct some studies on intercultural communication competence (ICC). According to Young Yun Kim, ICC consists of three dimensions:cognitive components, affective components and operational components (Young Yun Kim,2000:100-116). The three ICC dimensions are interdependent and influence each other. Hu Wenzhong (1999:45) states that the greatest way to improve ICC is to contact with native speakers and experience the host cultures personally.This study takes Young Yun Kim’s ICC model and intergroup contact theory as the theoretical foundation and investigates the impacts of intergroup contact in the international exchange programs on the two separate samples’ICC, one being the group of non-English majors who participate in the international exchange programs (the intercultural group) and the other the group of non-English majors who do not join in the kinds of programs (the non-intercultural group).The mixed design of the quantitative and qualitative research methods is employed in the thesis. The ICC questionnaire is designed based on Fantini’s questionnaire, and the data obtained from the questionnaires are input into SPSS17.0for the quantitative analysis. The data collected from the semi-structured interviews are examined for the qualitative analysis.The results of the present study indicate:(1) the current ICC level of the intercultural students stands at the medium level while the non-intercultural students demonstrate low ICC level. The differences between the two groups are significant;(2) With regard to the impacts of intergroup contact, it is found that intergroup contact is conducive to reduce cultural prejudice and anxiety. Moreover, intergroup contact also induces greater empathy and strengthens the students’positive attitude towards the host cultures. Among the four aspects, the impact of intergroup contact on cultural prejudice and anxiety is the strongest followed by empathy and attitude;(3) It is also found that intergroup contact can facilitate the improvement of ICC. Among the three ICC dimensions, the impact of intergroup contact on affective components is the strongest followed by cognitive components and operational components.The current study provides empirical evidence on the ICC research. The findings of the thesis might be helpful for teachers to get much clearer comprehension of the non-English majors’ICC level and design more appropriate teaching curriculum to develop the students’ ICC. Meanwhile, the results of this study may also help the students to realize their own shortcomings and improve their ICC by adjusting their learning plans accordingly.