An Empirical Study On The Intercultural Sensitivity Of Chinese And International Students In Dalian University Of Technology

This research compares a sample of the Chinese students and a sample of the international students in Dalian University of Technology from an intercultural perspective.This study attempts to find out whether there are any significant differences between the two groups,and what factor best predicts intercultural sensitivity for Sample 1(Chinese students)and Sample 2(international students)in a quantitative research method.A total number of118 Chinese students and 79 international students are recruited.The data are analyzed by analysis of variance(ANOVA),multiple regression analysis and some other statistical methods with the software SPSS 17.0.The findings of ANOVA suggest that the Chinese students' self-perceptions of intercultural sensitivity are significantly different from the international students' self-perceptions.The differences are reflected in the following three factors: Interaction Confidence,Interaction Enjoyment and Interaction Attentiveness.The findings of multiple regression analyses suggest that the best predictor of intercultural sensitivity for Chinese students and international students are respectively the dimensions of Interaction Engagement and Interaction Enjoyment.The findings also show that the independent variables like overseas experience and experiences of interacting with foreigners have positive effects on intercultural sensitivity,while gender,age,major,English level and the other variables have no positive effects on intercultural sensitivity.Therefore,it should arouse educators' attention on enhancing Chinese students' Interaction Engagement,which is important to improve their intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication competence.Overall,the findings of this thesis offer some empirical data and practical suggestions for English learning and teaching.