The Chinese Intercultural Competence Scale and the External Factors of Spanish as a Foreign Language

Abstract

The current study aimed to assess the intercultural competence (IC) of Chinese students of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) using Chen's (2019) Chinese Intercultural Competence Scale (CICS), as well as to investigate which external factors influence the acquisition of IC in the field of SFL. The quantitative data from the study show that the participants' IC level was neither high nor low. Their level of IC was affected by age, study abroad experience, frequency of using Spanish, and positive intercultural experiences, but not by gender, college year, or number of foreign languages spoken. The findings have implications for intercultural educators and teachers of foreign languages.