This study considers the usefulness of the Intercultural Development Inventory in measuring the intercultural sensitivity of a sample of teachers at an established international school in Thailand. In this study, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) was used to measure participants’ levels of intercultural sensitivity (ICS), based on Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). To crosscheck the IDI findings and to provide additional insights, qualitative research using interviews of a sample of teacher participants was undertaken. Comparisons were also made with previous studies using the IDI to measure teacher levels of ICS. The aims of the study were to provide additional data about ICS among teachers at an established international school and to look for correlates relating to demographic factors. Specifically, the study aimed to assess the usefulness of the IDI to international schools looking to enhance ICS among students and teachers. The study concludes that the IDI is applicable to an international school context in measuring the intercultural sensitivity of teachers. The results showed that teachers in international schools involved in this study have higher levels of ICS than their counterparts in national schools who took part in previous studies. With respect to the participants in this study, 67.9% were operating in Bennett’s Minimization stage in the DMIS. Levels of ICS were positively correlated with years living in another culture, professional development related to ICS and knowledge of a foreign language. The findings provide insights into and opportunities for further study. Other studies may find similarities with respect to professional development for teachers with respect to ICS, teacher recruitment, gender differences, and levels of ICS among faculties at both national and international schools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:538144 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Davies, Andrew |
| Contributors | Hayden, Mary |
| Publisher | University of Bath |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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