Students’ attitudes towards culturally mixed groups on international campuses: impact of participation in diverse and non‐diverse groups

TLDR

International campuses aim to foster intercultural competence, yet students often show minimal interaction across cultural backgrounds. This study investigates undergraduate students’ attitudes toward culturally mixed group work, examining differences by year, language experience, observed behavior, and changes during participation in diverse versus non‑diverse groups. Researchers collected matched questionnaire data from 233 business students across first, second, and third years engaged in a semester‑long group project. Results support the benefit of assigning culturally mixed groups for enhancing student attitudes and engagement.

Abstract

International campuses provide social forums to enhance students’ intercultural competence, skills and confidence. Yet, despite multiple opportunities for social contact, the most typical pattern is one of minimal interaction between students from different cultural backgrounds. This study examined students’ attitudes towards culturally mixed group work in the natural setting of an actual group project. More specifically, it investigated the attitudes towards culturally mixed group work held by students in different years of undergraduate study, the relationship of attitudes to experience with multiple languages (as multiple cultures), whether attitudes are related to observed behaviour, and how attitudes change over the course of participation in a diverse or non‐diverse group. The study involved matched questionnaire data from 233 students enrolled in a first, second or third year business unit that included a semester‐long group project. The study provides support for the value of promoting culturally mixed group assignments.