Profiling Intercultural Communication as Global Competence for Indonesian University Students

Abstract

The skill of Intercultural Communication is needed in today's global world. This is due to the development of digital communication and the easy movement of people across the globe that increases the chances of people to meet and interact with others who are coming from different spheres of the world. By being familiar and owning Intercultural Communication competence, one would be able to communicate and to behave appropriately based on the conversation context and can achieve the goal of the interaction effectively. In a similar vein, university students as the member of academic society are also crucial to be introduced to the concept of Intercultural Communication and the skills entailed within since they frequently interact with other students and lecturers who have a different cultural background. Thus, this paper explores the components of Intercultural Competence as part of intercultural communication of students and alumni from the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training at Universitas Jambi. The data of this research are from FGD with lecturers and from document study of Faculty curriculum regarding what contributes to graduate competencies. Data show that there are several skills in Intercultural Communication that are important to be presented and practiced to fulfill the criteria of competent Intercultural speakers such as, understanding of the cultural concept, awareness of different values and norms, and recognition of Intercultural Communication practice in a workplace context. It is also found that the need for intercultural effective components to be encouraged, for example increasing students' appreciation towards their own and others' cultural values. Finally, after the components of Intercultural Communication for university students are identified, the finding can provide information for further development such as teaching instruments and assessment methods to achieve the profile.