How do undergraduate students’ perceptions of professor cultural competence and growth mindset relate to motivation to engage in intercultural interactions?

Abstract

In this paper, we explore associations among undergraduate students’ perceptions of professor cultural competence, students’ perceptions of professor growth mindset, and students’ motivation to engage in intercultural interactions. In two studies (Nstudy 1 = 351, Nstudy 2 = 277), we find that when students perceive their professor to be more culturally competent, they report higher self-efficacy, value, and mastery-approach orientation toward intercultural interactions. However, somewhat unexpectedly, students who perceive their professors to have higher cultural competence also report higher performance-avoidance orientation toward intercultural interactions. When students perceive their professors to have a stronger growth mindset, they report lower emotional costs toward intercultural interactions. Further, in Study 1 but not Study 2, we find interactions between perceived professor cultural competence and perceived professor mindset such that the combination of perceiving high cultural competence and high growth mindset led to the highest student-reported self-efficacy and the lowest emotional cost toward engaging in intercultural interactions. Although exploratory and preliminary in nature, these findings suggest that students in classes where professors demonstrate high cultural competence may be more motivated to engage in intercultural interactions; however, it may be important for professors to also communicate a growth mindset if they want to reduce potential threats associated with engaging in intercultural interactions.