Carol A. Chapelle - The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

A central component of culture is the cultural value system, or ideas that are shared by members of a culture group regarding the desired patterns of behavior and belief in their community. Key authors in this area include Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961), Hofstede (2001), and Hall (1969). Well known intercultural instruments measuring cultural values include the Values Orientation Inventory (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck, 1961) and the Intercultural Sensitivity Inventory (Bhawuk & Brislin, 1992).

Cultural adjustment is a core concept in the intercultural field (Ward, Bochner, & Furnham, 2001). Having culture general knowledge about adjustment is seen as central to working effectively across cultures. Adjustment and adaptation are such significant aspects of the intercultural experience that a vast training literature has been developed around the issues of preparing and supporting persons experiencing cultural adjustment (Paige, 1993; Landis, Bennett, & Bennett, 2004). Well known instruments that measure cultural adjustment include the Cross‐Cultural Adaptability Inventory (Kelley & Meyers, 1999) and the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale‐Revised (SCAS‐R; Ward & Kennedy, 1999; Wilson, Ward, Fetvadjiev, & Bethel, 2017). The SCAS‐R is described below.

A number of instruments have been developed to assess the skills, strategies, and capacities needed for learning about another culture. Ang et al. (2007) define cultural intelligence as “an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings” (p. 336). The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS; Earley & Ang, 2003) measures cultural intelligence. Kolb (1984) also presents a comprehensive theoretical treatment of culture learning, in which he identifies core learning styles. The Culture Learning Strategies Inventory (CLSI; Paige, Rong, Zheng, & Kappler, 2006) also falls into the culture learning category. The CQS (Earley & Ang, 2003) is described in the following section.

In this section, four instruments are discussed in greater detail. These instruments were chosen because they each meet four critical criteria. These criteria include an explicit theoretical and conceptual foundation for the assessment; a clear definition of the aspect of cultural knowledge being assessed; evidence of reliability and validity; and generalizability of assessment results to a broad and culturally diverse audience. Generalizability is defined here as the use and application of the instrument for several cultural groups, language groups, or both. Table 1shows a summary of each instrument and how or whether it meets each of these criteria.

Conceptual foundation . The IDI is a 50‐item measure of intercultural competence that is based on Bennett's (1993) developmental model. The IDI is well known and frequently used for assessing intercultural development and intercultural competence of individuals and groups.

Cultural dimension(s) being measured: intercultural development. The IDI assesses one's orientation toward culturally different persons and groups. At higher levels of intercultural sensitivity or competence, this means possessing cultural knowledge sufficient for shifting cultural perspective and adapting behavior to cultural context. The IDI generates two main scores for intercultural competence: the “perceived orientation” score (where one places themselves on the DMIS continuum), the “developmental orientation” score (one's primary orientation toward cultural difference), as well as “trailing” or unresolved orientations and “leading” or aspirational orientations. It also produces scores of “orientation gap” and “cultural disengagement.”

Reliability and validity. There is considerable empirical evidence on the reliability and validity of the IDI (Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003; Hammer, 2011). These studies show that (a) the items possess strong internal reliability consistency, (b) the IDI is not subject to social desirability bias, (c) the IDI research has found evidence for predictive as well as construct validity, and (d) it is not correlated with standard background characteristics of age, gender, or ethnicity.

Generalizability. The IDI has cross‐cultural generalizability. The items were originally generated by a culturally diverse sample and the IDI was pilot tested with a culturally diverse group. It has been translated into 12 languages (using a rigorous back translation method).

Conceptual foundation. The MEIM‐R (Phinney, 1992; Phinney & Ong, 2007) is conceptualized around the multidimensional, social aspects of an individual's ethnic identity, including sense of belonging and affirmation, ethnic identity achievement, ethnic behaviors and practices, and orientation to other groups. Its theoretical base is Phinney's (1989) stages of ethnic identity development.

Cultural dimension being measured: cultural identity. The MEIM‐R measures “that part of an individual's self‐concept which derives from [his] knowledge of [his] membership of a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership” (Tajfel, in Phinney & Ong, 2007, p. 271).

Reliability and validity. Research on the MEIM‐R (Phinney & Ong, 2007; Brown et al., 2014) has resulted in a six‐item measure that meets reliability (alpha > = .81) and validity standards. It is currently a two‐factor model, exploration of and commitment to one's ethnic identity.

Generalizability. The MEIM‐R is intended to be used (and has been tested with) ethnic minorities in the USA. Such minorities have included Latinx, Asian American, African American, European American (such as Armenian), and those of mixed heritage.

Table 1 Culture learning instruments and selection criteria

Note. + indicates instrument meets reliability and validity testing. See instrument description for details.

Conceptual foundation. The SCAS‐R is an 11‐item instrument designed to measure three domains of a bifactor model of sociocultural adaptation: social interaction, ecological adaptation (namely, migration for educational or work purposes), and community engagement (Ward & Kennedy, 1999; Wilson et al., 2017).

Cultural dimension(s) being measured: cultural adjustment. The SCAS‐R measures respondents' self‐reported behavioral cultural competency in a new cultural context. While it is not a measure of concrete culture‐specific knowledge, it does ask respondents to evaluate their level of competency about particular aspects of the specific culture.