Effects of virtual conversations on international, students' intercultural communicative competence

This study investigated the effects of virtual conversations with domestic American students on improving international students' intercultural communicative competence (ICC) at a public university in the United States. The study used a sequential mixed-method study design that utilized both quantitative and qualitative data. Based on Byram's (1997) model, the researcher self-developed an Intercultural Communicative Competence Inventory (ICCI) to collect pre- and post- data on participants' ICC in both comparison and treatment groups. The results indicate that international students who had virtual conversations lasting 5 hours and more scored significantly higher on the posttest than those who had 1 to 4 hours of virtual conversations (p = .002). Previous intercultural experiences predicted international students' perceived ICC pretest scores, (p = .003). ICC pretest scores and virtual conversation hours predicted international participants' ICC posttest scores ( p < .001).;International participants reported four factors that contributed to meaningful virtual intercultural communication: motivation; previous intercultural experiences; equality: learning from each other; and affordances of videoconferencing. Virtual conversations between American and international students in this study facilitated intercultural communication and understanding. Intercultural programs such as the Virtual Conversation Partner Program have the potential to enhance higher education internationalization efforts in a cost-effective way.