Intercultural communication and work integrated learning : a South African perspective

Abstract

Over the past decade, higher education institutions in South Africa have begun the shift towards a more structured work integrated learning framework, merging an academic component with specific industry requirements. Stemming from an ethnically diverse South African society, the South African corporate sector is made up of a group of varied individuals who bring with them specific cultural dynamics to the working environment. This paper investigates the intercultural communication sensitivity of students during their work integrated learning training, resulting in a discussion on the value for integrating intercultural education at a tertiary curricula level. The study is located at the Durban University of Technology. The study was quantitative and descriptive in nature. A total of 189 questionnaires were completed and returned by students who completed their work integrated learning (WIL) training during 2010. The intercultural sensitivity scale developed by Chen and Starosta was used in the questionnaire to measure the intercultural sensitivity level of these students during their WIL training. The results showed that the students were comfortable engaging with different cultural groups during their WIL training, students also attached a high value to the respect for cultural differences and they found the experience of interacting with people from different cultures uplifting