Intercultural awareness and competence are increasingly framed as core graduate capabilities for global readiness, yet UK evidence on whether experiential training produces meaningful gains remains limited. This study evaluates an experiential Intercultural Training (ICT) programme, asking how effectively it develops students’ intercultural awareness and self reported behaviour change, and how students, facilitators, and academic staff perceive its impact. We use a mixed methods design. Phase 1 analyses anonymised post workshop feedback (2020 to 2025), combining Likert scale ratings with free text reflections (2024 to 2025: around 2,800 attendees and 1,450 feedback submissions). Descriptive statistics summarise reported outcomes, and thematic analysis identifies learning processes and conditions that enable or constrain transfer. Phase 2 collects new data via short anonymous questionnaires aligned to ICT learning outcomes and focus groups or interviews with ICT attendees, non attendees, facilitators, and module leaders, alongside review of ICT materials for context. Preliminary findings show consistently positive evaluations of interactive activities and structured reflection, with students frequently reporting heightened awareness of cultural assumptions, greater confidence communicating across difference, and intentions to adapt teamwork practices. Reported barriers to transfer include limited opportunities to practise, time pressure, and requests for more discipline specific scenarios and follow up support, suggesting sustained behaviour change depends on curricular reinforcement and repeated application opportunities.

Authors:
Yesim Kakalic, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Thomas Greenaway, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Kakalic, Associate Tutor (Applied Linguistics) & Internationalisation Coordinator, Student Opportunity (Warwick). Interests: intercultural comm., experiential learning, student development. Project: embedded intercultural training across curricula

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesim-kakalic/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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