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Students’ self-perception of social, emotional, and intercultural competences in a public higher education institution in Colombia

Andres Herrera Granda (Department of Ingeniería, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Medellin, Colombia)
Sara María Yepes (Department of Ingeniería, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Medellin, Colombia)
Willer Ferney Montes Granada (Department of Ingeniería, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Medellin, Colombia)
Johny Alvarez Salazar (Department of Ingeniería, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Medellin, Colombia)

Journal for Multicultural Education

ISSN: 2053-535X

Article publication date: 28 June 2022

Issue publication date: 10 March 2023

215

Abstract

Purpose

Since social, emotional and intercultural (SEI) competences can help individuals manage their feelings, deal with stressful situations and build relationships with others, they have become useful tools for university students. The purpose of this study is thus to assess students’ self-perception of their SEI competences in a public higher education institution in Colombia.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, we used a cross-sectional quantitative design and a sample of 413 students from different academic programs and levels. The differences across gender, age, socioeconomic stratum and participation in internationalization strategies were examined using statistical and linear regression analysis.

Findings

According to the results, students exhibited “satisfactory” or high levels of social, emotional and intercultural competences in general. Self-management, global citizenship and intercultural intelligence had the highest average scores, whereas self-awareness, social awareness and relationship skills had the lowest scores. Remarkably, we found a positive relationship between older students and global citizenship and relationship skills and between internationalization strategies and global citizenship and intercultural intelligence, as well as a low correlation between social awareness and younger students (aged 15 to 25 years).

Originality/value

To offer high-quality academic opportunities and internationalization strategies to university students, this article provides insights into how these students perceive and develop eymotional, social and intercultural competences throughout their academic program, considering their sociodemographic conditions. Finally, we recommend incorporating teaching strategies that favor the development of SEI competences into the curriculum.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Instituto Tecnologico Metropolitano (ITM) for financing this project.

Citation

Herrera Granda, A., Yepes, S.M., Montes Granada, W.F. and Alvarez Salazar, J. (2023), "Students’ self-perception of social, emotional, and intercultural competences in a public higher education institution in Colombia", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 70-82. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-02-2022-0032

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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