Validation of intercultural contact scale for Chinese college students: A structural equation modeling approach

China, ID LLCE2016-250;       This study constructed concept model and scale of Chinese college students’ intercultural contact based on theoretical paradigm of intercultural contact and related literature review, and investigated Chinese college students’ intercultural contact in the Chinese contexts. Through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, the current study conducted a series of reliability and validity analysis through the collected questionnaire data, and the results demonstrate that intercultural contact scale of Chinese college students had the good reliability and validity. The research findings of investigating Chinese college students’ intercultural contact reveals that: in the four factors of intercultural direct contact, domestic social media is relatively most important, foreign social media is relatively more important, foreign intercultural communication activity is at general importance, domestic intercultural communication activities is relatively least important. Meanwhile, in the two factors intercultural indirect contact, cultural product is relatively more important than multi-media and course. The research findings also suggest that the above six factors are beneficial for the development of intercultural competence. This study provides the important theoretical basis for scholars engaging in intercultural research and also the reference for the plan-making of international education training program.

Key Words: intercultural contact scale; Chinese college students; intercultural competence; validation