Abstract:

The main purpose of this study was to examine the intercultural sensitivity levels of associate degree students studying tourism. The study also sought to find out whether their intercultural sensitivity levels differ according to some variables. The sample consisted of students who were studying at Kocaeli University Kartepe Vocational School of Tourism and selected using convenience sampling. The study used a descriptive research design. The data were collected using an online survey between 1-31 March 2021. The survey consisted of two sections. The first section was concerned with students’ demographics and the second section was concerned with their cultural interactions. The second section was composed of the questions of the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale developed by Chen and Starosta (2000) and adapted into Turkish by Üstün (2011). The collected data were subjected to frequency analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA), and Tukey’s test. According to the analysis results, the data garnered from the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale was subsumed under three factors and there were significant correlations between the factors. Based on students’ total mean scores on the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, their level of intercultural sensitivity was “satisfactory-good” (x̄ = 3.67±0.62) and matched the “agree” statement. Additionally, students’ levels of intercultural sensitivity differed significantly according to the following variables: year of study, knowledge of foreign language, and engagement in cultural activities.

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