Abdulla Marium Mahmoud, Ali Aida Mohey Mohamed
Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Azarita, Champollion Street, Alexandria, 21521, Egypt.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 11;25(1):1038. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07597-7.
With the advent of globalization, intercultural sensitivity (ICS) is a vital skill, particularly for medical students. At the Alexandria Faculty of Medicine (AFM), third-year domestic (Egyptian) and international students in the national program have been separated throughout all the years due to logistical challenges. This study aimed to assess the ICS of third-year national program students, identify its correlates, explore multicultural student groups (MCSG) work-related challenges, and evaluate the perceived value of multicultural group work.
A cross-sectional study using quota-convenience sampling was conducted among third-year national program medical students at AFM to proportionally represent domestic and international students. Participants completed an online questionnaire covering: general characteristics, the Arabic-translated version of: the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), MCSG work-related challenges, and perceived value of intercultural group work. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman's tests to examine associations between ICS and various factors.
Among the 272 participants (170 domestic, 102 international), generally high levels of ICS were reported. Higher ICS was significantly associated with being an international student, higher English proficiency, multilingualism, and prior intercultural exposure (P < 0.05). Domestic students reported more MCSG-related challenges and a greater perceived value in multicultural group work (P < 0.05).
Third-year AFM students reported high ICS overall. Domestic students anticipated more MCSG work-related challenges yet perceived greater value in intercultural group work. Given the non-random sampling, findings may not be generalizable beyond the study population. The educational institution should foster opportunities for intercultural interactions among students, both within and outside the classroom.
随着全球化的到来，跨文化敏感度（ICS）是一项至关重要的技能，对医学生而言尤为如此。在亚历山大医学院（AFM），由于后勤方面的挑战，参加国家项目的三年级本国（埃及）和国际学生多年来一直是分开授课的。本研究旨在评估三年级国家项目学生的跨文化敏感度，确定其相关因素，探究多元文化学生群体（MCSG）与工作相关的挑战，并评估多元文化小组作业的感知价值。
在AFM三年级国家项目医学生中采用配额便利抽样进行了一项横断面研究，以按比例代表本国和国际学生。参与者完成了一份在线问卷，内容包括：一般特征、跨文化敏感度量表（ISS）阿拉伯语翻译版、MCSG与工作相关的挑战以及跨文化小组作业的感知价值。统计分析包括曼 - 惠特尼检验、克鲁斯卡尔 - 沃利斯检验和斯皮尔曼检验，以检验跨文化敏感度与各种因素之间的关联。
在272名参与者（170名本国学生，102名国际学生）中，报告显示总体跨文化敏感度水平较高。较高的跨文化敏感度与作为国际学生、较高的英语水平、多语言能力以及先前的跨文化经历显著相关（P < 0.05）。本国学生报告了更多与MCSG相关的挑战，并且在多元文化小组作业中感知到更大的价值（P < 0.05）。
AFM三年级学生总体报告了较高的跨文化敏感度。本国学生预计在MCSG工作方面会面临更多挑战，但在跨文化小组作业中感知到更大的价值。鉴于非随机抽样，研究结果可能无法推广到研究人群之外。教育机构应在课堂内外为学生创造更多跨文化互动的机会。
