Exploring Intercultural Communicative Competence and Intercultural Communicative Apprehension Development among Korean-Speaking Learners of English

This study investigates the levels of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and intercultural communication apprehension (ICA) among Korean-speaking university students learning English (KSLs), and explores their interrelationship. Given inconsistent and contradictory findings in previous literature, this study further examines whether ICC and ICA vary according to demographic variables such as gender, academic year, and disciplinary background. Using previously validated Likert-scale instruments, data were collected from 71 KSLs enrolled in various departments. ICC was measured through six subdomains: Knowledge of self, Knowledge of others, Attitudes, Intercultural communicative skills, Intercultural cognitive skills, and Awareness. ICA was assessed separately using a dedicated scale focused on anxiety and avoidance in intercultural interactions. The findings revealed no significant differences in ICC or ICA based on demographic variables, suggesting that these characteristics alone may not be sufficient predictors. Among the ICC subdomains, Intercultural Communicative Skills showed the strongest correlation with overall ICC scores, underscoring the importance of communication performance in intercultural settings. While ICA exhibited wider variability than ICC, its sources remain unclear and require further investigation. These results highlight the need to go beyond surface-level demographics when designing intercultural education programs. Implications for curriculum design and future research are discussed.