Intersecting Outcomes: Promoting Intercultural Effectiveness and Integration of Learning for College Students

This directed content analysis examined the relationships between 2 student learning outcomes in the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education: intercultural effectiveness and integration of learning. We reexamined data from King, Perez, and Shim's (2013) study of intercultural effectiveness and Barber's (2012, 2014) studies of integration of learning to determine whether there was a relationship between these 2 outcomes among undergraduate students' experiences, and the characteristics of those experiences that represented both outcomes. Within our analytic sample, experiences that reflected both outcomes tended to occur within formally structured educational environments (e.g., classes, study abroad) rather than in informal settings. Further examination of the analytical sample revealed that students generally displayed similar levels of complexity among their approaches to intercultural effectiveness and integration of learning within a particular experience. This study also revealed that students tended to reflect upon their marginalized social identities rather than their privileged ones as they integrated their learning. The findings of this research can be used to create more strategic opportunities for learning that promote the achievement of both outcomes, advancing the overarching outcome of fostering wise citizenship.