ABSTRACT
The current research employed quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate international students’ and local Chinese students’ intercultural sensitivity. The quantitative results show that the international students’ intercultural sensitivity was much higher than that of the local Chinese students. A structured written interview was conducted to shed light on the main elements that affect each dimension of intercultural sensitivity. The findings reveal that the Chinese students focused more on foreign language competence and scope of knowledge, while the international students concentrated on the affective aspects in intercultural communication. The two empirical results of this study have significant implications for EFL teaching reform in China.
