Academic challenges of Saudi university females: results of an intercultural competence survey

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to introduce the final results of a research project that focused on the components of the intercultural competence of female Saudi university students at the multicultural Jazan University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2017. After discussing the social roles of academic female youth, the paper moves on to a literature review of the theoretical approaches. The study employed a sample of 341 female students in different academic specializations to investigate the components of their intercultural competence and the potential of Saudi female professionalism. Hence, a structured questionnaire was used. Results support the idea that the present generation of Saudi females at university have the desire and ability to become interculturally and globally competent university students, even though women in Saudi Arabia still lag behind in many ways in their gender-separated society. Finally, the study summarizes the four basic pillars of Saudi-specific cultural dimensions.