Developing Intercultural Competence Among Medical Students in Thailand Through Peer Assisted Learning
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Abstract
Intercultural competence has become an essential competency for healthcare professionals as globalization, internationalization, and increasingly multicultural healthcare environments require effective communication across diverse cultural backgrounds. Despite its growing importance, medical education in Thailand has traditionally emphasized clinical knowledge while providing limited opportunities for authentic intercultural interaction. Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) has emerged as a collaborative educational approach that promotes communication, teamwork, and reflective learning, yet its contribution to intercultural competence in medical education remains underexplored. This study examined the effectiveness of PAL in developing intercultural competence among undergraduate medical students in Thailand. Guided by Byram’s Intercultural Competence Framework and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, the study employed a quantitative research design using a 30-item questionnaire administered to 114 medical students participating in multicultural PAL activities. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate students’ intercultural competence across five dimensions. The findings revealed a high overall level of intercultural competence (M = 4.18, SD = 0.68), with attitudes demonstrating the highest mean score (M = 4.40, SD = 0.69). Strong positive correlations were identified among all five dimensions (r = 0.66–0.89), indicating that intercultural attitudes, knowledge, interaction, and critical cultural awareness are closely interconnected. These findings suggest that PAL provides an effective student-centered learning environment that strengthens intercultural competence through collaborative interaction and shared learning experiences. The study highlights the potential of PAL as a practical and sustainable educational strategy for preparing culturally responsive healthcare professionals and supporting the internationalization of medical education in Thailand and other multicultural ASEAN contexts.
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