Perceptions of Intercultural Competences and Knowledge among Students and Teachers in Ecuadorian Public Universities

Abstract

In current educational discourse, interculturality is frequently mentioned as an ideal to be achieved, but scarce empirical evidence accounts for how it is perceived in university education. This quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study with an explanatory scope analyzes how faculty and students at three Ecuadorian public universities perceive and assess intercultural knowledge and competencies in their training. Data were collected from 516 students and 122 faculty members in teacher education programs using a structured questionnaire with eleven dimensions. The results show that students place greater importance on practical and extracurricular experiences, such as pre-professional internships and community events, while faculty members emphasize the presence of intercultural content in courses and community engagement activities. Both groups coincide in positively valuing their self-perceived intercultural mediation ability. Through path analysis, explanatory effects were identified for variables such as age, sex, and institutional affiliation on the evaluated dimensions, while the ethnic variable did not show a significant explanatory effect. Differences are evident in how participants perceive and assess intercultural competencies, as well as the influence of institutional contexts and sociodemographic trajectories on these perceptions.