Cultivating higher education students’ intercultural competence and critical consciousness using a podcasting intervention: A mixed methods evaluation study

Higher education institutions have the responsibility to prepare their students to work and live in highly diverse and inequitable societies. This includes both the development of students’ intercultural competences and their critical consciousness (Schwarzenthal, 2025). Intercultural competences, referring to students’ capability to adapt to and function effectively in intercultural contexts (Deardorff, 2006; Van Dyne et al., 2012), are important because they help students to competently and sensitively navigate culturally diverse contexts. Critical consciousness refers to the capacity to critically reflect on societal inequities and injustices, the motivation to challenge them, and action taken to address them (Diemer et al., 2022; Freire, 1970). Being critically conscious enables students to move from an individualized perspective on intercultural situations, towards a social justice oriented perspective that takes into account the structural causes of inequalities and power differences that accompany (cultural) diversity in current societies (Kumagai & Lypson, 2009). Yet, while many educational programs, and especially those in the social sciences and in teacher education, aim to teach their students to constructively and critically engage with cultural diversity and social inequity, it remains an open question how students may acquire these competences. Particularly for critical consciousness, it appears that “traditional” courses on diversity and equity-related topics are insufficient (Güleç et al., 2026). Instead, teaching approaches may be needed that go beyond content mastery and invite students to engage actively with diverse perspectives and lived experiences. This is challenging for higher education institutions, where minoritized ethnic-racial groups are structurally underrepresented and where teachers often lack the expertise, time, and confidence to provide these learning opportunities (Gay, 2018; Hölscher et al., 2024). This indicates a need for the development and study of innovative and inclusive tools that support teachers to provide these opportunities to promote intercultural competence and critical consciousness among students. In this study, we investigate whether, how, and under which conditions a podcasting intervention strengthens students’ intercultural competences and critical consciousness. To reach this aim, we will implement the podcasting intervention, based on the previously studied (Re)Searching Identity Podcast intervention (Vietze et al., 2025) and the interview with a psychologist project (Fish, 2023), in various higher education course programs across multiple institutions in the Netherlands and Germany. Using a mixed-methods approach, we will examine changes in students’ intercultural competences and critical consciousness, as well as mechanisms and contextual conditions that may shape these outcomes. By implementing the intervention across different educational settings, the study aims to provide insight into the interventions' effectiveness, applicability, and potential for broader use within higher education. Ultimately, the broader project aims to contribute to the development of an accessible and scalable educational tool that supports students’ preparedness to engage with diversity and societal inequities.