This study examines the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology as an innovative learning platform in developing intercultural competence, including intercultural knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. The research was based on data from undergraduate STEM students in a first-year technology course at a large public university in the Midwestern U.S. (n = 101). Online questionnaires measuring the universality-diversity dimension, tolerance of ambiguity, intercultural sensitivity, and cultural knowledge were used to collect pre-posttest data pre- and post-intervention. Paired sample t-tests assessing various components of intercultural competence yielded mean score increases from directly before (T1) to two weeks after (T2) the VR intervention. Furthermore, the study tested the specific relationship of participants’ Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) scores to intercultural competence measures. A linear regression revealed that students’ pre-training IDI and cultural knowledge scores were significant predictors of their MGUDS score change, controlling for demographic variables such as gender, ethnicity, international student status, travel, and life history. Since objective measures of knowledge increased while self-report instruments such as the MGUDS showed mean decreases, the VR-based learning environment seems to have encouraged learners to develop a more realistic self-assessment of their level of intercultural competence. Results from this study suggest the importance of immersion (even when mobility is not possible) in developing intercultural competence and the potentials of VR technology in advance intercultural learning. Implications for research and practice of intercultural competence development are discussed.

这项研究探讨了虚拟现实（VR）技术作为创新学习平台在发展跨文化能力（包括跨文化知识，态度和信念）方面的有效性。该研究基于美国中西部一所大型公立大学（n = 101）在一门技术类课程中，一年级STEM学生的数据。用来测量普遍性-多样性维度，歧义容忍度，文化间敏感性和文化知识的在线问卷被用来收集干预前后的测试前数据。配对样本t检验评估了跨文化能力的各个组成部分，从VR干预前（T1）到之后（T2）两周，平均得分均有所提高。此外，该研究测试了参与者的跨文化发展量表（IDI）分数与跨文化能力测度之间的特定关系。线性回归表明，学生的培训前IDI和文化知识得分是其MGUDS得分变化的重要预测指标，可以控制人口统计学变量，例如性别，种族，国际学生身份，旅行和生活史。由于知识的客观衡量标准有所提高，而诸如MGUDS之类的自我报告工具却显示均值有所下降，因此基于VR的学习环境似乎鼓励学习者对他们的跨文化能力水平进行更现实的自我评估。这项研究的结果表明，沉浸式学习（即使不可能移动）在发展跨文化能力中的重要性以及VR技术在跨文化学习中的潜力。讨论了跨文化能力发展的研究和实践意义。