ABSTRACT This study examines the possibility that interaction through social network platforms can serve as an informal means of developing intercultural competence among international students in higher education settings. Japanese students studying in the United States at a university in the Northwestern US were invited to participate in a mixed-method study involving interviews about their social network use and interactions, and a structured questionnaire measure of intercultural competence development. Overall, the results indicate that those in the top tertile of intercultural competence development tended to describe more proactive social ways and benefits of interacting with potential sources of support over social media, whereas those in the bottom tertile tended to describe the importance and use of social media for passive consumption of information. The implications for the incorporation of social network platforms into higher-education programs for internationalisation and intercultural competence development are discussed.

中文翻译：

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通过在线社交网络发展跨文化能力：日本学生在美国高等教育国际化的经验

摘要 本研究考察了通过社交网络平台进行互动可以作为在高等教育环境中培养国际学生跨文化能力的非正式手段的可能性。美国西北部一所大学在美国学习的日本学生被邀请参加一项混合方法研究，包括对其社交网络使用和互动的访谈，以及跨文化能力发展的结构化问卷测量。总体而言，结果表明，跨文化能力发展的前三分位者倾向于描述更积极主动的社交方式和通过社交媒体与潜在支持来源互动的好处，而底部三分位数的人则倾向于描述社交媒体在被动信息消费方面的重要性和用途。讨论了将社交网络平台纳入高等教育计划以促进国际化和跨文化能力发展的影响。