Developing intercultural competence through virtual exchange in U.S.-Japan higher education: Cultural self-awareness and empathy

Virtual exchange (VE) has expanded across universities in the United States and Japan as a practical approach to advancing the internationalization of higher education. Grounded in Deardorff’s (2006) model of intercultural competence, this study examined students’ perceived development of cultural self-awareness and empathy after participating in a U.S.–Japan VE project. The project included five 75-minute synchronous Zoom sessions over six weeks and incorporated structured reflection and bilingual instructional support. Thirty-four students (17 in each cohort) completed open-ended pre- and post-project surveys, and responses were analyzed qualitatively. Across both cohorts, students reported moderate perceived gains in cultural self-awareness (e.g., recognizing that one’s cultural assumptions are not universal) and in cognitive empathy (e.g., perspective-taking). In contrast, affective empathy showed limited perceived change, likely due to the short, synchronous format and few opportunities for sustained relationship building. Differences between the U.S. and Japanese cohorts were clearer in cultural self-awareness: the U.S. cohort emphasized individualism and within-culture diversity, whereas the Japanese cohort highlighted interconnected values, communication styles, and behaviors. Overall, the findings suggest that theory-based VE may support students’ perceived development of cultural self-awareness and empathy, while underscoring the importance of design conditions that enable sustained relationship building.