The Effect of Global Competence on Openness to New Experiences and Acceptance of Other Culture

This study examined the relationships among university students’ global competence, openness to new experiences, and acceptance of other cultures, with a particular focus on identifying which components of global competence most strongly influence openness to new experiences and how openness subsequently affects acceptance of other culture. Survey data were collected from 104 university students in South Korea and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS & AMOS. The results indicated that global knowledge and global skills had significant positive effects on openness to new experiences, whereas global attitude did not show a significant effect. Among the global competence components, global skills exerted the strongest influence on openness to new experiences. In addition, openness to new experiences was found to have a strong and significant positive effect on acceptance of other cultures. These findings suggest that experiential and skill-based aspects of global competence play a more critical role in fostering openness, which in turn promotes multicultural acceptance. Therefore, the study highlights the importance of emphasizing global knowledge and skills in higher education to enhance students’ openness to new experiences and their acceptance of cultural diversity. The findings provide practical implications for universities seeking to strengthen glocal competence through experiential and competency-based educational approaches.