CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN PRE-SERVICE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS: TOWARD SUSTAINABLE TEACHER EDUCATION

This research explores the connection between intercultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence in preservice foreign language teachers in Türkiye. A total of 237 students from the Foreign Language Education departments of two public universities took part in the study. Data collection tools included the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale by Chen and Starosta (2000) and the Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang et al. (2007). The analysis revealed that the participants generally exhibited high levels of cultural intelligence, while their intercultural sensitivity ranged from moderate to high. Gender-based analysis showed that female participants had significantly higher cultural intelligence than their male counterparts. However, no significant differences emerged regarding participants’ international experience or media use, except among those who frequently communicated with individuals from other cultures—this group demonstrated higher levels of cultural intelligence. Furthermore, a statistically significant, moderate positive correlation (r = .421, p< .001) was identified between intercultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence. These outcomes underscore the importance of incorporating intercultural competence and cultural responsiveness into teacher training curricula to better prepare future educators for meaningful intercultural interactions in diverse educational contexts.