Cultural Intelligence among Thai Teachers in Schools with Cultural Diversity
Keywords:
Cultural intelligence, Cross-national students, Social Work Education StandardsAbstract
This study examined the construct validity of cultural intelligence (CQ) among Thai teachers working in culturally diverse schools and assessed their overall CQ levels. The sample consisted of 587 teachers from 49 schools across six regions of Thailand, representing the Primary Educational Service Area Office, Secondary Educational Service Area Office, Local Administrative Organization, and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Data were collected using a teacher cultural intelligence questionnaire (Cronbach’s α = 0.92) based on Van Dyne et al.’s (2012) four-component model: Metacognitive, Cognitive, Motivational, and Behavioral CQ. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure, with standardized loadings of 0.982 for Motivational CQ, 0.944 for Behavioral CQ, 0.885 for Cognitive CQ, and 0.777 for Metacognitive CQ. Model fit indices indicated a strong fit to the empirical data (p = 0.124, χ² = 32.132, df = 24, χ²/df = 1.339, CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.993, RMSEA = 0.024, SRMR = 0.023). Motivational CQ emerged as the strongest latent contributor, whereas descriptive results showed Metacognitive CQ with the highest mean score and Cognitive CQ the lowest. These findings highlight the central role of motivational factors in teachers’ cultural adaptability and underscore the need for educational administrators to prioritize policies and professional development programs that strengthen CQ, particularly in diverse school contexts. Targeted training initiatives can enhance teachers’ capacity to adapt effectively, foster inclusivity, and respond to the challenges of globalization.
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