Study 2 in this paper was focused on intercultural learning and the use of IDI. The study intended to increase intercultural competence among students in agriculture and human science. The study required students to take a pre and post-IDI. The course required students to select one of the ways identified in IDP, such as media, books, etc., to develop their intercultural competence. The students were required to participate in a post-IDI assessment. The result of the study demonstrated that change from pre to post DO was not significant, but there was an increase in the DO scores from pre to post. The overall study indicated that immersing students in intercultural learning activities through the curriculum could help to increase intercultural competence.

The study was conducted in a corporate setting. The participants were California 4-H professionals. This professional organization enrolls youth and professionally trains them. One of the program's objectives was to help youth develop intercultural competence. A three-year professional development model was designed to help the professionals to develop intercultural competence. As a part of the program, all the professionals were requested to take an IDI pre-test; 81 of 88 professionals participated in the pre-test. After completing the pre-test, each professional met an IDI administrator, which helped them develop a customized Intercultural Development Plan (IDP). The professionals also participated in feedback sessions conducted by IDI experts. Further, a community of practice was created where 4-H professionals could meet like-minded people and develop intercultural skills. Finally, they were asked to participate in a post-IDI; 64 professionals took a post-IDI. A paired sample t-test was conducted, and it was observed that there was a significant increase in the DO scores from pre to post. Professionals moved from the cusp of minimization to the cusp of acceptance. Further repeated measure analysis of variance demonstrated that the increase of DO from pre-to-post was not dependent on an individual's initial level of cultural competence. The increase resulted from the desire to understand the cultural differences and acknowledge various cultures, which had helped the professionals move from minimization to acceptance.

The study focused on understanding the programmatic elements influencing intercultural learning in studying abroad. The study was conducted in Canada and the United States, and students from 6 different programs were the study participants. A total of 81 students participated in the study, but only 53 completed pre- and post-IDI assessments. The paired t-test was conducted, and the results demonstrated that out of 53 students, 25 demonstrated a meaningful increase in their IDI scores, and 24 did not demonstrate any meaningful change. Four students demonstrated a decrease in their DO scores. Further student reflections of all the 53 students were read, and themes were identified. The following themes emerged as the result of the analysis: the role of pre-departure intercultural training, the role of service-learning, and the role of intra-group dynamics. Overall the study concluded that mixed-method is an effective measure of intercultural learning. Focusing on one method might not provide proper evidence of student intercultural growth.

The study investigated the impact of mentoring on a semester-long study abroad initiative. The study was conducted at a midwestern university. The data was collected from 376 undergraduate students who participated in a semester-long study abroad initiative in the Fall and Spring of 2017 and 2018. The study used a quasi-experimental design with two treatment groups and one control group. Students in all three groups completed the pre and post-IDI assessment and participated in a study abroad. The Treatment group 1 (INDVI) students received individual mentoring while on a study abroad trip. Also, pre-departure, they were engaged in multiple activities that helped them develop cultural awareness and sensitivity. Treatment group 2 (GROUP) received group mentoring during their study abroad and engaged in in-person and online activities before departure. The students from the control group did not receive any intervention (mentoring) in their study abroad. The study used ANOVA to identify statistical significance among the three groups. Also, the threshold p-value for the study was 0.1. The results indicated a large statistically significant difference in the DO scores of the control group and Treatment group 1 (individually mentored, referred to as INDVI). There was also a marginal statistically significant difference between the DO scores of the control group vs. Treatment group 2 (group mentored, referred to as GROUP) and Treatment group 1 versus Treatment group 2. The analysis also revealed that for the INDVI, 57% of students progressed one or more orientations, and 5.6% regressed. For GROUP Mentoring, 52.7% of students progressed, and 13.7% regressed. Also, in INDVI, 57.8% of students demonstrated meaningful growth, and in the case of GROUP mentoring, 52.6% of students demonstrated meaningful growth. Overall the study demonstrated the effectiveness of mentoring students during the semester-long study abroad program using a robust experimental design. The empirical study also provided evidence on how institutions can help students develop intercultural skills and identified measures to evaluate the development using IDI.

The study focused on understanding the relationship between student goals and intercultural competence. The participants for the study were Freshman and upperclassmen students enrolled in a Midwestern university in the US who went on a study abroad. The study used two instruments SAGS (Study abroad goals scale) and IDI. The IDI was used pre-post for both the student groups. The results of the study demonstrated that there was not much correlation between SAGS and IDI scores. But there was a negative correlation observed between the score of SAGS for (Subject interest and competence) and an increase in IDI score. This was observed for freshmen students and the combined score of freshman and upper-class men. Further, both the student groups demonstrated a statistically significant increase in IDI scores from pre to post. The study concluded that students demonstrated growth in IDI scores, but institutions must encourage students to set goals prior to their study abroad departures to helping them develop intercultural skills.