Created by the Transcultural Pedagogical Research Group, a team of Purdue doctoral students who have all gone on to tenure-track glory, this coding system, which includes examples, stands as a shining way to make sense of qualitative data as revealed in students' efforts to become better writers while working together across cultural differences.

This comprehensive qualitative toolkit includes a focus group protocol for measuring student satisfaction with a virtual exchange program (also often known as Collaborative Online Intercultural Learning, or COIL) as well as probing their learning outcomes and behavioral change. It also includes a question protocol for understanding one's collaborative partner's perspective(s) and a checklist for observation by an outside observer of a learning activity. Most of these tools would be very easily adapted for use with non-virtual or blended intercultural exchange programs.

Some researchers feel that a rubric is not, strictly speaking a qualitative research method. Rather, using a rubric is framework analysis, which is a quantified way of rapidly making sense of lots of textual or qualitative data. Others call it "an inherently comparative form of thematic analysis which employs an organized structure of inductively- and deductively-derived themes (i.e., a framework) to conduct cross-sectional analysis" --in other words, a qualitative methodology. Knowing about framework analysis may become important when you are submitting your research article to a journal that tends to favor quantitative analysis methods. (Look it up in Google Scholar or Web of Science for the latest on this debate.)

In the meantime, the above link will lead you to a collection of the rubrics curated into the HubICL.

When one is unfamiliar with qualitative research or when one is trained primarily in quantitative methods, qualitative methodologies may seem fuzzy, obscure and/or biased. Because of a societal focus on numerical or mega-data, it can also often be hard to make the case to upper administration that gathering and analyzing qualitative data is important to institutional research.  Below are links to a few articles that may assist the qualitative neophyte or the institutional researcher wanting to highlight (for example) student voices.

How is validity and reliability realized in qualitative research? (U. of Miami School of Education)

Myths and misconceptions about using qualitative methods in assessment (Harper & Kuh, 2007)

The use of scoring rubrics: validity, reliability and educational consequences (Jonsson & Svingby, 2007)

Is qualitative research more inclusive?  (Santorini, APA Trends Report, 2023)

The Inclusion Competencies Inventory is a proprietary, online, research-validated survey instrument which measures Openness to Change, Adaptability, Connecting with Others, Reading Others, Valuing Different Perspectives and Power Sensitivity.

The Inclusion Competencies Inventory is a proprietary, online, research-validated survey instrument which measures Openness to Change, Adaptability, Connecting with Others, Reading Others, Valuing Different Perspectives and Power Sensitivity.

This handy down-loadable reference sheet lists all of the HubICL assessment tools alphabetically by type (survey, qualitative method, rubric, etc), as well as indicating whether the instrument in question is: (a) cost-free, proprietary, or behind a paywall, (b) suitable for learners under 18, and/or (c) available in languages other than English.

The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory is one of oldest existing formative assessment tools for predicting ability to do well in another culture.  It is a 50 item self-scoring instrument which measures: emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity, and personal autonomy.

This focus group protocol (question set) was developed to probe the learning outcomes of students who have completed junior year abroad programs; it asks open-ended questions about language skills, intercultural skills, engineering skills and professional skills. Questions can be found in the appendix of the article, between the conclusion and the references.

Created by the Stevens Institute, a non-profit entity that supports exchange between the US and Middle Eastern nations, this survey instrument measures: Knowledge of Other Country or Culture, Perspective-Taking & Empathy, Cross-cultural Communication & Collaboration, Self-Other Overlap & Feelings Thermometer, and Satisfaction with the Virtual Exchange Experience.

This comprehensive qualitative toolkit includes a focus group protocol for measuring student satisfaction with the virtual exchange program as well as probing learning outcomes and behavioral change. It also includes a question protocol for understanding one's collaborative partner's perspective(s) and a checklist for activity observation by an outside observer.

The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Scale measures mood regulation, social skills and strategic use of emotions.  It has been used around the world, translated into multiple languages and is considered one of the best and most reliable of the open-source instruments which address Emotional Intelligence.

The Inclusion Competencies Inventory is a proprietary, online, research-validated survey instrument which measures: Openness to Change, Adaptability, Connecting with Others, Reading Others, Valuing Different Perspectives and Power Sensitivity.

This seven-question survey instrument measures the degree to which a participant is comfortable with being challenged by difference.  See also the Tolerance for Disagreement Scale: https://hubicl.org/toolbox/tools/914

Individuals who use this instrument may learn more about their openness, self-awareness, lack of ego, supportiveness and capacity for self-critique. This research-validated survey instrument has 15 questions.

This proprietary instrument measures individuals' work styles in order to compare with other cultures, colleagues, and team members, and offer professional development coaching. As a result of this assessment, participants will be able to:  Improve productivity when working with others who have different styles & develop strategies for improved collaboration. 

As a result of this reflection tool as a formative assessment, students will be able to: 1. "Reflect upon their own and their home cultural value." 2. "Name, define, and discuss value differences within and across cultures." 3. "Begin hypothesizing about the host culture’s values" (p. 63).

Individuals who use this assessment may learn how much they or their survey respondents: value instruction about implicit bias, are aware that they have bias, & recognize that being able to identify implicit bias is an important professional skill.

This instrument measures willingness to listen to speakers who disagree with one's views and the ability to see lively exchange of differing views as a positive thing. It is a fifteen question Likert-style instrument.

This research-validated tool measures willingness to listen to others even if they are "boring" or their views do not agree with one's own views. There are 24 questions.