The purpose of this research is to investigate the interaction between intercultural sensitivity, ethnocentrism, and social media use by using structural equality modeling method. To this end, the survey was designed by using intercultural sensitivity, ethnocentrism, and social media data scales available in the literature. The expressions in the survey were translated and re-translated by two foreign language teachers. Then, the two translations obtained were applied to a test group of 20 people, and the most accurate translation was used to collect data by easy sampling method. Data were calculated for verifier factor analysis through SPSS for Windows 22.00 and Amos 22.0 and Cronbach's Alpha. Average variety extracted (AVE) and composite reliability (CR) values were also calculated. In addition, the effects mediated by structural equality modeling were also analyzed in the Amos program using the bootstrap method.
TopIntroduction
The concept of ethnocentrism, first used by William Graham Sumner in 1906, is used quite frequently in the social sciences and especially in the field of psychology (Petrovicova, J.T. and Gibalova, 2014; Bizumic, 2014). Ethnocentrisms is the perception of one's own norms, values, and culture as superior to other cultures, norms and values, and the evaluation in line with this belief. An ethnocentric person positions people who are close to his own values closer to him and people who are far away from his own values as distant to him according to the dimension of differences. In other words, ethnocentrisms is a judgment made by taking one's own culture as a reference point and evaluating other cultures compared to one's own (Başçı, 2017).
The study measured the relationship of intercultural sensitivity to ethnocentrism and social media in line with the structural equality model. In the social media-related section of the study we utilized the “Social Media Experience Scale” developed by Schalkwyk and et. al. (Schwyk, Marin, Ortiz, Rolison, Qayyum, McPortland, Lebowitz, Volkmar and Silverman, 2017). This study examines how adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty in social communication and make fewer friends than their peers who do not have this disorder, and their interaction with social media. The results showed that 79.6% of respondents used social media and that they were more likely to be in a close friendship relationship than individuals with autism who did not use social media. As a result, whatever its impact on society, social media platforms has gained in popularity and is also beneficial for many adolescents.
As the importance attached to intercultural sensitivity increased in the past years in a multicultural and globalized society, intercultural sensitivity has not yet been fully understood. Guo-Mingand Starosta have stated that the concepts of intercultural sensitivity, intercultural awareness, and intercultural communication competence are misperceived. The confusion of these concepts directly affects the evaluation of intercultural education programs. Intercultural training programs such as emotional training, cognitive training, behavioral training, personal awareness training, cultural consciousness training aims to help them gain understanding and awareness of the cultural differences for participants (Guo-Ming, Starosta, 2000)). The main purpose of this study is to develop and endorse a scale that measures the concept of intercultural sensitivity. 24- intercultural sensitivity items have been created on this scale. The scale has shown high internal consistency with reliability coefficients of 86 and 88 in two separate studies. The result showed that individuals with intercultural sensitivity were not only more careful and empathetic, but also tended to have a high tendency for self-respect and self-monitoring in the process of intercultural communication. The scale is prepared in accordance with reliability, concurrency, and predictive validity (Guo-Ming, Starosta, 2000).
The main tool of the work carried out by Coffrey and et. al. is to learn which element plays the greatest role in influencing intercultural sensitivity. In this study, the “Guo-Mingand Starosta Intercultural Sensitivity Scale” (Guo-Ming, Starosta, 2000) was used. The study also compared intercultural sensitivity according to the time and gender factors. While prior to this study, he contributed significantly to the understanding of the variables that drive intercultural sensitivity as well as the development of the tools used to test this structure, no known study has examined these factors in a comparative way with media channels.