The Effect of Chinese Cultural Exposure on Nigerian University Students’ Cross-Cultural Competencies

Cross-cultural competency, encompassing cultural awareness, perspective-taking, and intercultural communication skills, is increasingly valued as a graduate attribute in a globalised labour market. Exposure to Chinese culture through Confucius Institute programmes, Chinese Studies coursework, and digital cultural consumption represents a specific and underexamined pathway to cross-cultural development among Nigerian university students. This study empirically examines the effect of Chinese cultural exposure on cross-cultural competency outcomes among Nigerian university students at three institutions in the South East, South West, and North Central zones. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, comparing cross-cultural competency scores of students with high Chinese cultural exposure (enrolled in Chinese Studies programmes or Confucius Institute activities) with matched students with low exposure. Cross-cultural competency was measured using the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire adapted for Nigerian respondents. Regression analysis controlled for prior international exposure, gender, and socioeconomic background. Results indicate that Chinese Studies enrolment is a significant positive predictor of cultural empathy and open-mindedness sub-dimensions. Confucius Institute cultural event participation independently predicts perspective-taking gains. Digital Chinese content consumption alone is not a significant predictor of structured cross-cultural competency gains. The study makes an original contribution to the cross-cultural education literature in the African context and recommends that Nigerian universities formally recognise Chinese cultural engagement activities in graduate competency portfolios.

Keywords: Chinese cultural exposure, cross-cultural competency, Nigerian university students, Confucius Institute, intercultural education