https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1421-9260
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ABSTRACT
Ethnocentrism and intercultural willingness to communicate (IWTC) can contribute to the success or failure of intercultural communication in the context of health care. The present study aims to survey and compare the levels of 180 Iraqi and Iranian medical students’ ethnocentrism and IWTC based on the participants’ nationality and gender, in Iran. The findings of this study revealed that Iraqi medical students were more ethnocentric and less willing to communicate interculturally than their Iranian counterparts. Both Iraqi male and female students were significantly more ethnocentric than Iranian male and female medical students. Iraqi male students were significantly less intercultural willing to communicate than their female compatriots and Iranian male and female peers. These findings were explained considering the context of Iraq and Iran, participants’ degree of religious practice, and their degree of foreign language proficiency. Practical implications, direction, and limitations are discussed.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the editors of the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research for giving me the opportunity to submit this manuscript. I would especially like to thank Dr James Neuliep for his insightful advice and contribution to this study. I am also grateful to the Iraqi and Iranian medical students who participated in this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Afsaneh Nameni
Afsaneh Nameni is currently a PhD candidate in TEFL, Arak University. She is presently a lecturer at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). Her research interests include multiculturalism, internationalization, intercultural education, intercultural communication, and language and culture.