Assessing the predictive validity of cultural intelligence over time

The study examines four core components of cultural intelligence (CQ) – Behavioral, Motivational, Cognitive and Meta-cognitive – as predictors of cross-cultural adaptation problems in a longitudinal study of international students in New Zealand and tests the hypothesis that Motivational CQ predicts better psychological and sociocultural outcomes over time. One hundred and four students completed measures of CQ during a pre-term orientation program and assessments of adaptation problems approximately three months later. In line with the hypothesis, bi-variate correlations indicated that Motivational CQ was related to fewer psychological symptoms (r = −.30, p < .01) and sociocultural adaptation problems (r = −.27, p < .01). However, hierarchical regression analysis, controlling for age, gender, length of residence abroad and region of origin, revealed that while Motivational CQ was a significant (negative) predictor (ß = −.36, p < .01) of psychological symptoms, the overall amount of variance explained (14.6%) in the model was not significant. In contrast, region of origin (ß = .37, p < .01) was the only significant predictor of sociocultural adaptation problems with international students from Western countries reporting fewer difficulties than those from other regions. The results are discussed in relation to contemporary theories of motivation along with recommendations for future research.