Students' motivation to participate in virtual exchange and its moderating effect on global competence

The importance of global and intercultural competence across various fields has become increasingly evident. Since the COVID-19 health crisis, one approach that has gained acceptance in academia is Virtual Exchange, which facilitates interaction between students and academics from different geographical locations. The construct of Global Competence is understood to encompass three dimensions: Self-Awareness, Intercultural Competence, and Global Knowledge. Additionally, three types of motivation are identified: Mandatory, Rewarded, and Self-motivation. However, little is known about how students' motivation to participate in Virtual Exchange acts as a moderating factor in relation to the dimensions of Global Competence. This study aims to measure the moderating effect of students' motivation on Global Competence using the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) technique. The analysis modelled the relationship between Global Competence, its three dimensions, and the three types of motivation. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to higher education students from various countries who had participated in virtual exchange projects. The study’s results indicate a significant moderating effect of students' motivation to participate in Virtual Exchange projects on Global Competence, specifically within the Intercultural Competence dimension. No significant effects were found for the Self-Awareness and Global Knowledge dimensions. The findings suggest that students who expect to be rewarded for participating in Virtual Exchange programs show better results in the development of Intercultural Competence. In contrast, lower results are anticipated for students whose participation is motivated by mandatory requirements or self-motivation.