The Role of Cultural Intelligence on Secondary School Students' Behavioral Development

Abstract

The growing cultural diversity in school classrooms has increased the need to understand factors influencing students’ behavior. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) enables individuals to function effectively in multicultural environments and may play a significant role in students’ developmental outcomes. The present study aimed to examine the levels of cultural intelligence and behavioral development among secondary school students. Cultural intelligence refers to the ability to understand and adapt to culturally diverse situations, while behavioral development includes social adjustment, emotional regulation, and cooperative behavior. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Population of this study was secondary school students in Champawat district in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand The sample consisted 50 students,25 male,25 female selected through random sampling. The sample consisted of 50 secondary school students selected using an appropriate sampling technique. Standardized tools were used to measure cultural intelligence and behavioral development. The collected data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test.The findings revealed that the cultural intelligence of secondary school students was below the average level, and the obtained t-value was not statistically significant at the 0.05 level, leading to the rejection of the related hypothesis. The results also showed that the behavioral development of students was at an average level, and the corresponding hypothesis was rejected due to the non-significant t-value. Overall, the study indicates that secondary school students require greater educational support to enhance cultural awareness and positive behavioral skills.