Cultural diversity for an inclusive university: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21562400Keywords:
intercultural education, cultural intelligence, educational inclusiónAbstract
Cultural diversity is really important for making education better. It helps with fairness. Making sure everyone is included especially when there are students from all around the world and they are all very different. This study looked at what scientists have found out about cultural diversity in higher education. The study looked at a lot of articles from databases like SciELO, Dialnet and ScienceDirect. The study only included articles that were published between 2021 and 2026. That were about cultural diversity in higher education. The study did not include articles that were duplicates or that were not about cultural diversity in higher education. The study found 30 articles that fit the criteria. What the study found out is that teaching people about cultures helps them understand and respect each other’s backgrounds makes education fairer and helps people work together. Cultural diversity also helps people become smarter about working with others from backgrounds communicate better and adapt to new situations. With all the good things, about cultural diversity there are still some big problems. Teachers need to be trained and universities need to change how they do things to be more inclusive. This means that universities need to make a plan that includes everyone and makes sure that cultural diversity is a part of everything they do.
Downloads
References
Alexandra, V., Ehrhart, K. H., & Randel, A. E. (2021). Cultural intelligence, perceived inclusion, and cultural diversity in workgroups. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, Artículo 110285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110285
Altamirano-Navarro, Y. V. (2024). La responsabilidad social e intercultural en relación al trabajo de los funcionarios judiciales. Cienciamatria. Revista Interdisciplinaria de Humanidades, Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología, 10(19), 385–399. https://doi.org/10.35381/cm.v10i19.1395
Álvarez, J. A., & Valencia, A. (2023). Indigenous students and university stakeholders’ challenges and opportunities for intercultural decolonial dialogue. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 25(2), 219–237. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v25n2.102812
Aronés, Á., Gutiérrez, E., González, R. C., & Aguilar-Ozejo, A. (2025). Oportunidades y desafíos: los programas de becas en el marco de la interculturalidad. Areté, Revista Digital del Doctorado en Educación, 11(22), 25–42. https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2443-45662025000200023
Briceño Nuñez, C. E. (2024). Diversidad cultural en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje en educación superior en Sao Paulo: estudio cuantitativo correlacional sobre la integración efectiva empleando inteligencia artificial. Revista Educación, 48(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.15517/revedu.v48i2.58218
Carrillo-Sierra, S. M., Manrique-Julio, J. E., Cerón-Bedoya, J. D., Vásquez-Henao, L. C., Fornaris-Parejo, Z. E., Gómez-Charris, Y., & Rivera-Porras, D. (2025). Inclusive education in higher education: A comparative analysis of faculty attitudes, knowledge, and practices in Colombian universities. Societies, 15(11), 299. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15110299
Castillo, Z. (2025). Universidades interculturales en el Perú, tratamiento de lenguas y lineamientos de implementación en la educación superior. Lengua y Sociedad, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.15381/lengsoc.v24i1.29421
Chédru, M., & Ostapchuk, M. (2025). Development of cultural intelligence during international student mobility: The role of prior intercultural exposure and personality. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 106, Artículo 102120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102180
Chuquín-Cuatis, M. R. M., Chimba-Santillán, J. A., Masaquiza-Caiza, L., Panchi-Panchi, F. S., & Moreta Cachimuel, C. (2026). Integration of ancestral knowledge into university curricula: Challenges and opportunities for intercultural higher education. Prohominum. Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, 8(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.47606/acven/ph0446
Filippou, K., Acquah, E. O., & Bengs, A. (2025). Inclusive policies and practices in higher education: A systematic literature review. Review of Education, 13(1), e70034. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.70034
García-Segura, S., & Agudo Jurado, E. del R. (2024). La atención a la diversidad cultural en los planes de estudio de futuros docentes de educación infantil de las universidades públicas andaluzas. Modulema. Revista científica Sobre Diversidad Cultural, 8, 28–47. https://doi.org/10.30827/modulema.v8i.29559
Gómez, A., & Osuna, I. (2023). La diversidad cultural vista desde las universidades indígenas e interculturales de México. Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara, 8(330), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.32351/rca.v8.330
Grosch, I., Boonen, J., & Hoefnagels, A. (2023). Cultural intelligence and the role of international classroom composition: Insights from Dutch higher education. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 96, Artículo 101866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101866
Gube, J., & Arat, G. (2024). Building social justice-oriented resilience for diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education: Propositions from Hong Kong. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 11(4), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1896
Guillén-Yparrea, N., & Ramírez-Montoya, M. S. (2023). Intercultural competencies in higher education: A systematic review from 2016 to 2021. Cogent Education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2167360
Hinojosa, J., Tintaya, C. G., Perez, Y., Flores, V. C., & Chalco Vargas, F. T. (2024). Educación intercultural bilingüe y la construcción de una ciudadanía quechua - aimara en estudiantes universitarios de la región altiplánica. Universidad, Ciencia y Tecnología, Revista Multidisciplinaria. 28(123), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.47460/uct.v28i123.812
Hofhuis, J., Gonçalves, J., Schafraad, P., & Wu, B. (2024). Examining strategic diversity communication on social media using supervised machine learning: Development, validation and future research directions. Public Relations Review, 50(1), Artículo 102431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102431
Huanca, H. (2025). Multiculturalidad en el entorno escolar: desafíos y oportunidades. Aula Virtual, 6(13), e590. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17609058
Karlsen, E. H., & Nazar, M. (2024). How cultural diversity affects communication and collaboration within global high-performance project teams? Procedia Computer Science, 239, 491–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.06.197
Khlifi, S., Ben Ali, A., & Hermi, S. (2026). Artificial intelligence adoption as a mediator of executive cultural diversity-ESG performance nexus: evidence from European companies. Accounting Research Journal, 39(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARJ-05-2025-0174
Lara-García, A. M., Esquivel-Zepeda, Á. E., & Quijano-Gutiérrez, S. M. (2021). Importancia de la diversidad cultural en la empresa global. 593 digital Publisher CEIT, 6(6-1), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.33386/593dp.2021.6-1.854
Lau, Y. (2022). Does racial diversity improve academic outcomes? A natural experiment in higher education classrooms. Labour Economics, 78, Artículo 102254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102254
Lee, J. J., & Hwang, J. (2024). Antecedents of American hospitality students’ intercultural communication apprehension: Effect of ethnocentrism, cultural intelligence and core self-evaluations. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 34, Artículo 100464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2023.100464
Livermore, D., Van Dyne, L., & Ang, S. (2022). Organizational CQ: Cultural intelligence for 21st-century organizations. Business Horizons, 65(5), 671–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.11.001
Lozada, H. F. (2025). Gestión de talento humano en la integración de equipos multiculturales: La influencia de la globalización en las organizaciones del siglo XXI. Archivos de la Universidad de Cundinamarca (ASCE), 4(2), 1106–1124. https://doi.org/10.70577/ASCE/1106-1124/2025
Markey, K., O’ Brien, B., Kouta, C., Okantey, C., & O’ Donnell, C. (2021). Educate, Excite, Engage: Embracing classroom cultural diversity: Innovations for nurturing inclusive intercultural learning and culturally responsive teaching. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 16(3), 258–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2021.01.008
Ministerio de Cultura del Perú. (2024). Informe de evaluación de la Política Nacional de Lenguas Originarias, Tradición Oral e Interculturalidad al 2040. Ministerio de Cultura. https://transparencia.cultura.gob.pe/sites/default/files/transparencia/2024/06/informes-de-monitoreo-y-evaluacion-de-los-planes-y-politicas/informe-de-analisis-estrategico/20240613informedeevaluaciondelapnlotial2040f.pdf
Ministerio de Educación del Perú. (2025). Modelo de Servicio Educativo Intercultural Bilingüe (MSEIB). MINEDU. https://www.gob.pe/39448-educacion-intercultural-bilingue-eib-modelo-de-servicio-educativo-intercultural-bilingue-mseib
O’Callaghan, E., Leane, M., Maxwell, N., & Busteed, E. (2025). Inclusive higher education for people with intellectual disability: Obligations for higher education institutions under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01536-7
Ochoa, V., Pérez, F., Aguiar, S., & Rios Vivanco, S. B. (2025). Educación superior intercultural y saberes ancestrales: ejes para la gestión del conocimiento y desarrollo comunitario. Aula Virtual, 6(13), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17847134
OECD (2023). Equity and Inclusion in Education: Finding Strength through Diversity. OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/e9072e21-en.
Ortiz, N., Ríos, M., Santillan, N., Veintimilla, L., & Morillo, G. (2025). Impacto de la diversidad e inclusión en el rendimiento académico de la educación superior. Revista InveCom, 5(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12639443
Oswal, N., Al-Kilani, M. H., Faisal, R., & Fteiha, M. (2025). A systematic review of inclusive education strategies for students of determination in higher education institutions: Current challenges and future directions. Education Sciences, 15(5), 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15050518
Ponomareva, Y., Uman, T., Bodolica, V., & Wennberg, K. (2022). Cultural diversity in top management teams: Review and agenda for future research. Journal of World Business, 57(4), Artículo 101328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101328
Presbitero, A., Fujimoto, Y., & Lim, W. M. (2025). Employee engagement and retention in multicultural work groups: The interplay of employee and supervisory cultural intelligence. Journal of Business Research, 186(4), Artículo 115012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115012
Prodanova, J., & Kocarev, L. (2024). Engagement and interaction in a culturally diverse higher education setting. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 102(3), Artículo 102045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102045
Quichimbo, F. (2022). Exploración del concepto de interculturalidad en educación superior. Universidad, Ciencia y Tecnología, Revista Multidisciplinaria. 26(116), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.47460/uct.v26i116.641
Saavedra, O. A., Bocanegra, A., Carrasco, D., & Zuñiga, W. (2026). Abordaje científico de las políticas públicas en la interculturalidad. Revista InveCom, 6(1), 102–119. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15231449
Sánchez, J. L., Sánchez, D., & Zapata, H. (2021). La gestión de la diversidad en las organizaciones como factor de innovación: una aproximación teórica. Revista Colombiana de Contabilidad, 9(18), 45–62. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8234747
Sousa, M. (2025). Cultural intelligence in higher education: Promoting inclusion and global collaboration. Societal Impacts, 5, Artículo 100115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socimp.2025.100115
Strotmann, B., & Kunschak, C. (2022). Toward the internationalization of higher education: Developing university students’ intercultural communicative competence in Spain. Language and Intercultural Communication, 22(4), 419–438. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2021.2018450
Tesfaye, W., Dejene, W., & Assefa, A. (2025). Exploring cultural intelligence and academic self-efficacy among teacher trainees in a context of intra-cultural diversity. Acta Psychologica, 253, Artículo 104718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104718
Torres, V. (2023). “Estos indios nunca aprenden” … Universidad, racismo e interculturalidad en el Perú. Revista Educación Superior y Sociedad, 35(1), 321–363. https://doi.org/10.54674/ess.v35i1.767
Instituto Internacional de la UNESCO para la Educación Superior en América Latina y el Caribe (UNESCO-IESALC). (2024). Eje 2: Educación superior, diversidad cultural e interculturalidad en América Latina y el Caribe. CRES+5, Conferencia Regional de Educación Superior. https://cres2018mas5.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/EJE-2-Documento-Base-FINAL.pdf
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. (2022). Las instituciones de educación superior interculturales e indígenas en América Latina: Documento de información. UNESDOC, Biblioteca Digital. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380773
Varga, A., Vitéz, K., Orsós, I., Fodor, B., & Horváth, G. (2021). Diversity and inclusion in higher education. Training and Practice: Journal of Educational Sciences, 19(1–2), 70–81. https://doi.org/10.17165/TP.2021.1-2.7
Ward, C., Kim, I., & Stuart, J. (2025). Diversity-receptiveness in higher education: Perceived multicultural norms, well-being and attitudes toward international students. Social Psychology of Education, 28, 83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09979-z
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The journal is licensed under the Attribution License (CC BY), allowing the possibility of copying, distributing, displaying, and producing derivative works, as long as the author is acknowledged and cited.
