This study adapted web-based exploratory tasks using WebQuests as a means of enabling students to understand and reflect on both the target and their own culture. Learners actively used various authentic resources selected to meet their linguistic and cognitive needs to complete the tasks. The aim of this study was to help Japanese university students in a homogeneous cultural environment enrolled in an intercultural communication class to understand various cultural contexts through a systematic inquiry-based approach using WebQuests, with the goal of eventually improving their intercultural competence. Quantitative data were collected through pre-and post-surveys and an adapted version of the Generalised Ethnocentrism-scale questionnaires, whereas qualitative data included analyses of students' reflection in weekly online forums and a final essay. The results of the study showed students' reduction in ethnocentricity and suggested students had acquired a deeper understanding of both their own culture and other cultures. Introduction Models of intercultural communication competenceAdvances in telecommunication tools and the development of faster transportation means has brought people together from different parts of the world into contact at our daily lives. In this changing world, developing intercultural understanding and an ability to live and work with people from very different backgrounds is key in succeeding in our global lives. Models of intercultural competence have been defined and suggested by many scholars since the 1990s (e.g. Byram, 1997;Neuliep, 2012;Rathje, 2007;Stier, 2003), with the most frequently described dimensions relating to developing intercultural competence, including knowledge, attitude, skills and behaviours. For example, Wiseman (2002) describes intercultural competence as the knowledge, motivation and skills to interact effectively and appropriately with members of different cultures. In addition, Kim (1991) defines three dimensions specifically related to the concept of intercultural competence: (1) the cognitive dimension (individuals' interpretive structures assigning meaning to verbal and non-verbal messages), (2) the affective dimension (individuals' motivations and attitude involved with willingness to accommodate different cultures), and (3) the operational or behavioural dimension (individuals' flexibility and resourcefulness in carrying out the cognitive and affective dimension).

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