As the globalization rates accelerate, higher education experiences a number of issues with cultural diversity and cross-cultural exchange against the background of asymmetrical policy application, resource distribution, and a wide gap in the intercultural competence levels of faculty. This work is a systematic review of how policy design influences teaching practice and development of student competence by critically reviewing the policies on multicultural education in countries like South Korea, Canada, and Japan, conducting a survey of its implementation in the universities, and assessing intercultural competence in students and conducting a regression analysis. This article is the first to systematically compare the implementation effects of multicultural policies in higher education in different countries from the perspective of "cultural diversity protection", and conducts a quantitative correlation analysis of policy design, school resources and students' intercultural competence. The findings indicate that teacher training frequency, resource input level, and policy support intensity have a strong positive relationship with the teaching effectiveness (b values of 0.42, 0.31, and 0.28, respectively, all p < 0.01). The cross-cultural courses and international exchange platforms turn out to be very useful in enhancing intercultural competence of students in cognitive, attitudinal, behavioral, and motivational aspects (p < 0.01). In addition, information technology and multimedia activities are useful in increasing the interaction and learning in the classroom. The presented research indicates that establishing open, diverse, and information-based educational systems and the optimal use of policy and resource distribution are the two important avenues to enhance the quality of cultural diversity education and cross-cultural competence development in higher education and offers a feasible practical solution to facilitate the protection of cultural diversity and the pursuit of educational justice. This study provides cross-cultural policy comparisons and practical experience, offering a reference for higher education policy-making in different cultural contexts and supporting the goals of protecting cultural diversity and educational equity globally.

Lu He. Effects of Multicultural Education Implementation on Intercultural Competence: A Cross-National Policy-Informed Study. Frontiers in Educational Research (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 11: 163-170. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2025.081124.

[1] Davies T. But we’re not a multicultural school!’: Locating intercultural relations and reimagining intercultural education as an act of ‘coming-to-terms-with our routes. (2023) The Australian Educational Researcher, 50(3): 991-1005.

[2] Tsolidis G. From migrant to multicultural education. (2023) Victorian Historical Journal, 94(1): 277-286.

[3] Gazioglu M, Howell E, Rowe L W, et al. Multicultural perspectives on building instructional capacity for multilingual learners: synergy of teachers, community members, and academics. (2024) Multicultural Education Review, 16(4): 305-323.

[4] Farid M, Murtadho N, Muslihati M A, et al. Enhancing cultural inclusivity in primary schools: insights from Springer multicultural education data. (2024) Int. J. Eval. Res. Educ, 13(4): 2083-2094.

[5] Arfaton A, Yuliantri R D A, Lestari N I, et al. Implementation of Multicultural Education as a Means of Forming Characters of Tolerance and Mutual Respect. (2025) Jurnal Eduscience, 12(2): 377-391.

[6] Mazibuko F L, Ngidi L Z. Implementing Multicultural Education to Foster Peace in Schools. (2024) Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 12(1): 1-12.

[7] Li N, Peters A. A multicultural education perspective: engaging students and educators to critically exam fat ideology in teacher education and P-12 classrooms. (2024) English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 23(2): 283-297.

[8] Mateo-Babiano I, Fong A. Integrating multiculturalism in public space policy and place governance. (2024) Urban Governance, 4(1): 56-67.

[9] Lee M, Mo Y. Teacher self-efficacy in a multicultural classroom: a comparative analysis of International Baccalaureate (IB) and non-IB teachers. (2023) Multicultural Education Review, 15(4): 245-263.

[10] Jones Diaz C, Cardona B, Escudero P. Exploring the perceptions of early childhood educators on the delivery of multilingual education in Australia: Challenges and opportunities. (2024) Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 25(4): 488-502.

[11] Fintz H. Multicultural Education in a Divided Society: Perspectives of Jewish and Arab Kindergarten Teachers in Israel. (2024) Curriculum and Teaching, 39(1): 7-22.

[12] Culp J. Multicultural Education for Transnational Democratic Citizenship. (2025)Journal of Philosophy of Education. ;59(3‑4):413‑433.