Article: Power distance and intercultural communication in higher education: a three-pathway systematic review Journal: International Journal of Knowledge and Learning (IJKL) 2026 Vol.19 No.5 pp.1 - 22 Abstract: Globalisation has made intercultural communication more central to higher education, while also exposing how symbolic hierarchies influence participation, voice, and access to knowledge. This systematic review examines how Hofstede's power distance dimension operates across three communicative pathways: student-student, student-teacher, and teacher-student. The review followed PRISMA reporting principles and identified 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2024 in Scopus and Web of Science; these studies were then analysed through thematic coding in NVivo. The findings show that peer interaction can foster empathy, dialogue, and intercultural competence, although language barriers and stereotypes remain significant constraints. Upward communication is comparatively underexplored and often limited by reluctance to challenge authority. Teacher-student relations continue to reflect transmissive patterns, although participatory pedagogies and digital tools may reduce power asymmetries. The review proposes a three-pathway analytical framework that integrates fragmented evidence and highlights the need for institutional strategies that advance communicative equity in multicultural university settings. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Power distance and intercultural communication in higher education: a three-pathway systematic review

Authors: Carlos Humberto Hidalgo Menjívar; Carlos Alberto Echeverría Mayorga

Addresses: Faculty of Business Sciences, Communication Area, Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer, 19th Avenue North, San Salvador 1101, El Salvador ' Institute for Scientific and Technological Research, Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer, 19th Avenue North, San Salvador 1101, El Salvador

Abstract: Globalisation has made intercultural communication more central to higher education, while also exposing how symbolic hierarchies influence participation, voice, and access to knowledge. This systematic review examines how Hofstede's power distance dimension operates across three communicative pathways: student-student, student-teacher, and teacher-student. The review followed PRISMA reporting principles and identified 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2024 in Scopus and Web of Science; these studies were then analysed through thematic coding in NVivo. The findings show that peer interaction can foster empathy, dialogue, and intercultural competence, although language barriers and stereotypes remain significant constraints. Upward communication is comparatively underexplored and often limited by reluctance to challenge authority. Teacher-student relations continue to reflect transmissive patterns, although participatory pedagogies and digital tools may reduce power asymmetries. The review proposes a three-pathway analytical framework that integrates fragmented evidence and highlights the need for institutional strategies that advance communicative equity in multicultural university settings.

Keywords: power distance; intercultural communication; higher education; intercultural competence; student-teacher communication; teacher-student communication; peer interaction; communicative equity; Hofstede; systematic review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKL.2026.154391

International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 2026 Vol.19 No.5, pp.1 - 22

Received: 06 Sep 2025
Accepted: 25 May 2026
Published online: 25 Jun 2026 *

Title: Power distance and intercultural communication in higher education: a three-pathway systematic review

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