Global competence has gained momentum in international policy and scholarly discourses. As a multidimensional construct, its conceptualisation has been ambiguous. So far, the OECD Global Competence Framework has been the most updated and comprehensive framework for understanding global competence. However, all current conceptualisations, including that of the OECD, have been developed in the Western context, and their applicability in non-Western contexts is questioned. In this paper, we conduct a prototype study to examine how local university students in Hong Kong understand global competence and to explore how their conceptualisations shed light on cross-cultural similarities and differences in their understanding of global competence. Based on three sub-studies (n = 276), this prototype study showed that certain features appear more frequently, are more central to global competence and are seen as more salient in people viewed globally as more competent by the participants. It provides lay (university students) cross-cultural conceptions of global competence beyond definitions and frameworks provided by scholars and international organisations. Local Hong Kong university students' conceptions of global competence not only display an assemblage of multiple dimensions resonating with the international literature but also extend it to other dimensions and features shaped by local social and cultural dynamics. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).

A growing body of research has examined the relations of dispositions toward information and communication technology (ICT) to intercultural competence among university students. However, there is little research exploring the associations between ICT-related dispositions and intercultural competence among adolescent students. The mechanism of such relationships also remains unknown. Therefore, from a self-determination theory perspective, this study investigated the relationships of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness in ICT usage with global competence--intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes--among 17,055 15-year-old students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in PISA 2018. Results of Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling (MSEM) analyses indicated that perceived autonomy in ICT use, perceived competence in ICT use and perceived relatedness in ICT use all positively affected intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. Further, the results of the study revealed that the use of social media was a partial mediator in the relationship between perceived autonomy/competence in ICT use and intercultural knowledge/skills; and between perceived relatedness/competence in ICT use and intercultural attitudes. Our findings emphasized the importance of satisfying students' ICT-related needs and acknowledged the role of the use of social media in cultivating their global competence. Implications for teachers, schools and parents were discussed. Copyright © 2023 Springer.