Intercultural experience of international university students: an interpretive study

Abstract

Implementing international challenges, development of intercultural competence has become one of the priority areas in higher education institutions lately. In different cultural context integration into academic and socio-­cultural life of a university, language and other differences impose serious problems on each international student. This paper explores the intercultural experience of mobility (Erasmus+) and other international students (Chinese), who chose studies at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. The findings revealed some generalisations can be applied to the understanding of international students’ educational and personal experiences. The research revealed experienced problem situations (academic, cultural, daily life) of international students, which appeared during their degree studies in real environments of intercultural interaction.