Building intercultural competence through different international study programs at university

Abstract

International student programs at higher education level have increasingly been promoted over the past years. Possibilities of studying in different international programs or choosing a big variety of mobility programs have been open for many students. The authors of the article deliver courses to foreign students in different international study programs (student mobility program and study programs at graduate level in a foreign language) in the study programs of Music Education and English Philology implemented at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. The aim of the study is to reveal the peculiarities of developing intercultural competence of university students through different international study programs presenting the obtained results. 28 Erasmus+ and 29 other foreign students studying in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences were included into the sample. The research was conducted applying several methods: analysis of scholarly sources, document analysis, students’ written reflections and qualitative content analysis. The results revealed that within development of intercultural competence through different international programs, student motivation (opportunity to study abroad, to learn or improve a foreign language, to form new relationships and to develop personal skills) as well as conditions of educational environment, relationships between the university teachers and students and acquired intercultural experience gain utmost importance. Generally, according to the study results, international university students (more or less) enjoyed their studies in Lithuania regardless of whether they faced any challenges or not. Studies abroad are seen as a priority factor in intercultural competence, which promotes learning of other cultures, confirms the importance of foreign language skills and opens a path to personal and professional development.