Toward the internationalization of higher education: developing university students’ intercultural communicative competence in Spain

Abstract

Debido al impacto sin precedentes de la globalización en la educación superior, alumnos y profesores han tenido que desarrollar competencias para desenvolverse en entornos cultural y lingüísticamente diversos, sea a nivel nacional o internacional, en el mundo académico o laboral. El presente estudio de caso se llevó a cabo en una universidad española, en titulaciones de perfiles internacionales, mediante una encuesta y entrevistas individuales o grupales. Pretende explorar su nivel de competencia comunicativa intercultural abarcando sus actitudes, conocimientos, experiencias y reflexiones. A partir de los resultados se extrapolarán recomendaciones con objeto de mejorar la experiencia intercultural de los estudiantes.

Globalization has impacted higher education to an unprecedented degree, resulting in a need for students and teachers to be prepared for interaction in culturally and linguistically diverse environments at home and abroad, in both the university and the workplace. The present case study at a university in Spain collected questionnaire, individual interview, and focus group data from students pursuing academic degree programs with international profiles, to investigate students' level of intercultural communicative competence by looking at their attitudes, knowledge, experience and reflections. Recommendations for improving students' intercultural experience are extrapolated from the results.