Approaching Erasmus students’ intercultural communicative competence through their socialisation patterns

Authors

  • Gloria Gutiérrez Almarza Nottingham Trent University
  • Ramiro Durán Martínez Universidad de Salamanca http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8111-9844
  • Fernando Beltrán Llavador Universidad de Salamanca

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3291

Keywords:

Erasmus, Intercultural Communicative Competence, Intercultural Education, Higher Education, Socialisation, Study Abroad

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the impact of university students’ socialisation patterns on the development of ICC (Intercultural Communicative Competence) during their Erasmus placements. In our research, we complement previous comparative analyses of a quantitative nature between UK and Spain based students’ ICC. The answers to sixteen items from a questionnaire provided by 40 Nottingham Trent University and 30 University of Salamanca students shed light on three pivotal dimensions: everyday interaction patterns, overall perception of the study sojourn, and intercultural lessons learned during their stay. Our results show that, at the end of their placement, both cohorts report no substantial differences on their means to socialise while abroad and that the two confer paramount importance to being open-minded and using the target language proficiently, while their perception differs regarding aspects such as their previous knowledge about the host country or their self-image as representatives of their home culture.

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Author Biographies

Gloria Gutiérrez Almarza, Nottingham Trent University

Gloria Gutiérrez Almarza, PhD, is a Spanish and Year Abroad tutor at Nottingham Trent University. Earlier, she worked at the School of Education of Avila, University of Salamanca. She has also trained primary teachers both in Spain and the UK. She has co-written articles and books on primary language teaching. She is currently working on a collaborative Santander funded project on the acquisition of ICC during the period of residence abroad by Spanish and British students.

Ramiro Durán Martínez, Universidad de Salamanca

Ramiro Durán Martínez, PhD, is a lecturer at the University of Salamanca (Department of English Studies). He started his career as an Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (Official School of Languages) teacher and since 1997, he has dedicated his time to training ESOL teachers in the primary and secondary education sector. He has collaborated in international teaching placement schemes and participated in postgraduate courses, run by the University of Salamanca, in the areas of English language teaching, bilingual programmes, the Discourse of Advertising and Intercultural Communicative Competence. He has published several books and papers in these areas.

Fernando Beltrán Llavador, Universidad de Salamanca

Fernando Beltrán Llavador, PhD, teaches at the University of Salamanca Faculty of Education. A former primary teacher, he has been a teacher trainer for over 25 years. He has co-authored books, written articles and presented papers on the interface of language, society and culture in teacher education. He has translated a number of books from English into Spanish and has collaborated in international teaching placement schemes and in Nottingham Trent University and University of Salamanca joint educational projects. He has been recently involved in studies on bilingual programs.

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Published

28-11-2017

How to Cite

Gutiérrez Almarza, G., Durán Martínez, R., & Beltrán Llavador, F. (2017). Approaching Erasmus students’ intercultural communicative competence through their socialisation patterns. Journal of English Studies, 15, 89–106. https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3291

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