JoLIE 10:1/2017
Tomasz Róg
Stanisław Staszic University of Applied Sciences in Piła, Poland
Abstract
Despite numerous investigations into the development of intercultural competence as a result of encountering people from other cultures (Jensen 2003), a dire need remains to pursue this strand of research, as the literature of the field more often than not focused on intercultural competence in professional settings (Aba 2015). What is much called for today is the focus on intercultural and linguistic needs of study abroad participants, which would assist them in their sojourns while communicating with foreigners. The study described below traces the linguistic and intercultural gains of a Polish student who moved to the UK at the age of 19. The author of the present study conducted an interview with the student two years later to gain insights into the development of her foreign language communicative competence and the gains in her intercultural competence. The findings of the study point to a great importance attached by the student to her foreign language skills which are regarded by her as more important than the ability to observe the inner workings of a foreign culture.
Key words: International field experience; Study abroad; Intercultural competence; Individual differences.
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How to cite this article: Róg, T. (2017). Linguistic and intercultural gains of living and studying abroad – an individual trajectory of a Polish student in the UK. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 10(1), 175-186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2017.10.1.11
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