“Now I know I need to be very patient and open-minded to understand others”: Intercultural learning during an intensive study programme

Abstract

This article reflects on aspects of the intercultural learning of a group of forty-one students, from seven European countries, engaged in an Intensive Study Programme as part of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership for Higher Education project “Teachers Competencies for Social Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees in Early Childhood Education (BE IN)”. In particular, it considers the factors that enabled the students to work together successfully, in trans- national groups, during the two-week Intensive Study Programme (ISP.) Questionnaires were used to gather data about the students’ perceptions of their intercultural learning. Analysis of student feedback reveals their approaches to cultural disequilibrium and explores some of the factors that supported them to achieve group harmony and programme outcomes. The conclusion makes recommendations for those planning ISPs in the future.

Keywords

• intensive study programmes
• intercultural competencies
• cultural disequilibrium