The impact of Erasmus program on intercultural communication skills of students

Abstract

In this paper we examine the development of students’ intercultural communication skills as a result of participation in the Erasmus Mobility Program. For the analysis both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. The results of survey show that students’ level of knowledge, skills and attitudes are much higher than before the program, especially in the skills category. According to the interview with students it can be concluded that students regard the experience of participating in the Erasmus Mobility program as positive primarily for learning a foreign language and developing cross-cultural communication skills. Thus it allows us to confirm the positive impact of Erasmus on intercultural communication skills of Russian students.