Students’ Linguocultural Competence: Insights from Internationalization at Home

Abstract

Globalization has significantly affected the internationalization of higher education, technological advancements, and the development of intercultural competence. In the contemporary landscape, both educators and students find themselves compelled to enhance their linguistic and cultural proficiency through the utilization of digital and online teaching tools. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the progression of students' linguocultural competence and unveil institutional impediments and challenges encountered during the implementation of at-home internationalization.   The study involved the participation of thirty students from Kazakhstan and an additional thirty students from Tatarstan, Russia, who engaged in a virtual student mobility program facilitated by Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University and Naberezhnye Chelny State Pedagogical University. Zoom was utilized as the platform to facilitate collaboration between the universities. The research adopted a qualitative approach, employing interviews to assess the effectiveness of the internationalization at-home program.   Following the program, there was a noteworthy enhancement in the linguocultural competence of third-year students from the Foreign Languages Department.  The interviews also brought to light the principal obstacles encountered by universities when implementing domestic internationalization. Through the sharing of their personal experiences, participants highlighted issues such as limited resources, a deficiency in institutional support, and students' discomfort with collaborative work involving foreign peers. The improvement in linguistic and cultural skills was attributed to collaborative lessons and intercultural interactions, affirming the efficacy of the internationalization at-home program, as indicated by positive outcomes.