Academic mobility and intercultural competencies in the post-COVID era: a perspective from postgraduate studies

Abstract

This article addresses the central question of how graduate students acquire and strengthen their intercultural competencies through research stays abroad. It considers the changes they experienced in their social practices when they were immersed in a different cultural environment during the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting from the notion that intercultural competencies are a combination of skills, attitudes and knowledge that shape individuals' habits and guide their ways of thinking, acting and relating, the article explores how these competencies are acquired and strengthened through research stays abroad. Using semi-structured interviews, the article takes a qualitative approach to explore the educational, social and cultural contexts that shape these competencies. It identifies the elements that facilitate intercultural development and those that come into play when interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. The conceptual framework links these competencies with cultural awareness, an openness to other perspectives, an understanding of one's own culture and a curiosity to broaden one's horizons. In this sense, values, knowledge and skills are fundamental axes of analysis. The research, conducted in three stages, examined the development of intercultural competencies, observed their application in unfamiliar contexts, and assessed their effectiveness in fostering a profound understanding of different cultural perspectives.