Intercultural communication among university students: influence on the formation of values and attitudes

Abstract

Intercultural communication as a form of socialization and acculturation shapes people´s behavior and helps build their attitudes and beliefs, therefore, it is a strong means to educate the new generations. However, there are few studies on this topic in Cuba. In May 2018, a group of US students shared, for a few days, social experiences with some Cuban students as part of a bilingual immersion program, which consisted of some formal and informal communication encounters rooted in an interactional perspective of culture and in the principles which view language as social practice. This qualitative study was conducted using a survey, which purpose was to evaluate the influence of this experience on the participants´ construction of new knowledge and beliefs, and their attitudes and values. Results of the application of such survey seem to indicate that despite cultural differences and somewhat different viewpoints, previous gaps in knowledge of the other culture and even prejudices, values like peace, friendship, solidarity, acceptance of differences, and attitudes like empathy, respect and politeness were fostered by that intercultural communication and these values and attitudes make possible the effective interaction among them. The intercultural communication experience lived changed the ways of thinking, acting and feeling about the other culture of the participants.