Intercultural competence development during the adjustment period of Indonesian students in the UK

Abstract

International students must adjust to cross-cultural differences effectively to achieve learning excellence while studying abroad. As a result, students must acquire new skills, especially intercultural competence, to properly communicate with people from other cultures. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Indonesian students in UK universities integrate various components of intercultural competence. This study explains why intercultural competence is necessary and how it may be fostered. It is based on an ethnographic framework involving twelve student blogs and seven student interviews and observations. The findings of this study classified the intercultural competencies required by Indonesian students in the United Kingdom into two types: attitudes and skills. Accepting cultural differences and having an open mind are examples of necessary attitudes. Some necessary skills are the ability to learn new things about a different culture and the ability to follow the rules of the host society. Intercultural competence is a distinct and complex phenomenon that has received little academic attention and merits additional examination. The data show that all individuals had difficulty adjusting to cultural differences during their studies. According to the findings of this study, Indonesian students studying in the United Kingdom must adjust to cultural differences to create favourable views about living abroad. This study serves as evidence that intercultural competence is essential in this situation