Intercultural Education from the students’ perspective in a Home Internationalization Program from PUCPR

Abstract

The ongoing search for internationalization processes in Higher Education has led Brazilian universities to incorporate actions that contribute to the student’s integration into this context. Considering the student as an agent who plays an important role in the planning, implementing, and evaluating language policies within universities (Daufoz and Smit, 2016), this study aimed to investigate the profile and perspectives of the students enrolled in the Global Classes courses, an initiative implemented as Internationalization at Home at PUCPR, based on a questionnaire answered by 97 higher education students. The research was based on the objectives set up by the institution and was compared with the students’ perceptions based on intercultural competencies and language policies. The focus of the analysis aimed to understand the effectiveness of the planning provided to students as positive and their understanding of the courses taught in a second language as a contributing factor to their education. The results showed that the subjects incorporate cultural themes that are relevant both in the Brazilian context and internationally and are open to the entire university. As a result, there were reports of positive experiences and a lack of awareness regarding the methodologies applied in the classroom, as well as no indication of learning about the context of use and linguistic variation. Thus, it is understood that this program can be incorporated implicitly, given the reports of intercultural discussions, but even so, language policies can be explored through institutional practices that engage students from different backgrounds.