Intercultural Development of Bosnian University Students Through Foreign Language Learning

摘要

As human beings, we are aware of the constant changes that world is experiencing ratherrapidly. Technology has an important impact on our present and very likely on our future as well.The population flow is increasing, caused by different reasons such as jobs, family, better futureoutlook etc. As a person moves, so their culture changes, willingly or not. In majority of cases,moving to another place forces a person to adapt to new cultures and that also includes learningthe target culture’s language. It is argued by many experts that through the learning of a newlanguage a person can become very familiar with the culture itself. In that process, a certain filter isneeded that will keep balance and minimize conflicts between the “old” and the “new” culture of anindividual. That filter is intercultural education. The aim of this research was to determine theextent to which intercultural education has been established in tertiary education in Bosnia andHerzegovina through Foreign Language Learning. The instrument used for this research consists of50 questions comprising four subscales: intellectual flexibility, interaction engagement, interactionconfidence, and attitudes. The research sample consists of 160 students from three universities inBosnia and Herzegovina two of which are private universities and one state university. The resultsshow that the type of the university, students’ educational level, and gender significantly affecttheir intercultural development. The significance of the findings of this study lies in the fact thatthey might be employed during the process of planning and execution of foreign language teachingand learning steps.