‘No one is superior to another’: intercultural competence development through a year-long international exchange program

This qualitative study explored the case of a language teacher candidate who demonstrated high levels of (inter)cultural capital prior to her study abroad period. Focusing on her intercultural competence (IC) development, as part of a year-long study abroad program, we aimed to reveal developmental patterns related to IC. The study relied on two influential models for analysis of six interviews: Bennett (1993) and Deardorff (2006). Findings revealed that the participant displayed a closer alignment with ethnorelativism and cultivated more sensitivity in human rights and social justice although there were equivocal sociopolitical issues in her IC development. The study indicated that international exchange programs might not yield dramatic transformations but might act as a catalyst for predispositions or accumulated capital (Bourdieu, 1985) based on one’s entire socialization history. Lastly, we problematized the adopted models and discussed their limitations in capturing the role of linguistic competence and macrocontextual features in IC development