International student exchanges and intercultural skills
2004
Intercultural skills that are learned while studying abroad: the experience of AFS in a study conducted from 2002 to 2005 that involved 2,100 high school students in 9 different countries.
From 2002 to 2004, Professor Mitchell Hammer, professor of peace studies andconflict resolution at American University in Washington, has conducted a research to measure the intercultural skills of a group of students who had anannual experience abroad by participating in AFS programs.
The research represents one of the most extensive scientific studies to assess theimpact of international exchanges of high school students. A total of 2,100students from Austria, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy,Japan and the United States took part in the research. Of these, 1,500 students(298 Italians, 14%) participated in an intercultural exchange program with Intercultura/AFS, living with a host family in another country and attending a public school for 10 months. The other 600 students, selected from theclassmates of the participants, formed the control group, those who stayed homewhile continuing to attend the same school and live in their family.
The research findings have revealed that AFS students, compared to their peers,have increased the level of knowledge of the host culture (knowledge of cultural variables), the level of knowledge of the language of the host country (effective communication in a foreign language ), reduced the level of anxiety in interactingwith people of different cultures (ability to interact with people from othercountries), increased friendships with people of other cultures (the ability to buildnetworks of friends and relations with foreign people).