"In Spain, people are very... happy": Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence in Spanish for Business and Economics

Abstract

This study analyzes the development of attitudes towards Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) within the framework of action research conducted during a study trip to Madrid with twenty Business Spanish students from the University of Antwerp. The group was highly diverse, with language proficiency ranging from A2 to C1, including several heritage speakers of Spanish and other languages. The research methods included surveys and focus groups aimed at assessing the participants' ICC, as well as gathering information about their linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The results contribute to the growing field of research on multilingualism in education, confirming previous findings that suggest the diverse linguistic backgrounds of immigrant and minority students should be seen as assets rather than obstacles. It was observed that the participants' varied backgrounds had a significant positive impact on the group's attitude towards multilingualism and their ability to successfully engage in intercultural and multilingual exchanges. This conclusion highlights the importance of leveraging this capital both outside the classroom and in a traditional classroom setting.