Foreign Language Proficiency, Personality Traits and Integrativeness of Foreign Students in the Academic Environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33032/acr.6808Keywords:
inclusion, integration, foreign language proficiency, personality types, adaptiveness, openness to the host cultureAbstract
The movement and integration of foreign people in a foreign country have always been important issues for shaping modern and prosperous societies, economies, and higher education. Since an increasing number of young people are moving to study in foreign higher education institutions, the examination of the factors determining the integration of foreign students such as foreign language proficiency, openness, and how better learning outcomes can be supported and achieved are important research areas.
Therefore, the aim of our research was to investigate the extent to which foreign language proficiency and personality traits such as adaptiveness, integrativeness, active social life and openness to the host culture determine the integration of foreign students in higher education institutions (Hungarian University of Life Sciences and Agriculture (MATE), University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN)) in two countries (England, Hungary).
According to our research results, language proficiency of foreign students positively correlated with extrovert personality traits such as adaptiveness, integrativeness, active social life and openness to the host culture in the academic environment. However, personality traits of introverted personality types (passivity, introversion) restrict inclusion and integration in the academic environment, even if these traits were combined with very good English language proficiency.
To sum up, our research has found that although foreign language proficiency is essential and vital for the integration and inclusion of foreign students in a higher education institution in a foreign country, personality traits such as adaptiveness, integrativeness, active social life and openness to the host culture determine the success of the integration and inclusion of foreign students in the academic environment. Consequently, extroverted foreign students who are more adaptive, integrative and open to the new culture integrate more successfully at university than introverted foreign students, regardless of their foreign language proficiency. Therefore, trainings and coaching sessions are recommended to help the inclusion of foreign students, focusing on the development of skills of coping strategies and social networking tools.
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