Speakers
ABSTRACT
This exploratory study investigated the experiences of students participating in the International Language Festival, an event held each semester in a Self-Access Learning Center (SALC). This five-day festival includes 15-minute classes introducing various languages and cultures, where some students are invited to teach their first language or a language they are learning and share elements of the corresponding culture, while others attend as learners. The event aims to foster multilingual and multicultural learning and enhance intercultural awareness among the students, aligning with the SALC's mission of inclusivity for diverse student profiles. To identify the strengths and areas for improvement of the event and explore the impact of this social learning initiative, the experiences of both student presenters and attendees were gathered via online surveys. The content analysis suggested that the festival fostered participants’ curiosity for other languages and cultures and a sense of community among students, with both presenters and attendees reporting increased motivation and positive engagement with multilingual learning. These findings underscore the potential of structured, prosocial and cultural events in multilingual education to enhance intercultural awareness and community building, providing a model for similar initiatives in educational settings that value diversity and autonomy.
KEYWORDS
Prosocial and Multilingual learning
Intercultural awareness
Student experiences
| TITLE | Students’ experiences of a SALC multilingual and multicultural event |
|---|---|
| RELEVANT SIG | Intercultural Communication in Language Education |
| FORMAT | Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation (25 minutes, including Q&A) |
