Intercultural Communication of British Students in Southwest UK: Awareness of Cultural Identities, Willingness to Communicate and Friendship with International Students in Higher Education

Abstract

This study explores the perspectives of British students in higher education in the southwest region of the United Kingdom, given the paucity of previous research on the cultural identity awareness of British students and their willingness to communicate in intercultural communication to build friendships with international students. Their experiences with intercultural communication on campus are the specific subject of the study. The study uses an explanatory sequential mixed approach by adopting the Intercultural Willingness to Communicate (IWTC) scale, the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) as two main statistical instruments. Semi-structured interviews are also used to acquire qualitative insights. Ten of the 174 participants in the study, who were British university undergraduates and postgraduates, voluntarily took part in the interviews after completing both of the questionnaires. The gathered data reveals how the entire political spectrum influences British students' political stance, their viewpoints regarding intercultural communication, the establishment of friendships, and their communication patterns with international students. Noteworthy, differences are highlighted between white British students and those with mixed ethnic backgrounds in terms of their cultural identities, cultural intelligence and their willingness to communicate in intercultural communication. The findings' implications highlight how important it is to take into account, in intercultural contexts, the perspectives of British students of mixed and white ethnicity as well as British and international students. The project investigates how political changes, like Brexit, affect students’ political stance and the dynamics of intercultural communication with international students. It also looks at how the language competency of foreign students affects the communication openness of British students. The study's conclusions shed light on how friendships between white British students and international students are formed. The survey also highlights how important it is for universities to foster cultural understanding on campus. The more general implications seek to deal with communication. barriers on campus, encompassing not only communication between British and international students but also within the diverse British student body itself. This contribution aligns with the broader objective of fostering intercultural understanding.