A WHOLE WORLD OUTSIDE HOME: FACTORS ATTRACTING ERASMUS STUDENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE, LANGUAGE LEARNING, ECONOMY AND TOURISM

Abstract

Since the launch of it in 1987, Erasmus Mobility Programme has been the centre of attractions of both students and the staff in terms of educational mobility and intercultural communication. Especially student mobility greatly contributes to the person's individual development and the Europe's economies and societies. In this study, it was aimed to find out student characteristics, namely, demographic profile of the students, their satisfaction with stay abroad in terms of financial expenditures and satisfaction with the host country and student organizations, and finally the effects of these factors on intercultural competence of students, language learning, and also which are the quantitive impacts in the economy and the tourism in the host country in terms of the amount of expenditures done by the Erasmus students. In order to determine these factors a survey prepared by one of the researchers was delivered to the both incoming and outgoing students at Hitit University in Turkey, University of La Laguna in Spain and University of Latvia in Latvia. Then, interviews were held with the students in order to assure the consistency of the data gathered from the survey. The survey was on an online platform to make the data collection process as smooth and fast as possible. Recommendations for further studies are provided in line with the results of the survey at the end of the study