Intercultural learning and mutual adaptation through social interaction: Perspectives from Malaysian hosts and Korean international students

Abstract

This study examines learning and adaptation in a short-term intercultural mobility programme in Malaysia from a non-Western perspective, focusing on Malaysian hosts and Korean international students. Qualitative analysis of interviews and group observations reveals that participants developed cultural knowledge, perceived positive personal qualities, engaged in intercultural socialisation through technology-mediated communication and navigated intra-group collectivist barriers in host-international student interactions. Findings extend Kim's cross-cultural adaptation theory and Wenger's Social Learning Theory by emphasising the dynamic, iterative nature of intercultural adaptation, where both host and international students engage in reciprocal, co-constructed learning. The study challenges the conventional focus on visitor adaptation and highlights how hosts in the dominant culture also acculturate, leading to a more mutual negotiation of cultural norms. These insights offer practical implications for higher education policies and practices, particularly in short-term mobility programs, to foster inclusive, dynamic intercultural learning that enhances meaningful cross-cultural interactions.