Intercultural learning in the home environment: children’s experiences as part of a homestay host family

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores how immersion and engagement with different cultures in the home environment impacts Korean children’s intercultural learning. More specific attention is given to the experience of nine Korean children whose families have voluntarily served as homestay host families and hosted foreign guests for more than seven years. This qualitative inquiry is drawn from data including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with children and their parents, and the collection of artefacts and documents. Four themes were identified regarding the impact of homestay hosting experiences on the focal children: (1) experiencing intercultural encounters in the home environment; (2) building close, long-lasting intercultural relationships; (3) recognising preconceived prejudices and undoing cultural stereotypes; and (4) challenging a singular and oversimplified representation of cultures. Given the modern, global context in which children engage in frequent contacts with individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, the findings demonstrate the necessity of fostering intercultural learning among school-aged children and suggest homestay programmes are a potential means for developing students’ intercultural learning in a local context.