Navigating intercultural friendships in English as a lingua franca contexts: Taiwanese exchange students in Europe

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates Asian exchange students’ friendship development in European countries where English functions as a lingua franca. It offers an in-depth analysis of the experiences of three Taiwanese university students who exhibited varying degrees of success in friendship formation during their study exchanges there: one was successful, another was not, and the third experienced moderate success. Data were collected through pre-, during-, and post-sojourn interviews, supplemented by online correspondence between interviews. Analyzing the data using Coleman’s concentric circles model of study abroad social networks and Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and capital, this study delineates the differing trajectories of the students’ friendship development and identifies the factors contributing to these diverse outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of possessing personal dispositions that resonate with those of peers, and also effectively utilising linguistic and cultural resources, for fostering intercultural friendships. These insights have implications for educational institutions involved in sending and hosting exchange students.