The cross-cultural effect of Erasmus+ mobility programs on mediating intercultural competence in foreign language education

The Erasmus+ program has provided its participants with the opportunity to participate in international visits for educational purposes and engage with different cultures since 2014. This program highlights the significance of foreign language education, notably in fostering intercultural competence through international experiences and multicultural interactions. Similarly, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its Companion Volume (2020) are grounded on the principle that language education ought to foster both language skills and intercultural communicative competence through mediation skills. This strong link supports that Erasmus+ mobility programs influence participants' language abilities and intercultural competence. In this context, this research focuses on the experiences of teachers and students participating in the Erasmus+ program in schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Nevşehir, Türkiye. In the study, a mixed-methods approach is adopted, based on quantitative data collected through questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS 22.0, and qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with NVivo 13.0 software and thematic analysis methods. This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of Erasmus+ mobility programs in developing intercultural competence in foreign language education, to contribute to the literature with information obtained from the experiences of participating teachers and students from Nevşehir province, and to develop recommendations for future program planning. At the end of the study, answers are obtained to the research questions, and it is concluded that the Erasmus+ program facilitates intercultural competence. Based on the findings obtained at the end of the study, recommendations are made regarding educational practices.