The effects of erasmus plus program to language acquisition and cultural integration

As a result of the globalization and the pluralism policy of the European Union, the existence of unity and harmony of individuals from different cultures and different languages made it possible to cultivate cultural integration and multilingual individuals. With the Erasmus Plus Program, students participating in the student exchange program together with different cultures in a different country is very important in terms of enabling both cultural integration and language acquisition. Students who travel to different countries by Erasmus Plus Program and who have the opportunity to study at least one semester and have the opportunity to get education, can recognize different cultures and realize their language acquisition by respecting diversity. In this study, it is aimed to analyze the development of the students in Erasmus Plus Program in terms of language acquisition and cultural integration. Within the framework of the European Union's educational, linguistic and cultural policies, whether the Erasmus Plus Program contributed to the language acquisition process and its impact on cultural integration was analyzed. This study aimed to present a picture of the students who participated in the Erasmus Plus Program as well as their demographic profiles and their opinions about the Erasmus Plus Program and their current status in terms of language acquisition and cultural integration. In parallel with the purpose, the theoretical part of the research consists of EU Education, Language and Cultural Policies, EU Youth and Education Programs and Erasmus Plus Program, Language Acquisition and Culture studies. In the part of the study, the data obtained from the questionnaire applied to the students who have participated in the Erasmus Plus Program were presented with descriptive research method. 248 students who have participated to Erasmus Plus Program from various departments and universities throughout Turkey constitute the population of the study. As a result of the data obtained in the study, it was determined that Erasmus Plus Program has an effect on language acquisition and cultural integration in the students who participated in the Erasmus Plus Program. The increase in foreign language levels was observed when students' language levels before and after the participation to Erasmus Plus Program were compared. Keywords: Erasmus Plus Program, Language, Language Acquisition, Culture, Cultural Integration