Acculturation, intercultural sensitivity, and belonging

American students’ experiences in a short-term international Moroccan dialectal Arabic program

Abstract

International education is widely recognized as a transformative space for intercultural development and identity formation. This qualitative study explores how American students in a short-term Moroccan Dialectal Arabic program in Morocco develop intercultural sensitivity and a sense of belonging through host-family living, classroom participation, and community engagement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were emerged, including cultural immersion and adjustment, host-family engagement and belonging, language challenges and communicative confidence, intercultural sensitivity and social engagement, and identity negotiation and reflexivity. Host-family interactions emerged as critical determinant of language socialization and relational inclusion, while moments of cultural difference prompted reflection and identity development. This study contributes to international education research by highlighting how belonging and identity formation arise from immersive linguistic and relational experiences, and offers insights for study abroad program design and language pedagogy.