Abstract:

With acceleration of globalization processes, the number of students who want to pursue knowledge independently and under various international programmes in foreign higher education institutions is growing. They often face not only economic and pre-university preparatory factors preventing going to study abroad, but also cultural barriers affecting the mobility and the ability to study effectively achieving maximum results. This requires not only greater students’ efforts, but also proper preparation of higher education institutions to accept representatives of the other culture and to organize the study process in culturally mixed groups. In this case, it is necessary to address not only technical, language barriers, but also the issues of intercultural competence of teachers.

Purpose:
After establishing the need of representatives of different cultures to pursue knowledge in higher education institutions of foreign countries rather than of their own country, to evaluate the barriers to learning arising in the course of study.

Design and methodology:
The theoretical part of the research is based on the analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction methods. The research was conducted using the method of a semi-structured interview, surveying students and teachers of higher education institutions of Lithuania and Pakistan. Questions of the interview are made on the basis of results of the analysis of academic literature, i.e., the following categories are distinguished: cultural barriers; versatility/specificity of the study process; teachers’ intercultural competence.

Main finding:
The organisation of the study process insufficiently takes into account the cultural differences that become significant barriers to knowledge in foreign higher education institutions.

Keywords:

Barriers to learning, higher education institutions, cultural differences, Lithuania, Pakistan.