The present study aims to investigate if – and if so, how – the intercultural training programme ‘Preparation for Foreign Learning Experience’ (PREFLEX) has a positive effect on the development of the intercultural competence of students at THUAS in international groups (i.e. school for International Business and Management Studies, IBMS) and students in intercultural groups (i.e. school for Commercial Economy, CE). In addition, the
study aims to advance the design of the programme further. Accordingly, the study addresses the following central research question: In what way do the intercultural classroom and the international classroom contribute to the development of intercultural competences in first-year
students at THUAS, and to what extent does preparation and guidance, by means of the PREFLEX training module, effectively enhance this development?