4.1.3. Profile of participants

we believe that the risk of “cultural overinterpretation and misunderstanding”, an inherent element of research embedded in an international environment, is a significant limitation of this type of research. Difficulties in conducting narrative interviews, both of a linguistic and methodological nature, were discussed in more detail by Emilia Wąsikiewicz-Firlej (2020).

4.1.3. Profile of participants

Among the respondents, there were 27 men and 26 women studying in Poland. They came from 24 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. The sample comprised 8 individuals from Spain; 6 from Ukraine; 4 from Italy, Greece and Turkey each; 3 from Germany; 2 from the United States, South Korea, Russia, Colombia, Canada and Belarus each, as well as one individual from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Congo, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, India, Kosovo, Romania and Lithuania each. At the time of the study, the average age of the respondents was: 22 (Min = 19; Max = 30; Me = 22). Although most respondents stayed in Poznań (48 people), five of them stayed in Warsaw. The demographic data of the respondents is presented in Table A1 in Appendix 2.

4.1.3.1. Level of proficiency in Polish and English

The command of Polish among our respondents was not formally verified, and its assessment is based on their declarations. Only one respondent considered himself a native speaker of Polish; four respondents claimed that they were fluent in Polish, seven assessed their level of proficiency in Polish as B1 or B2, three as communicative and another three as basic. At the time of the data collection, 35 respondents did not speak Polish at all or knew only a few basic words.

In contrast, all respondents declared the command of English on at least a communicative level. Although their proficiency was not formally checked, it was partially verified during the interview. Four respondents considered English their first language whereas fourteen regarded themselves fluent (C1/C2), fifteen intermediate (B1+/B2), and twenty communicative (A2+/B1) English speakers.

4.1.3.2. Reasons for arrival and previous stays abroad

There were several reasons why the foreigners came to Poland. The vast majority came to study (48), four of them planned also to start a professional career, two wanted to continue working in Poland, and one came to Poznań as a volunteer within the framework of a larger international initiative. These numbers do not add up to 53 as some respondents declared more than one reason.