scholarly journals Interculturality in English Language Teaching – A Small Study with Portuguese Teachers

e-TEALS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-125
Author(s):  
Ana Ponce de Leão
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

Abstract UNESCO and many other organisations worldwide have been working on approaches in education to develop tolerance, respect for cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue. Particularly, the Council of Europe has laid out guiding principles in several documents to promote intercultural competence, following Byram’s and Zarate’s efforts in integrating this important component in language education. The commitment to developing the notion of intercultural competence has been so influential that many countries, e.g., Portugal, have established the intercultural domain as a goal in the foreign language curricula. However, this commitment has been questioned by researchers worldwide who consider that action is needed to effectively promote intercultural competence. The research coordinated by Sercu, for example, suggests that, although foreign language teachers are willing to comply with an intercultural dimension, their profile is more compatible with that of a traditional foreign language teacher, rather than with a foreign language teacher, who promotes intercultural communicative competence. In this study, I propose to examine teachers’ perceptions and beliefs about intercultural communicative competence in a cluster of schools in Portugal and compare these findings with Sercu’s study. Despite a twelve-year gap, the present study draws similar conclusions.

Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Competence Teaching. Are they in Favour or Against It? Results from an International Investigation

2006 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 15-31
Author(s):  
Lies Sercu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
International Research ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching In Foreign Language

Foreign language curricula now frequently require foreign language teachers to integrate intercultural competence teaching in foreign language education. This study's objective was to investigate whether and to what extent foreign language teachers support this new objective. To that aim, an international research design was developed, involving teachers in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Our findings suggest that the larger part of the teachers who participated in our study are clearly willing to teach intercultural communicative competence (icc) in their classrooms, but that this overall positive disposition is conditioned by a number of convictions regarding the best way to teach ICC. In addition, we found that, despite differences in national teaching circumstances, teachers in different countries share a number of these convictions.

scholarly journals To the issue of vocational english syllabus design for sustainable foreign language education

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Syllabus Design

The article considers English language syllabus design for non-linguistic faculties on the basis of positive experience of some European countries. Current vocational foreign language education is determined by the global context of education and employment on the whole: labour force mobility, life-long learning and sustainable social and economic development. Communicative competence in a foreign language has become a prerequisite of sustainable education nowadays. In order to establish effective foreign language education, Ukraine must bring the quality of its education to the European standards, taking into account positive foreign experience. Analyzing English language teaching at non-linguistic universities of our country, we see the problems related to the curriculum and syllabus design. The absence of integration of foreign language teaching at secondary school and the requirements to the communicative competence in English of non-linguistic students fail to provide the sufficient level of foreign language education in the country and as a result, the quality of higher education. The discrepancy between the low initial level of proficiency in English of first-year students alongside with the syllabus designed for mastering this foreign language for specific purposes is a problem, hard to cope with both for teachers and students. Windows User decision alongside with gradation of coursesWindows User according to their level, so that the students can attain the necessary communicative skills to be able to learn English for professional purposes, read specialized literature sources, participate in discussions and make presentations or communicate business ideas in a written form. The analysis of the syllabi of some European universities shows differential approach in teaching FL, taking into account the students’ needs so that they actively and effectively participate in the study process and show sufficient performance.

scholarly journals Intercultural Competence in the Eyes of State School English Language Teachers in Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-75
Author(s):  
Nur Gedik Bal ◽  
Perihan Savas
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms

Equipping students with intercultural competence (hereafter IC) is a critical aim of English foreign language classrooms nowadays, and EFL teachers have emerged as essential players for accomplishing this. These teachers should essentially be competent in their intercultural skills so that they can pass these on to their students in order to foster interculturally competent language learners. However, teachers' perceptions regarding IC remain uncertain, particularly in the Turkish context. Thus, before asking teachers to apply methods and strategies so that they can enhance students’ IC in the classroom, it is vital that we investigate what they understand about IC. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to reveal middle and high school teachers’ understanding of the IC phenomenon and their description of the characteristics of an interculturally competent foreign language learner and teacher. In addition, teachers’ perceptions regarding their own and their learners’ IC were also explored in this study. The participants were 30 middle and high school English language teachers teaching at state schools in Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. MAXQDA was exploited in order to analyse the data, primarily to code, categorize, and systematize the findings. The results indicated that the teachers considered IC to be the ability to communicate with people from various cultures effectively, having knowledge about one’s own, target, and other cultures, and developing positive attitudes toward other cultures and societies. They also emphasized the inseparability of language and culture and the importance of English as an international language. The teachers also indicated why they viewed themselves and their learners as interculturally competent or incompetent, which could provide insight into where to start intercultural learning and teaching in foreign language classrooms and how to train EFL teachers about different dimensions of IC.

scholarly journals An intercultural analysis of English language textbooks in Iran

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parastou Pasand ◽  
Ali Ghasemi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Close Association ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Junior High Schools ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
International Language ◽  
Intercultural Analysis

With the rise of English as an international language and the close association between language and culture, attaining intercultural competence has become necessary in English language teaching enterprise. Intercultural competence, as one of the components of communicative competence, is defined as the ability to interact with people from differing cultures using a foreign language (Byram, 1997). Meanwhile, textbooks are the main sources of input for many L2 learners in most EFL settings like Iran. As such, the present study aimed at examining the newly developed ELT textbooks used in Iranian junior high schools in terms of the representation of cultural points in them and also the extent to which the textbooks can develop intercultural competence in the learners. The sample was the three textbooks including English Prospect 1, 2, and 3. Content analysis of the lessons was done adapting a framework used by Hillard (2014). Results of the analyses revealed that the range of cultural topics represented in the series is rather narrow. The findings also showed that the series is very limited in its account of intercultural elements, and it is solely constrained to local matters. These findings indicate a need for the inclusion of more cultural topics in the textbooks and it highlights that more attention should be devoted to developing the students’ intercultural competence by the inclusion of tasks or activities directed to other cultures and communities.

scholarly journals Intercultural Communicative Competence in ELT: Lecturers’ Perception and Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-71
Author(s):  
Umi Fitriyah ◽  
Ahmad Munir ◽  
Pratiwi Retnaningdyah
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Communication Competence ◽  
Positive Attitudes

“One of its obvious results is the emergence of intercultural communication and English language has then become as a bridge for cross-cultural communication, thanks to its worldwide lingua franca. For these reasons, Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) should be more concerned in English Language Teaching (ELT) tertiary contexts. This study aims to gain an indepth understanding on this issue by investigating English teachers' perceptions and practices on ICC in ELT . The study uses a mixed method, to find the perspective of the lecturers, the researcher use questionnaire and interview, while for the practice the reseracher use observation. The findings of the study reveal the positive attitudes of English lecturers on ICC in ELT, but certain challenges confronted by their implementations have been highlighted. As a result, some possible measures to enhance ICC engagement in ELT in this context are proposed.”

scholarly journals Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Knowledge and Practices of Intercultural Communicative Competence

HOW ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-29
Author(s):  
María Teresa Esteban-Núñez
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Public University ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
English Classes

This paper reports a descriptive case study developed in an English language teaching program at a public university in Colombia. The purpose of this study was to disclose what knowledge a group of pre-service teachers had about intercultural communicative competence and how they considered their approach to this competence in the English classes they had planned during their final pedagogical practicum. The instruments used to collect data were documents, interviews, and a survey. The outcomes were meaningful for the participants as well as for the researcher since it was possible to identify that pre-service teachers understand this competence as a visible concept to be approached in the classes, mainly to refer to and learn about other cultures different from the Colombian and Boyacense ones. It was also identified that the intercultural communicative competence was considered, by these pre-service teachers, as the “dressing” to change the taste of the class.

scholarly journals Teacher’s Perception of “A good English Language Teacher”

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Viet Hung
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Competency Framework ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Competence Framework

This article, as a part of a bigger research project on teachers' perceptions about the role of the teacher in teaching English in Vietnam, is to contribute a voice in clarifying the competence of a language teacher (teaching language) in view of ELT methodologists in the world. First author presents different perspectives on English teacher competence framework, then makes analysis of the competence frameworks, caregorizes them into groups, so that readers easily find the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Then the article summarizes the results of a study on the perception of secondary school teachers in Hanoi about “a good English language teacher” and necessary competences of English language teachers. Theoretical framework for data analysis is based on Dudzik's Competency Framework for English Language Teachers (2008) and the Guidebook for use of Competency Framework for English Language Teachers from NFL2020 (2015). Research results will bring new information and necessary knowledge to help teachers and administrators (especially NFL2020) make appropriate adjustments to improve the quality of English language teaching in Vietnam.

scholarly journals STEREOTYPING IN THE CLASSROOM: PROMOTING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Fauzul Aufa
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Efl Learners

Teaching and learning languages involve more than targeting grammatical and lexical knowledge. To achieve communicative competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, EFL learners need to develop their intercultural competence. This article proposes one of influential aspects of target culture (i.e. stereotypes) that may be encountered by EFL learners in learning. Further, the author argues why learners need to be exposed with stereotyping features across cultures and how this can be incorporated into English Language Teaching (ELT) by providing an example of teaching activities that can be adapted in a language classroom. Briefly, it is expected that this article may provide EFL teachers with a better understanding of integrating intercultural elements of a target language in their teaching practice. In turn, this may be useful to facilitate EFL learners in developing their intercultural communicative competence particularly with regards to cultural stereotype features.

Developing Intercultural Competence As A Strategic Goal Of English Language Teaching At Primary Schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 39-42
Author(s):  
Sevara Ziyaboyeva ◽  
◽  
Marifat Kazakova ◽  
Dadaboyeva Lazokat ◽  
Mukhaddam Ibrokhimova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Primary Schoolchildren

This article presents the problem of developing the ability of primary schoolchildren for the dialogue of cultures and to substantiate the concept of intercultural ability, or the ability to intercultural communication. Within the framework of this concept, primary foreign language education is interpreted as “a method and purposeful process of development and self-development of the personality of a younger student and his abilities for intercultural communication by managing a teacher and his educational activities, aimed at cognition and self-education, at revealing the potential of a student in the process of mastering a foreign language speech activity as a new way of communication in terms of interaction with a teacher, peers, including native speakers ”[3, p. 97].

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