Hamza R'boul
Volume 9, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2021, , Pages 30-42
Abstract
Conceptualizations of intercultural communication in English language teaching have largely been constructed on westerncentric and essentialist representations of interculturality. The failure to take into account power imbalances among Anglophone and Southern spaces may perpetuate the inequalities that ...
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Conceptualizations of intercultural communication in English language teaching have largely been constructed on westerncentric and essentialist representations of interculturality. The failure to take into account power imbalances among Anglophone and Southern spaces may perpetuate the inequalities that have long-existed. Questioning singularity of approaches in the intercultural language education is required to account for the complexity of intercultural interactions, especially in terms of power imbalances. The dialectic perspective, with its inclusiveness of varying discursive reasonings, can offer a discerning treatment of interculturality through reconciling the opposing dialectics in intercultural communication scholarship. This article (a) makes a case for the usefulness of incorporating multiple epistemological stances in order to develop more comprehensive insights about interculturality, (b) argues that, by developing pluriversal perspectives, we can simultaneously consider the multiplicity of individuals’ ontologies, identities, and cultures. This is realized by first advancing an inter-paradigmatic discussion of culture-communication research dialectics and then considering its theoretical relevance and practical applications in English language teaching.
Fereshteh Azizmohammadi; Hamed Barjesteh
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, , Pages 126-131
Katja Keisala; Niina Kovalainen; Arja Majakulma; Pirkko Pitkänen
Volume 6, Issue 2 , Summer and Autumn 2018, , Pages 59-72
Abstract
The article aims to explain what kind of intercultural communication competence is needed in border crossing labor markets. The experiences of international higher education students and information and communications technology (ICT) experts are analyzed in different Finnish working and educational ...
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The article aims to explain what kind of intercultural communication competence is needed in border crossing labor markets. The experiences of international higher education students and information and communications technology (ICT) experts are analyzed in different Finnish working and educational environments. We seek answers to the following questions: How are language and communicative abilities tied to individuals´ ability to participate in transnational labor markets? How is a valid intercultural communication competence produced in transnational settings? According to our results, the intercultural communication competence of individual job seekers is not evaluated in the recruitment situation, but employees are expected to acquire the necessary skills on the job. However, students and ICT experts face communication problems and marginalization due to inadequate communication skills. Even though the organization may facilitate intercultural communication and collaboration by structuring work and communication processes, it nevertheless demands a marked dedication to learning for individuals to succeed in a multicultural work organization.
Danielle Geary
Volume 3, Issue 2 , Summer and Autumn 2015, , Pages 57-71
Abstract
This case study was conducted to determine the benefits of a multi-dimensional study abroad program that included a community service component. It encompassed the following aspects of the study abroad experience: motivation for travel, language learning research, the role of autonomy in language learning, ...
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This case study was conducted to determine the benefits of a multi-dimensional study abroad program that included a community service component. It encompassed the following aspects of the study abroad experience: motivation for travel, language learning research, the role of autonomy in language learning, and cultural awareness, behaviors, and attitudes. The researcher acted as a participant and an observer through ongoing ethnographical observations as the program took place. The researcher also implemented an oral assessment to determine the subjects’ language skills, and conducted one-on-one interviews with participants about the culture of Costa Rica and the comprehensive impact of the study abroad experience. To assess what aspects of the program facilitated and impeded target language fluency, the researcher collected information on student participation in the everyday lives of the natives, their living accommodations, the number of hours per week of formal second language (L2) instruction, and the opportunities for consistent, daily conversation in the target language.
Milene Mendes de Oliveira
Volume 3, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2015, , Pages 76-90
Abstract
This paper showed the results of a qualitative investigation that looked into intracultural communication between Brazilian teachers and students of English, and intercultural communication between American teachers and Brazilian students of English. The aims were to identify and describe contextualization ...
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This paper showed the results of a qualitative investigation that looked into intracultural communication between Brazilian teachers and students of English, and intercultural communication between American teachers and Brazilian students of English. The aims were to identify and describe contextualization cues used by both Brazilian and American speakers of English, and to connect these cues with sociocultural differences. Data was collected through footage of English classes in Brazil and through interviews with American English teachers. The analyses of the footage and the interviews have shown that, while assertiveness could be related to the sociological dimension of individualism in the American culture, compliance, as perceived in verbal interactions, could be connected with the collectivist orientation of the Brazilian culture. Moreover, the higher-context communication style in the Brazilian culture and the lower-context communication style in the American culture (when contrasted with each other) were found to be able to account for differences in the use of politeness strategies. The results showed the importance of making English students aware of contextualization conventions.