Petra Ivenz; Blanka Klimova
Abstract
One of the long-term goals of the European Union is to incorporate intercultural communication into the lessons of foreign languages. The new concepts present that the linguistic part of foreign language education should be equal to the intercultural part of foreign language education. Nowadays, teachers ...
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One of the long-term goals of the European Union is to incorporate intercultural communication into the lessons of foreign languages. The new concepts present that the linguistic part of foreign language education should be equal to the intercultural part of foreign language education. Nowadays, teachers believe in the importance of developing the intercultural communicative competence of their students. However, studies have shown that teachers of foreign languages do not have sufficient knowledge of how to include intercultural communication (IC) in their lessons. This review provides an overview of activities that are aimed at developing the intercultural communicative competence of the students. The research was conducted in two databases, Scopus and Web of Science, where specific research studies were found based on the previously set criteria. The results provide the following techniques and activities, such as a flipped classroom method, role-plays, telecollaboration, computer-mediated communication, viewing-listening-speaking method, 360-degree video technology, an online ICC training model, authentic materials, and a scavenger hunt, which can develop the ICC.
Monir Ghasemi Mighani; Massood Yazdani Moghadam
Volume 7, 2 (Special Issue on Iranians Views of Cultural Issues) , September 2019, , Pages 27-39
Abstract
One way to develop intercultural sensitivity in learners is through the inclusion of intercultural training in ELT and teacher training courses. This study aimed at enhancing the intercultural sensitivity of EFL pre-service teachers through interactive culture-focused speaking tasks. Therefore, a task-based ...
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One way to develop intercultural sensitivity in learners is through the inclusion of intercultural training in ELT and teacher training courses. This study aimed at enhancing the intercultural sensitivity of EFL pre-service teachers through interactive culture-focused speaking tasks. Therefore, a task-based syllabus was designed based on the principles of constructivism and intercultural themes and implemented throughout one academic semester. An intercultural sensitivity scale was administered to find out any possible significant change in the level of intercultural sensitivity of the participants. At the end of the course, a self-report course evaluation survey was implemented in order to ask participants to evaluate different aspects and objectives of the course. The related data were collected and analyzed. The findings indicated that the level of intercultural sensitivity of the participants developed significantly through the intervention of mediating tasks. The findings of the self-report survey also showed that the participants` attitudes and evaluation of different parts and objectives of the course were positive.
Tarek Hermessi
Volume 4, Issue 2 , September 2016, , Pages 105-118
Abstract
This study investigated the cognition of 70 Tunisian teachers on the place of culture in English education. It showed that Tunisian teachers believe that English textbooks and curricular documents are not specific about the cultural dimension of EFL. It also revealed that L2 teachers, whose mother culture ...
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This study investigated the cognition of 70 Tunisian teachers on the place of culture in English education. It showed that Tunisian teachers believe that English textbooks and curricular documents are not specific about the cultural dimension of EFL. It also revealed that L2 teachers, whose mother culture is distant from that associated with L2, hold ambivalent attitudes towards culture. They acknowledge the importance of culture to communicative competence and intercultural competence, but either approach culture with suspicion or prefer to keep it to a minimum in the curriculum. The reasons for the marginalization of culture in English curriculum, according to the participants of the study, are ‘vastness of the concept of culture’, ‘lack of resources’, and ‘problems of procedure’. These reasons are accepted by L2 teachers, worldwide, who seem to share a ‘co-culture’ that determines their cognition on the different aspects of language teaching. As regards the cultural dimension of L2 teaching, the ‘co-culture’ seems to drive teacher cognition more than ‘cultural distance’.
Tugba Toprak; Yasemin Aksoyalp
Volume 3, Issue 1 , March 2015, , Pages 91-104
Abstract
Increasingly intercultural dimension of communication in the 21st century has brought about challenging aims in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) pedagogy, such as ascertaining the enhancement of the learners' intercultural awareness and promoting their ability to communicate in intercultural settings. ...
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Increasingly intercultural dimension of communication in the 21st century has brought about challenging aims in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) pedagogy, such as ascertaining the enhancement of the learners' intercultural awareness and promoting their ability to communicate in intercultural settings. Taking the disadvantage of EFL environment in terms of intercultural input into account, course books can be considered as one of the most crucial tools used in these settings. Thus, the links between culture, language teaching, and course books deserve a closer investigation carried out with a critical eye. Hence, the present study was conducted: (1) to explore the extent and number of the cultural representations present in course books (2) the distribution of cultural representations across different English-speaking countries (i.e., the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand). To this end, 17 English course books written by international publishers and used at preparatory English schools of universities in an EFL setting were examined by using a quantitative content analysis. The results were discussed and implications were made.