Moving from Communicative Competence towards Intercultural Communicative Competence
Hatice Asvaroglu: Intercultural communicative competence: are language teachers ready?
Transcript of Hatice Asvaroglu: Intercultural communicative competence: are language teachers ready?
Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015
Intercultural Communicative Competence; are English as a foreign language teachers ready?
Hatice Asvaroglu Foundation English School Girne American University
Northern Cyprus
www.eaquals.org
Overview
• Background information
• The study
• Methodology
• Findings and discussions
• Conclusion
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THE «INNER
CIRCLE»
USA UK Canada
Australia New
Zealand
THE «OUTER CIRCLE»
Bangladesh Ghana Pakistan
India Kenya
Singapore Philippiness Sri
Lanka Tanzania
Malaysia Nigeria Zambia
THE «EXPANDING CIRCLE»
China Korea Egypt Nepal
Indonesia Saudi Arabia Israel
Taiwan
Japan USSR Zimbabwe
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The spread of English
Language as an international
language
(Kachru, 1992, p.356)
Why to teach intercultural competences?
As a result of globalization great changes have been taking place all over the world. For example:
More population mobility More cross-cultural contact among diverse linguistic
and culture groups All the sectors, including health, politics, and business,
and particularly education are influenced by this great change.
For example, more interculturally competent employees are required
(Sercu, 2005)
Intercultural Communicative Competence
The ability to communicate and
interact across linguistic and
cultural borders appropriately and
efficiently.
(Byram, 1997)
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ELT and Teaching Intercultural Competences
«Foreign language education is, by
definition, intercultural. Bringing a
foreign language to the classroom
means connecting learners to a
world that is culturally different
from their own»
(Sercu, 2005, p.1).
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Intercultural Communicative Competence
According to Byram (1997), ICC should be the main aim of the foreign language instruction and he proposed an ICC model to foreign language education.
Byram (1997) conceptualized an ICC in relation to linguistic competence,
sociolinguistic competence.
In addition, knowledge (savoir), skills of interpreting and relating (savoir
comprendre), skills of discovery, and interaction (savoir apprendre/faire), critical intercultural awareness (savoir s’engager) were integrated into intercultural competence as five savoirs .
Intercultural Competence Byram (1997) Model
Dimensions of the intercultural communication Knowledge 1. Knowledge of self and other; of interaction: individual and societal (savoir être)
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Intercultural Competence Byram (1997)
Skills 2. interpret and relate (savoir comprendre) «Ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to explain it and relate it to documents of ones’ own» (Byram, 1997, p.52) 3. Education, political education, critical cultural awareness (savoir s'engager) Skills 4. discover and/or interact (savoir apprendre/faire) Ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture or cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real time communication and interaction (p.59)
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Intercultural Communicative Competence
5. Attitudes Relativizing, valuing other (savoir être) Attitudes, such as prejudices and stereotypes suspend mutual understanding. Attitudes of openness and curiosity; Willingness and readiness to abandon belief in one own’s meanings, beliefs and behaviour, and to abandon disbelief with respect to other’s meanings, beliefs and behaviour.
(Byram, 1997, p.34)
EFL Teacher and Intercultural Competence
The teacher standards have recently
integrated ICC as one of the teacher
qualities (Sercu, 2006).
For example, European Profiling Grid
(2013), EAQUALS Teacher Development
Framework (2013).
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Foreign Language Teacher Competence
1.European Profiling Grid
was developed as part of a European Project by 11 institutions, supported by European commission.
provided an international benchmark to foreign language teacher training.
http://egrid.epg-project.eu/en/egrid
Intercultural Competence has been added as part of the enabling competences.
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European Profiling GRID (EPG)
Intercultural Competence is included as one component of Enabling Competences in EPG.
Teachers can be at any of the three developmental intercultural levels as Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.
Each level is further divided into two different sub- levels of intercultural competence.
Phase 1
1.1 • understands that the relationship between language and culture is an important factor in language teaching and learning. 1.2 • is learning about the relevance of cultural issues in teaching. • can introduce learners to relevant differences in cultural behaviour and traditions. • can create an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding in classes where there is social and cultural diversity.
Phase 2
2.1 • understands and is able to take account of stereotypical views. • can use own awareness to expand learners’ knowledge of cultural behaviour, e.g. politeness, body language etc. • can recognize the importance of avoiding intercultural problems in the classroom and promotes inclusivity and mutual respect
Phase 2
2.2 • can help learners to analyze stereotypical views and prejudices. • can integrate into lessons key areas of difference in intercultural behaviour (e.g., politeness, body language, etc.). • can select materials that are well matched to the cultural horizon of learners and yet extends this further using activities appropriate to the group
Phase 3
3.1 • can use web searches, projects and presentations to expand own and learners understanding and appreciation of intercultural issues. • can develop learners’ ability to analyze and discuss social and cultural similarities and differences. • can anticipate and manage effectively areas of intercultural sensitivity
Phase 3
3.2 • can use her/his extensive knowledge of
intercultural issues when this is appropriate to assist less experienced colleagues
• can develop colleagues’ ability to deal with cultural issues, suggesting techniques to defuse disagreements and critical incidents if they arise
• can create activities, tasks and materials for own and colleagues’ use and can seek feedback on these
Research questions
• How did EFL teachers
conceptualize the main aim of
English language teaching?
• To what extent are EFL teachers
interculturally competent?
Context and Participants
• Foundation English School (FES) Girne American University (GAU) is an English medium private university in Cyprus.
• FES is a unit within Girne American University.
• FES provides intensive General English and English for Academic Purposes courses to international students.
• 8 international English language teachers participated in this study.
PArticipants
Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
Countries
visited/
length of
stay
Who does
s/he
communicate
with in
English
language?
Code 1 1P:
Belarus
Russian/
Belarusian
1P: Turkish
Cypriot
2 P.26-30 1P:English
Turkish
German
1P: English
German
2 years
5 years
Cyprus
7 Years
England
1 year
Turkish
Cypriots,
international
students, and
colleagues at
FES
Code 2 Turkish
Cypriot
Turkish
26-30 English
German
5
Years
England
1 year
FES students,
and staff,
Greek
Cypriots, and
ritish friends
PArticipants
Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
countries
visited
/length of
stay
Who does s/he
communicate
with in English
language?
Code 3 Australia
English/
Turkish
26-30 English and
Turkish
3 years - Family
FES students
and teachers
Code 4 American
English
41-45 French 3 years England
1 month
France
3 months
FES Students,
colleagues, and
family
Code 5 Jordan
Arabic
31-35 English 7 years Saudi
Arabia
5 years
Cyprus
2 years
FES students
and friends
from different
Asian
countries.
PArticipants Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
countries
visited/
length of
stay
Who does
s/he
communicate
with in
English
language?
Code 6 Turkish
Cypriot,
Turkish
31-35 English 10 years England
1 month
FES students,
and
colleagues
Code 7 Romania
Romanian
41-45 English
Turkish
7 years Cyprus
20 years
FES students,
and
colleagues
Code 8 England
English
21-25 - 1 year Cyprus
1 year
Family,
FES students,
and
colleagues
Methodology 1.Research Method A qualitative research method was utilized.
2. Data collection instrument Research data was collected by means of semi-structured EFL teacher interviews.
i. The interview consisted of 9 extended questions. ii. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed.
3. Data analysis (category analysis) Data obtained from the teacher interviews were categorized against the EPG as a benchmark for the degree of teachers’ intercultural awareness.
Teacher Interview
1. What’s the ultimate aim of the English language teaching? 2. How do you define culture and what’s the role of culture in English language teaching? 3. What’s the role of the culture in the communicative language teaching methodology? 4. Do you sometimes include intercultural objectives in your teaching? If yes, what type of
activities? 5. What do you think about stereotypical views about other cultures? Do you think they are useful in
teaching languages and target language culture? 6. Do you sometimes have problems which arise due to intercultural misunderstandings in your
classes? How do you cope with them? 7. What type of intercultural tasks, activities and projects do you use in your teaching? 8. What kind of materials do you use to help your students to develop intercultural competence? 9. Do you sometimes help your friends prepare intercultural tasks as well as materials for their
teaching? How frequently?
Results and Discussions 2 participants: 1.2 ICC level 6 participants: 2.1 ICC level . All participants could define culture briefly but none of them
referred to developing intercultural communicative competence in EFL teaching as an objective.
All participants believed that the main aim of English as a foreign
language teaching is helping students to develop communicative competence. However, none of the participants could extend it beyond communicative competence as intercultural communicative competence.
Six participants stated the role of culture in foreign language
teaching as contextualizing language teaching as well as motivation.
CONCLUSIONS
The research findings revealed that FES EFL teachers’ do not possess adequate intercultural awareness in order to be able to adopt appropriate pedagogy, materials and tasks to develop intercultural communicative competence in their EFL learners.
Implications
As intercultural competence is not an automatically acquired competence, initial teacher training and inservice teacher training programs should be revised to include teaching communicative competence to prospective foreign language teachers.
There is a call for more research regarding,
teachers’ beliefs, perceptions as well as practices regarding teaching intercultural competences.
Video What type of intercultural
knowledge, skills, and attitudes impede the communication
between Joshua and Madelen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dMh5qim5Iqc
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References Baker, W. (2012). From cultural awareness to intercultural awareness: Culture in ELT. ELT Journal, 66(1), 62-71. Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Satrkey, H.C. (2001). Developing the Intercultural Dimensions in Language Teaching; A Practical Introduction for Teachers. The Council of Europe. Barrettt, M., Byram, M., Lazar, I., Mompoint-Gaillard, P., & Philippou, S. (2013). Developing Intercultural Competence through Education. Council of Europe Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. EAQUALS. (2013). A Framework for Language Teacher Training and Development. London: EAQUALS Eelderink, M. ( Madelon Eelderink). (2014, 04, 05). Intercultural communication exercise. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMh5qim5Iqc . Kachru, B. (1992). Teaching world Englishes. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The Other Tongue; En(pp. 1-18). English Across Cultures (pp.355-387). Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
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Sercu, L. (2006). The foreign language and intercultural competence teacher: the acquisition of a
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