i-manager Publications

An Outlook on the Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Intercultural Competence in Turkey

Deren Basak Akman Yesilel*

Department of English Language Teaching, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.

Periodicity:October - December'2021
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.11.4.18004

Abstract

Due to the global changes, i.e., technological improvements, migratory movements, exchange students, etc., the geographical frontiers between nations have been removed. This caused an increase in everyday contact among people from different cultural backgrounds. English is used for that purpose. Considering this, there seems to be a necessity to explore pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' intercultural awareness level in the Turkish setting. This study explores pre-service EFL teachers' Intercultural Competence (IC) concerning some variables such as gender, age, overseas experience, etc. For that reason, 184 pre-service EFL teachers participated in the current study voluntarily. The data were gathered via the Intercultural Competence Scale consisting of 30 items with a 6-point likert scale. The results revealed that participants achieved a high level of intercultural competence. The results of the male participants were significantly different than their female counterparts. The findings also indicated that overseas experience contributed to their IC. There was a significant relationship between IC and their grades. Fourth-year preservice EFL teachers performed better compared to second-year pre-service EFL teachers. No significant relationship was found regarding age and graduated high school. Considering these findings, it is suggested that more intercultural emphasis should take place in pre-service EFL teacher training programs in Turkey.

Keywords

Cultural Awareness, Intercultural Competence, Pre-service EFL Teachers.

How to Cite this Article?

Yesilel, D. B. A. (2021). An Outlook on the Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Intercultural Competence in Turkey. i-manager's Journal on English Language Teaching, 11(4), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.11.4.18004

References

[1]. ACTFL. (1996). Standards for foreign language learning: preparing for the 21st century.

[2]. ACTFL. (2021). World-readiness standards for learning languages.

[3]. Almeida, J., Simoes, A. R., & Costa, N. (2012). Bridging the gap between conceptualisation and assessment of intercultural competence. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 695-704.

[4]. Alptekin, C. (2002). Towards intercultural communicative competence in ELT. ELT Journal, 56(1), 57-64.

[5]. Atay, D., Kurt, G., Çamlıbel, Z., Ersin, P. & Kaslıoğlu, Ö. (2009). The role of intercultural competence in foreign language teaching. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 10(3), 123-135.

[6]. Baker, W. (2012). From cultural awareness to intercultural awareness: Culture in ELT. ELT Journal, 66(1), 62-70.

[7]. Belli, S. A. (2018). A study on ELT students' cultural awareness and attitudes towards incorporation of target culture into language instruction. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 14(1), 102-124.

[8]. Bennett, M. J. (1997). How not to be a fluent fool: Understanding the cultural dimension of language. New Ways in Teaching Culture, 16-21.

[9]. Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

[10]. Byram, M., Gribkova, B. & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

[11]. Çalışkan, G. (2009). Creating cultural awareness in language classrooms (Unpublished MA Thesis). Ankara: Hacettepe University.

[12]. Cetinavci, U. R. (2012). Intercultural communicative competence in ELT. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 3445-3449.

[13]. ÇetinKöroğlu, Z. (2016). An investigation on intercultural communicative competence's integration into textbooks; Language instructors' perspectives. Kastamonu Education Journal, 24(2), 619-632.

[14]. Chao, T. (2014). The development and application of an intercultural competence scale for university EFL learners. English Teaching and Learning, 38(4), 79-124.

[15]. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education (8th ed.). London: Routledge.

[16]. Council of Europe. (2007). From linguistic diversity to pluralingual education: Guide for the development of language education policies in Europe.

[17]. Çubukçu, F. (2013). Pre-service English teachers' intercultural sensitivity. International Journal of Human Sciences, 10(1), 832-843.

[18]. Damen, L. (1997). Culture learning: The fifth dimension in the language classroom. USA: AddisonWesley. [19]. Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10, 241-266.

[20]. Demircioğlu, Ş. &Çakır, C. (2015). Intercultural competence of English language teachers in International Baccalaurate World Schools in Turkey and abroad. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 11(1), 15-32.

[21]. Erdemir, N. (2019). Exploring learners' media preferences to develop intercultural competence. Başkent University Journal of Education, 6(2), 353-364.

[22]. Estaji, M., & Rahimi, A. (2018). Exploring teachers' perception of intercultural communicative competence and their practices for teaching culture in EFL classrooms. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 6(2), 1-18.

[23]. Galeano, R., & Torres, K. M. (2014). Teaching culture in US foreign language classrooms: meeting goals of ıntercultural competence? The Journal of Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 63-75.

[24]. Güneş, G. & Mede, E. (2019). Integration of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in an EFL course: Perceptions of students and teachers. İnönü University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 20(2), 352-363.

[25]. Heidari, A., Saeed, K., & Zonoobi, R. (2014). The role of culture through the eyes of different approaches to and methods of foreign language teaching. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 34(6).

[26]. Hismanoglu, M. (2011). An investigation of ELT students' intercultural communicative competence in relation to linguistic proficiency, overseas experience and formal instruction. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 805-817.

[27]. Hong, S. (2008). The role of heritage students in incorporating culture into language teaching. South Asia Language Pedagogy and Technology, 1, 1-10.

[28]. Klopf, D. W., & McCroskey, J. C. (2007). Intercultural communication encounters. Boston: Pearson Education.

[29]. Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[30]. Lei, W. (2021). A Survey on preservice English teachers' intercultural communicative competence in China. English Language Teaching, 14 (1), 37-47.

[31]. Leon, N. (2014). Developing intercultural competence by participating in intensive intercultural service-learning, Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 17-30.

[32]. Lopez-Rocha, S. (2016). Intercultural communicative competence: creating awareness and promoting skills in the language classroom. In C. Goria, O. Speicher& S. Stollhans (Eds.), Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Participation and Collaboration (pp. 105-111). Dublin: Research-publishing.net

[33]. McKay, S. L. (2003). Toward an appropriate EIL pedagogy: Re-examining common ELT assumptions. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(1), 1-22.

[34]. Moeller, A. K., & Nugent, K. (2014). Building intercultural competence in the language classroom. Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education.

[35]. Özüorçun, F. (2014). Teachıng culture as a fıfth language skıll. Journal of International Social Research, 7(29).680-685.

[36]. Phillips, J. K. & Abbott, M. (2011). A decade of foreign language standards: Impact, influence, and future directions.

[37]. Rosyidi, A., & Purwati, O. (2018). Revealing intercultural communicative competence in an EFL high school textbook. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 108, 65-69.

[38]. Saeedie, Z., & Salehabadi, S. (2019). Big-c-culture and little-c-culture genres: the effect of input flooding on speaking accuracy. Teaching English Language, 13(1), 27-55.

[39]. Saraswati, G. P. D. (2017). Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in teaching speaking material used in English Department of UniversitasNegeri Semarang. Journal of Language and Literature. 11(2), 158-164.

[40]. Sarıçoban, A., & Öz, H. (2014). Research into preservice English teachers' intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in Turkish context. Anthropologist, 18(2), 523-531.

[41]. Sarıgöz, İ. H. (2014). The effects of foreign language learning on intercultural awareness of non-native EFL teacher trainees. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 1(5), 332-346.

[42]. Sercu, L. (2005). Teaching foreign languages in an intercultural world. In Sercu et al. (Eds.). Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Competence: An International Investigation. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.

[43]. Sevimel-Şahin, A. (2020). A survey on the intercultural communicative competence of ELT undergraduate students. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(2), 141-153.

[44]. Shemshadsara, Z. G. (2012). Developing cultural awareness in foreign language teaching. English Language Teaching, 5(3), 95-99.

[45]. Smakova, K., & Paulsrud, B. (2020). Intercultural communicative competence in English language teaching in Kazakhstan. Issues in Educational Research, 30(2), 691-707.

[46]. Spooner-Lane, R., Tangen, D., Mercer, K. L., Hepple, E., & Carrington, S. (2013). Bridging intercultural competence one “patch” at a time. Hindawi Publishing Corporation Education Research International, 2013, 1-9.

[47]. Tomalin, B. (2008). Culture the fifth language skill. British Council.

[48]. Tran, T. Q., & Duong, T. M. (2018). The effectiveness of the intercultural language communicative teaching model for EFL learners. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 3(6), 1-17.

[49]. UNESCO (2017). E2030: Education and skills for the 21st century.

[50]. Valpa, A. (2020). Kachru model “the three circles of English”.

[51]. Zhang, X., & Zhang, J. (2015). English language teaching and intercultural communication competence. International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, 3(8), 55-59.

An Outlook on the Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Intercultural Competence in Turkey

Abstract

Keywords

How to Cite this Article?

References

If you have access to this article please login to view the article or kindly login to purchase the article

Purchase Instant Access

Options for accessing this content:

	North Americas,UK, Middle East,Europe		India	Rest of world
	USD	EUR	INR	USD-ROW
Pdf	35	35	200	20
Online	35	35	200	15
Pdf & Online	35	35	400	25