ENHANCING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE THROUGH WRITING (original) (raw)
Related papers
2018
Intercultural communication constitutes a research field with an increasing interest within the Greek context, as the Greek classes are characterized to a great extent by a cultural-and linguistic-diversity. This study aims at investigating linguistic-elements used by students as a key-factor affecting intercultural written communication between Greek students and students coming from other countries. Effectiveness in intercultural communication is a multifaceted factor which is dependent both on the use of intercultural communication strategies and on the way that speakers/writers modify their utterances in terms of either softening or intensifying their speech as well. More specifically, through this research attempt was made to record internal modifiers, linguistic elements which act either as downgraders (mitigators), aiming to soften the act or as upgraders aiming to intensify the coerciveness or urgency of the act performed by the speakers. Towards that goal, a subject of 150 students (11-12 years of age) was urged to influence a penfriend from another cultural environment, as regards to taking up a new sports-activity while the scripts of the students underwent investigatory qualitative research. Following the qualitative analysis of the students' pieces of writing, it was revealed that students made an extensive use of a) downgraders like the marker 'please', consultative devices and subjectivisers as well as b) upgraders such as overstaters and time intensifiers. With respect to the fact that employing modification within the context of social interaction among people from different cultural backgrounds is of utmost importance, it is necessary the students to get familiarized with the significance of modification in their discourse and be encouraged to make use of modifiers which empower their communication within and outside the school context.
Incorporating Intercultural Competences in Developing English Materials for Writing Classes
Journal of Language Teaching and Research
Teaching English as a foreign language has been focused on cultural aspects. Teachers studied English from their cultures and then they compare those with the target cultures. This was aimed to facilitate English students to communicate orally and in written, linguistically accurate and culturally appropriate. Therefore, this research study was aimed at developing English materials based on intercultural language learning for writing classes. To reach the maximal materials, the researchers applied need analysis to identify cultural materials based learning model that feeds students’ needs and expectation. Based on the result of research study, students like cultural topics for their level, such as wedding ceremonies, historical buildings, and traditional music. These topics showed that the set of interculture-based instructional materials was appropriate to be utilized in the teaching of writing skills for English department students.
Teaching and testing intercultural communication
This paper reflects on the teaching and testing methods of a module on intercultural awareness; socialising and writing skills and looks at how to find more suitable ways of assessing these skills at tertiary level
Promoting Intercultural Awareness through Textual Intervention-Paper
2013 Symposium Irish Studies. Santa Rosa, La Pampa, 2013
This paper expands on the contents of a poster exhibited at the 2013 SILAS Conference in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. The presentation displayed varied categories stemming from a selection of results obtained during a teaching and learning experience involving reading and textual intervention activities. It was carried out naturalistically for two years in the sophomore course Overall Communication at the EFL Teacher Education Program, School of Humanities, State University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. While exploring a syllabus unit on Irish Studies, undergraduates surveyed an identity text by Northern Irish author Glenn Patterson, called “I Am One of the People” (2006b). Subsequently, students engaged in the creative transformation of Patterson’s writing to compose their own self-defining essays, which they submitted to instructors willingly. This paper first addresses the conceptual and methodological frameworks for the development of the case study, while also describing its local context. Reported results interweave emergent categories from Patterson’s text with students’ productions—inspired by the original—which often involve transnational and/or postcolonial encounters, multiple diasporas, and the challenges posed by living in post-conflict societies. Lastly, these outcomes are discussed briefly in the light of their implications for the development of prospective EFL teachers’ intercultural identities and awareness.
Promoting intercultural awareness through textual intervention
El Arte del Movimiento y la Transformación. Actas del IV Congreso Internacional de la Sociedad de Estudios Irlandeses y Latinoamericanos (SILAS) y del VIII Simposio de Estudios Irlandeses en Sudamérica (ABEI) , 2014
This paper expands on the contents of a poster exhibited at the 2013 SILAS Conference in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. The presentation displayed varied categories stemming from a selection of results obtained during a teaching and learning experience involving reading and textual intervention activities. It was carried out naturalistically for two years in the sophomore course Overall Communication at the EFL Teacher Education Program, School of Humanities, State University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. While exploring a syllabus unit on Irish Studies, undergraduates surveyed an identity text by Northern Irish author Glenn Patterson, called ―I Am One of the People‖ (2006b). Subsequently, students engaged in the creative transformation of Patterson's writing to compose their own self-defining essays, which they submitted to instructors willingly. This paper first addresses the conceptual and methodological frameworks for the development of the case study, while also describing its local context. Reported results interweave emergent categories from Patterson's text with students' productions— inspired by the original—which often involve transnational and/or postcolonial encounters, multiple diasporas, and the challenges posed by living in post-conflict societies. Lastly, these outcomes are discussed briefly in the light of their implications for the development of prospective EFL teachers' intercultural identities and awareness.
Promoting Intercultural Awareness through Textual Intervention--Full Paper
This paper expands on the contents of a poster exhibited at the 2013 SILAS Conference in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. The presentation displayed varied categories stemming from a selection of results obtained during a teaching and learning experience involving reading and textual intervention activities. It was carried out naturalistically for two years in the sophomore course Overall Communication at the EFL Teacher Education Program, School of Humanities, State University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. While exploring a syllabus unit on Irish Studies, undergraduates surveyed an identity text by Northern Irish author Glenn Patterson, called “I Am One of the People” (2006b). Subsequently, students engaged in the creative transformation of Patterson’s writing to compose their own self-defining essays, which they submitted to instructors willingly. This paper first addresses the conceptual and methodological frameworks for the development of the case study, while also describing its...
The development of intercultural communication has received renewed attention in the professional literature in the past decade. In response to changes brought about by a globalizing world and educational industry, our understanding of culture – and its role in language teaching - has changed. This is clearly indicated by the emerging 21st century educational frameworks that put inter- and cross-cultural skills as one of the core competencies for students to be successful in a rapidly changing world. Research on language teaching materials has found that there has been a shift in cultural representations, moving from mono-cultural portrays to more dynamic, inter-cultural, even hybrid cultural depictions. Yet, two areas need further consideration: a) While the above might be true for materials developed for international markets, how is culture represented in locally produced English language textbooks? b) What tasks are used in the materials to develop the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed for successful intercultural communication? This paper set out to examine a widely used and locally published English language textbook series by using Byram’s (1997a) framework and found that although the material has a potential to develop intercultural competence, it does not provide tasks that would engage students in such learning.
Investigating Intercultural Communication Competence In Narrative Texts Of English Learners
2019
The purpose of this research was to investigate the current levels of intercultural communication competence in fourth and fifth grade English Learners through narrative text composition within the researcher's English Learner classroom environment. This mixed-methods research was conducted as a response to the need for curriculum changes in preparing EL pre-service educators within the higher education system to become more proficient in the implementation of intercultural communication pedagogy. This action research was supported by a literature review including topics of intercultural communication pedagogy, linguistic relativity hypothesis, linguaculture, and English language development. The research questions that guided this study were: (1) How is intercultural communication competence (ICC) in fourth and fifth grade ELs developed by narrative writing? (2) Does ICC impact the English language development process in a positive manner? The narrative writing samples collected from the participants were graded using the Intercultural Knowledge and Competence Value Rubric (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2010) by the researcher. After quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data, the results exhibited that fourth and fifth grade English Learners can successfully develop ICC in narrative writing. The study was unable to fully answer the research questions as limitations of study included hinderances in gaining all the required data. Recommendations for pre-service and current EL educators are provided for the effective use of intercultural communication pedagogy within their classrooms. They are: Educators should build positive relationships with ELs; they should implement intercultural iv communication pedagogy within the EL classroom that includes cultural self-awareness; knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks; empathy; verbal and nonverbal communication; curiosity; and openness; they should conduct continual assessment of Intercultural Knowledge and Competence; and finally, they should collaborate with EL educators who effectively utilize intercultural communication pedagogy in their EL classrooms.
Instruction on Intercultural Communicative Competence
Education & Self Development, 2021
The influence of globalization on applied linguistics has recently generated considerable debate. With the advent of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) at the start of the twentyfirst century, many theoreticians and practitioners have accentuated the ICC perspectives and its incorporation into teaching language skills. This mixed methods research study tries to verify whether instruction on ICC encourages Iranian advanced EFL learners to incorporate ICC in their writings, and whether gender plays any role in the tendency to use that competence. To this end, 33 male and female Iranian advanced EFL learners were chosen via an Oxford Placement Test and then placed in two experimental classes. All the participants received a five-week instruction on ICC in a writing class at a private language institute in Rasht, Iran. The data analyzed via T-tests, content analysis technique, and η revealed that instruction on ICC assisted learners in coping with intercultural issues differen...