VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN THU TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu nhận thức của sinh viên tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam về năng lực giao tiếp liên văn hóa) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type 1) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi - 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYỄN THU TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu nhận thức của sinh viên tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam về năng lực giao tiếp liên văn hóa) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type 1) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Nguyễn Hòa Hanoi - 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I declare that this research paper entitled “An investigation into students‟ perception of intercultural communication competence at a Vietnamese university” was composed of myself except as cited in the references. The thesis has not been currently submitted in candidature of any other degree or processional qualification except as specified. Signature Nguyễn Thu Trang Hanoi, June 26th 2019 i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to dedicate my warm thanks to my supervisor, Prof.
Nguyễn Hòa, for his academic, specialized and creative guidance. He has been my source of comprehensive knowledge and great inspiration throughout my postgraduate studies. I would also like to show my gratitude to all the students for their participation in the survey who supported my work and helped me get results of reliable and better quality. I am also indebted to my friend, Linh, who was always there for me during my hard time of carrying out this thesis.
Thank you for continuously encouraging me to overcome obstacles to fully complete this study. Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks and love to my family, my parents for supporting me spiritually throughout my writing of this research paper. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study investigated the students‟ awareness of intercultural communication competence at a Vietnamese university. I used mixed method (quantitative and qualitative method), which includes a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to identify students‟ perception toward ICC.
The results of the study suggested that the majority of students of the research do not have enough awareness of the importance of intercultural communication competence. Keywords: intercultural communication competence, perception, Vietnamese university… iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Table of Contents DECLARATION. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vi LIST OF TABLES.
vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Objectives of the research and Research question. Significance of the research .4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definition of perception.
Definition of culture. Definition of Communication competence, Intercultural competence, Intercultural communication competence. Definition of Communication competence. Definition of Intercultural competence.
Definition of Intercultural communication competence. Model of Intercultural communication competence. Context of the study. Design of the study .21 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Semi-structured interviews .25 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. The result of questionnaire. The result of interview. Suggestion for further research.
VI v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CC Communication competence IC Intercultural communication ICC Intercultural communication competence LIST OF TABLES Table 1a Criteria of assessing students‟ intercultural awareness (for positive statement) Table 1b Criteria of assessing students‟ intercultural awareness (for negative statement) Table 2 Measure students‟ intercultural awareness Table 3 Measure students‟ ICC (Using positive statements) Table 4 Measure students‟ ICC (Using negative statements) vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the rationale, objectives, research question, research methodology, scope, thesis significance and thesis structure.1 Rationale Within the context of globalization, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has been identified as one of the foremost competencies for foreign language learners to tackle appropriately and effectively in multicultural situations. Despite that fact, there is a limited number of instructional models that include the intercultural content in English language teaching and learning so as to educate foreign language learners to become successful intercultural speakers. As a consequence, the intercultural language approach aims to present foreign language learners with cultural differences which help them to appreciate and respect the variance of culture. In addition, learners should be equipped with the knowledge of intercultural communication and the ability to use it effectively in order to bridge cultural differences and achieve more harmonious, productive relations (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2012).
Undoubtedly, the role of culture and intercultural communication in English language education has not always been well-acknowledged. Gonen and Saglam (2012) pointed out that: “teachers in different classrooms in different parts of the world still ignore the importance of teaching culture as a part of language study” (p. Teachers focus only on promoting learners‟ language proficiency rather than integrate it with intercultural communication in order to perform effectively and appropriately in multicultural situations. In the context of Vietnam, intercultural language teaching is not also a current practice in English language education since the integration of culture in teaching and learning is usually ignored.
Such 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com situations can trigger the phenomenon that foreign language learners may have the tools for fluency, but they may not be effective and appropriate interactants in multicultural situations. For all the time I studied at the university, I was attracted by the cultural differences. The attention I have for it got stronger when I was exposed to intercultural communication. I believed that culture and language must be together, for whatever the level of language learner is.
However, it seemed that not many students share my thought. They might be all agree about the importance of intercultural communication competence, but they do not really take that fact seriously. Therefore, I would like to carry out a research to see the current situation of students and then, raise the awareness for us, especially for the foreign language educator of the necessity and momentousness of intercultural communication competence. Objectives of the research and Research question I aimed at figuring out students‟ understanding of intercultural communication competence.
The research clarified the actual situation of Vietnamese university students‟ awareness of what belongs to inter-culture. After that, I took a closer look at the background of language learning situation of Vietnam and then, pointed out the importance of raising awareness of intercultural communication in both learning and teaching process. They are used to look for the answer to the question: What is students‟ perception of intercultural communication competence at a Vietnamese university? 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Research methodology I used the mixed method which includes quantitative and qualitative method for data collection and analysis.
The research consists of questionnaire and semi- structured interview. Twenty students from one class that already passed a course named “Intercultural communication” of a Vietnamese university participated in this study. Three students were chose to be interviewed for having unreliable answers on the questionnaire. Significance of the research With the increase of globalization and international trade, English has been used as a means of communication among people of multicultural backgrounds in the 21st century.
Integrating cultures in English language learning is crucial and indispensable for learners in order to enhance their intercultural communicative competence. Although the significance of ICC has been recognized by a number of researchers and a myriad of studies worldwide, the position of ICC in Vietnam has not always been well recognized and the concept of ICC has still remained vague to most foreign language learners. Moreover, the restriction of popularizing intercultural communication course at universities has exacerbated this situation. It is undisputed that ICC is a vital skill for language learners to achieve effective and appropriate communication in the globalized community.
Today, ICC is more than just being able to speak the native language in the communication process. It is rather to know as much as possible about the culture in order to increase the efficiency of international communication. This requires knowing the background of the people, where they are grown up, their habit and tradition, what they care for, how they react and so on. Dealing with people from different cultures requires more 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com than just a language.
Hence, in this research I will explore foreign language students‟ perception of ICC, and then implicate the importance of incorporating ICC in English language learning and teaching. This study pointed out the students‟ awareness of intercultural communication competence. How they understand about ICC‟s importance and whether they think they need to take it more seriously to improve their skill to survive in this globalized and migratory age. Thesis structure The research paper contains five main chapters.
Each chapter discusses the content as follows: - Chapter 1: The introduction reveals the rationale of the study, the objectives of the research, the research questions and methodology, the scope, the research significance. The chapter ends with the structure of the thesis. - Chapter 2: The literature review explores the relevant literature in an attempt to develop the theoretical framework for the study. It consists of the definition of perception, culture, communication competence, intercultural competence, intercultural communication competence, the models of intercultural communication competence and several previous studies.
- Chapter 3: The research methodology presents the method of the research. It also declares the information of the research participations, instruments, method of collecting data and method of analyzing data. - Chapter 4: Data analysis, findings and discussion provide the details of the analysis which consists of general description, data analysis and findings, and discussion. - Chapter 5: Conclusion and implications 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a brief review of the literature related to the intercultural communication will be presented.
The review will cover a brief discussion of definition of perception, culture, intercultural communication competence, model of intercultural communication competence and several previous studies. Definition of perception The first notion in this study that we need to clarify is perception. Perception is the process by which organisms interpret and organize sensation to produce a meaningful experience of the world (Lindsay & Norman, 1977). In other words, a person is confronted with a situation or stimuli.
The person interprets the stimuli into something meaningful to him or her based on prior experiences. However, what an individual interprets or perceives may be substantially different from reality (Pickens, 2005). A person‟s awareness and acceptance of the stimuli play an important role in the perception process. Receptiveness to the stimuli is highly selective and may be limited by a person‟s existing beliefs, attitude, motivation, and personality (Assael, 1995).
Individuals will select the stimuli that satisfy their immediate needs (perceptual vigilance) and may disregard stimuli that may cause psychological anxiety (perceptual defense) (Pickens, 2005). According to Pickens, on the one hand, because of limited capacity, a person must process information selectively; hence, when they are exposed to information from two different channels (methods of delivery such as visual and auditory), an individual‟s perceptual system processes only that which it believes to be most connected. However, perceptual defense creates an internal barrier that limits the external stimuli passing through the perception process when it is not congruent 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com with the person‟s current beliefs, attitudes, motivation, etc. This is referred to as selective perception.
Selective perception occurs when an individual limits the processing of external stimuli by selectively interpreting what he or she sees based on beliefs, experience, or attitudes (Sherif & Cantril, 1945). The literature recorded efforts in defining different concepts related to the human cognition.