HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN THI ANH DUONG EFL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF TEACHING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH LESSONS AT SOME HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN THI ANH DUONG EFL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF TEACHING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH LESSONS AT SOME HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DR. TRAN QUANG NGOC THUY THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- TRẦN THỊ ÁNH DƯƠNG NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC HÀNH CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH VỀ DẠY NĂNG LỰC GIAO TIẾP LIÊN VĂN HÓA TRONG BÀI HỌC TIẾNG ANH TẠI MỘT SỐ TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG TỈNH QUẢNG BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. TRẦN QUANG NGỌC THUÝ THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Signed: ………………………… Tran Thi Anh Duong Date: 20/12/2023 i ABSTRACT This study investigated EFL teachers’ perceptions and their classroom practices of teaching intercultural communicative competence (ICC). It employed data collected from interviews, and classroom observations from a sample of eight EFL teachers working at some high schools in Quang Binh province. The findings provided evidence that most of the teachers valued ICC in the English curriculum. However, their understanding of the term ICC was vague and superficial.
They devoted little class time to develop students’ ICC and their lessons mainly focused on language knowledge because it was the content of major examinations. When the teachers did focus on ICC in their lessons, they usually transmitted cultural facts without paying attention to conversational skills and an understanding of differences in behaviors, attitudes, and values in different countries. However, there was evidence of good practice in teaching ICC in the observed classes. Notably, the teachers designed classroom activities as well as adapted and modified tasks to develop students’ ICC.
The thesis concludes with recommendations to enhance the teaching of ICC in high schools in Vietnam. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of numerous people. My sincere gratitude is first and foremost directed at my supervisor. To work on my M.
thesis under her supportive direction and benefit from her knowledge is a great honor and a fantastic opportunity for me. The amount of gratitude I have for her expert guidance, unending patience, and unwavering support as I worked on this thesis is beyond words. I want to express my sincere gratitude to eight teachers from various upper secondary schools in Quang Binh province for their willingness to spend time with me and for their careful preparation of the lesson I observed. This thesis would not have been possible without their enthusiasm.
I've saved my family this final, but by no means least, word of appreciation. Without their unwavering love, concern, and support, I doubt I could have accomplished this thesis. iii List of Tables Table 3. Information of the teachers Table 3.
Information of the teachers and sixteen class observation iv List of Figures Figure 4. EFL teachers’ understandings towards ICC Figure 4. Teachers' satisfaction with the cultural content of the textbooks Figure 4. Activities for ICC engagement in English lessons Figure 4.
Materials for Engaging ICC in English lessons Figure 4. The perspectives of the teachers regarding the necessity of changes for developing ICC v List of Abbreviations ASEAN. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations EFL. English as a Foreign Language ICC.
Intercultural Communicative Competence ID. Intercultural Dimension MOET. Ministry of Education and Training FL. Foreign Language CLT.
Communicative Language Teaching CLIL. Content and Language Integrated Learning vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Statement of original authorship. iii List of Tables. iv List of Figures.
v List of Abbreviations. vi Table of content. vii Chapter 1: Introduction. Scope of the research.
Significance of the research. Structure of the study. Intercultural Communicative Competence. Definition of ICC.
Relationship between language and culture. Intercultural dimension (ID) in language teaching. Culture in language teaching methodologies. Challenges in integrating ICC into foreign language teaching.
EFL teachers perceptions on ICC in contexts of English as a foreign language. EFL teachers’ practices of teaching ICC. Participants of the study. Data collection methods.
Procedure of the study. Pilot of the study. Reliability and validity. 30 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion.
EFL teachers’ perceptions towards teaching ICC. EFL teachers objectives in teaching English. EFL teachers’ understanding towards ICC. The importance of ICC for the EFL classroom.
Factors that would enhance students’ ICC. Promoting students' ICC. Teachers' role in promoting students’ ICC. EFL teachers’ practices of teaching ICC in their English lessons.
Sharing knowledge and life experiences. Adapting the syllabus and modifying tasks. Activities and combining activities to teach ICC. Fostering proper attitudes in students.
Freedom to use teaching materials. Changes in curriculum, teaching materials, and assessment. EFL teachers’ perceptions towards teaching ICC. EFL teachers’ practices of teaching ICC into their English lessons.
60 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Implication. Summary of the finding. Limitations of the study. Recommendations for further research.
Research rationale Culture, an important aspect of language learning, can sometimes be overlooked in language classes in Vietnam. The emphasis of English teaching and learning in Vietnam is on the development of fundamental skills such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing (Nguyen, 2008). Many Vietnamese teachers believe in the "teaching language first, then culture" approach advocated by Omaggio (1993, pp. However, ineffective communication, particularly in different nations, results from a lack of cultural understanding.
ICC integration in teaching English is probably a way to address this weakness. Promoting intercultural understanding and communication through English language education is important for Vietnamese citizens. Globalization and rapid social and economic development have resulted in a desire to improve Vietnamese people’s English language skills. With intercultural communication opportunities have rapidly expanded (Vogt, 2016), EFL teachers in Vietnam should equip their students with the skills necessary to engage in successful intercultural conversations.
Recognizing the importance of ICC, in 2018 the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) stated in the General School Education Curriculum: “English provides students with an important international communication tool, enabling them to exchange information, advanced scientific and technical knowledge, explore cultures, thereby leading to intercultural understanding and promoting a sense of global citizenship, contributing to the development of personal qualities and competences. Through learning English and understanding different cultures, students can better understand and love their own language and culture. Because teachers must act as cultural mediators and facilitators in the classroom, they should have a good understanding of the need to incorporate cultural dimensions into the 1 curriculum for English classes. As a result, there is an increasing need to expand teacher's subject-specific and pedagogical knowledge to include a global viewpoint.
In this regard, several researchers concur that ICC components must be incorporated into teacher preparation and practice (Alptekin, 2002; Atay, 2008; Erling, 2008). In Quang Binh Province, the coursebook Tieng Anh 10 by Vietnam Education Publishing House has been used since 2022. In fact, most of the EFL teachers only concentrate on teaching culture in Culture and Communication lessons as required and they do not pay much attention to develop students’ ICC as the requirements of the new English curriculum. Meanwhile, because of social and economic condition, the students in this province have very little exposure to practice ICC in real – life and the practices of EFL teachers in English lessons is a precious source for student to approach to this competence.
For the above reasons, the research on “EFL teachers' perceptions and practices of teaching intercultural communicative competence into English lessons at some high schools in Quang Binh province” was carried out. Hopefully, this study could gain an insight into some high school EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding ICC teaching in Quang Binh province. Research objectives This research is carried out to achieve two following objectives: - to investigate the upper- secondary school teachers’ perceptions towards teaching ICC in their English lessons. - to investigate the upper- secondary school teachers’ practices ICC in their English lessons.
Research questions In order to achieve the above two key objectives, the research seeks to answer the following two questions: 2 1. What are EFL teachers’ perceptions towards teaching ICC? 2. How do EFL teachers implement ICC into their English lessons? 1. Scope of the research In this study, the main focus is teaching ICC into English lessons at some high schools in Quang Binh province.
This research is limited to five upper secondary schools using the coursebook series of Tieng Anh 10 by Vietnam Education Publishing House, including 1 upper secondary schools in Dong Hoi city and 1 upper secondary school in Hoan Lao Town, Bo Trach district and 3 upper secondary school in other districts.The data of the study is collected from 8 EFL upper-secondary teachers from 5 high schools in Quang Binh province about their perceptions and practices of teaching ICC in their English lessons. Significance of the research ICC is still a new key term for English teachers in Quang Binh province, and in Vietnam as a whole. The popular text book series Tieng Anh 10, 11,12 by Vietnam Education Publishing House has only five parts in the old curriculum: reading, speaking, listening, writing, and language focus. With a strong emphasis on globalization, the English curriculum in 2018 included culture as a component of language learning, and there is a section on communication and culture in Tieng Anh 10.
For teachers, it is always a challenge to introduce a completely new curriculum framework into teaching. How teachers perceive ICC and how teachers apply ICC in practice is still an enigma for researchers. As a result, it is expected that this study will provide valuable information about teachers' existing perceptions and practices of cultural teaching, and willingness to integrate ICC into their teaching. The study's findings should help English language educators, curriculum designers, and teachers reflect on their current curriculums and syllabuses and adhere to the modern objectives of foreign language teaching.
Structure of the study The thesis is divided into the following five chapters: Chapter 1 "Introduction" provides the rationale of the study, research objectives, research questions, research scope, and the organization of the study. Chapter 2 “Literature Review” presents the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the study as well as a review of the previous studies. Chapter 3 "Research Methodology" outlines the procedures for the investigation, data gathering, and analysis. Chapter 4 “Findings and Discussion" presents and discusses the results collected from the participants' observations and interviews.
Chapter 5 “Conclusion” summarizes the main findings of the study and points out some of implications, limitations and suggestions for further research. Intercultural Communicative Competence 2. Definition of ICC According to Chen & Starosta (1996), ICC is the capacity to decide on cultural meanings and to engage in appropriate and effective communication behaviors that take into account the interactants' multiple identities within a given context. Compromise over cultural aspects, realizing multiple cultural identities, and building acceptable and successful communication patterns are the ICC elements that are highlighted in this description.