An investigation of intercultural competence inclusion in the EFL curriculum and teaching : a case study in a university in Vietnam /

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Student Theses

2024

Thiey, Thi Hoang Oanh

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

The globalization of higher education has highlighted the value of intercultural competence (IC) in foreign language education. Accordingly, English language education must prepare learners by incorporating IC to achieve successful cross-cultural communication and avoid cultural shocks. However, teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) hold ambiguous perspectives of IC implementation, and IC is not adequately integrated into EFL classrooms. Meanwhile, extant literature contains minimal investigations on IC inclusion in EFL curricula and the multilayered factors influencing IC teaching. Therefore, investigating the presence of IC in the EFL curriculum and teaching practices and the factors influencing IC incorporation is imperative to generate some directives for developing students' IC. The current study aimed to investigate IC inclusion in the EFL curriculum and teaching practices, specifically (a) curriculum designers' perspectives on IC integration and the inclusion of IC in EFL curriculum documents; (b) teachers' perceptions of IC implementation and their IC practices; and (c) the factors facilitating or impeding the integration of IC in EFL teaching and learning practices. A qualitative case study was conducted at a Vietnamese university with an ethnically diverse student population. To investigate the inclusion of IC in the EFL curriculum and teaching practices, the current study included (a) documentary review of the EFL curriculum framework and 48 course outlines, (b) interviews with 2 curriculum designers and 8 EFL teachers, and (c) class observations with 8 teachers. The findings showed that IC was not adequately addressed in the EFL curriculum framework, and it was included in only a few course outlines. Although the curriculum designers held positive perspectives of embedding IC in the curriculum framework, they tended to place the onus for doing so on individual teachers. As for teacher participants, 6 participants stated they had positive perspectives of IC inclusion; 1 participant held ambiguous opinions, and 1 held negative opinions. The teacher participants highlighted cultural attitudes, cultural knowledge, skills of discovery and interaction, and critical cultural awareness rather than skills of relating and interpreting. During class observations, 6 out of 8 teacher participants had IC implementation, and the IC components they taught differed slightly from the IC components they highlighted in the interviews. The other 2 participants did not implement IC because they could not find the available IC content in the course books. The findings also contained the influential factors EFL teachers perceived as facilitators or hindrances to implementing IC. These were connected to the curriculum framework, class time, teacher training, teaching materials, communication environment, assessment system, class size, teaching facilities, teachers' awareness, students' attitudes, teachers' IC, and teachers' utility of online resources. Some implications for language education policymakers, universities, faculties involved in EFL teaching programs, EFL curriculum designers, material developers, and EFL teachers were also presented for enhancing IC integration in EFL teaching and learning. The study has contributed to the pool of literature on the inclusion of IC in the EFL curriculum and classroom practices. It calls for an innovation of the national curriculum frameworks of English and IC policies to enhance students' IC

LG51.H43 Dr 2024eb Thieutho

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/dSCdU92D