An investigation of ELT students' intercultural communicative competence in relation to linguistic proficiency, overseas experience and formal instruction

Hişmanoğlu M.

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, vol.35, no.6, pp.805-817, 2011 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 35 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.09.001
  • Journal Name: International Journal of Intercultural Relations
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.805-817
  • Keywords: Formal education, Intercultural communicative competence, Linguistic proficiency, Target culture experience
  • Uşak University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study aims at exploring how linguistic proficiency, target culture experience, and formal education are related to the learning of intercultural communicative competence (ICC). It presents the theoretical underpinnings of ICC in the light of recent literature. Then, it continues with the methodology section that includes a quantitative research study in which 35 students at the Department of English Language Teaching (ELT) at European University of Lefke (EUL) participated. The participants of the study had different linguistic proficiencies ranging from waystage or elementary level (A2) to vantage or upper intermediate level (B2). The paper concludes by stating the findings of the research and also by making some recommendations for language teachers to better develop the learners' ICC in teaching English as a second language (TESL)/teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) contexts. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.