The document summarizes a study on the intercultural communicative competence of English as a foreign language teachers. It finds that most teachers had only a basic level of intercultural competence according to the European Profiling Grid benchmarks. While teachers understood the role of culture in language teaching, none identified developing intercultural competence as a goal of English instruction. Most activities focused on cultural awareness rather than analyzing stereotypes or cultural differences. The study concludes teacher training should better prepare instructors to develop learners' intercultural communicative abilities.

1. Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015
Intercultural Communicative Competence;
are English as a foreign language teachers
ready?
Hatice Asvaroglu
Foundation English School
Girne American University
Northern Cyprus
www.eaquals.org

2. Overview
• Background information
• The study
• Methodology
• Findings and discussions
• Conclusion
2Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

3. THE «INNER
CIRCLE»
USA UK Canada
Australia New
Zealand
THE «OUTER CIRCLE»
Bangladesh Ghana Pakistan
India Kenya
Singapore Philippiness Sri
Lanka Tanzania
Malaysia Nigeria Zambia
THE «EXPANDING CIRCLE»
China Korea Egypt Nepal
Indonesia Saudi Arabia Israel
Taiwan
Japan USSR Zimbabwe
3
The spread of English
Language as an international
language
(Kachru, 1992, p.356)

4. Why to teach intercultural
competences?
As a result of globalization great changes have been
taking place all over the world. For example:
More population mobility
More cross-cultural contact among diverse linguistic
and culture groups
All the sectors, including health, politics, and business,
and particularly education are influenced by this great
change.
For example, more interculturally competent
employees are required
(Sercu, 2005)

5. Intercultural Communicative
Competence
The ability to communicate and
interact across linguistic and
cultural borders appropriately and
efficiently.
(Byram, 1997)
5Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

6. ELT and Teaching
Intercultural Competences
«Foreign language education is, by
definition, intercultural. Bringing a
foreign language to the classroom
means connecting learners to a
world that is culturally different
from their own»
(Sercu, 2005, p.1).
7

7. Intercultural Communicative
Competence
 According to Byram (1997), ICC should be the main aim of the foreign
language instruction and he proposed an ICC model to foreign language
education.
Byram (1997) conceptualized an ICC in relation to linguistic competence,
sociolinguistic competence.
In addition, knowledge (savoir), skills of interpreting and relating (savoir
comprendre), skills of discovery, and interaction (savoir
apprendre/faire), critical intercultural awareness (savoir s’engager) were
integrated into intercultural competence as five savoirs .

8. Dimensions of ICC
9Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

9. Intercultural Competence
Byram (1997) Model
Dimensions of the intercultural
communication
Knowledge
1. Knowledge of self and other; of
interaction:
individual and societal (savoir être)
10

10. Intercultural Competence
Byram (1997)
Skills
2. interpret and relate (savoir comprendre)
«Ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to
explain it and relate it to documents of ones’ own» (Byram, 1997,
p.52)
3. Education, political education, critical cultural awareness
(savoir s'engager)
Skills
4. discover and/or interact (savoir apprendre/faire)
Ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture or cultural practices
and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes and skills under the
constraints of real time communication and interaction (p.59)
11

11. Intercultural Communicative
Competence
5. Attitudes
Relativizing, valuing other (savoir être)
Attitudes, such as prejudices and stereotypes
suspend mutual understanding.
Attitudes of openness and curiosity;
Willingness and readiness to abandon belief in one own’s
meanings, beliefs and behaviour, and to abandon disbelief
with respect to other’s meanings, beliefs and behaviour.
(Byram, 1997, p.34)

12. EFL Teacher and Intercultural
Competence
The teacher standards have recently
integrated ICC as one of the teacher
qualities (Sercu, 2006).
For example, European Profiling Grid
(2013), EAQUALS Teacher Development
Framework (2013).
14

13. Foreign Language Teacher
Competence
1.European Profiling Grid
was developed as part of a European
Project by 11 institutions, supported by
European commission.
provided an international benchmark to
foreign language teacher training.
http://egrid.epg-project.eu/en/egrid
Intercultural Competence has been added
as part of the enabling competences.
15

14. European Profiling GRID (EPG)
Intercultural Competence is included
as one component of Enabling
Competences in EPG.
Teachers can be at any of the three
developmental intercultural levels as
Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.
Each level is further divided into two
different sub- levels of intercultural
competence.

15. Phase 1
1.1
• understands that the relationship
between language and culture is an
important factor in language teaching
and learning.
1.2
• is learning about the relevance of
cultural issues in teaching.
• can introduce learners to relevant
differences in cultural behaviour and
traditions.
• can create an atmosphere of tolerance
and understanding in classes where there
is social and cultural diversity.

16. Phase 2
2.1
• understands and is able to take
account of stereotypical views.
• can use own awareness to expand
learners’ knowledge of cultural
behaviour, e.g. politeness, body language
etc.
• can recognize the importance of
avoiding intercultural problems in the
classroom and promotes inclusivity and
mutual respect

17. Phase 2
2.2
• can help learners to analyze
stereotypical views and prejudices.
• can integrate into lessons key areas of
difference in intercultural behaviour (e.g.,
politeness, body language, etc.).
• can select materials that are well
matched to the cultural horizon of
learners and yet extends this further
using activities appropriate to the group

18. Phase 3
3.1
• can use web searches, projects and
presentations to expand own and
learners understanding and appreciation
of intercultural issues.
• can develop learners’ ability to
analyze and discuss social and cultural
similarities and differences.
• can anticipate and manage effectively
areas of intercultural sensitivity

19. Phase 3
3.2
• can use her/his extensive knowledge of
intercultural issues when this is appropriate to
assist less experienced colleagues
• can develop colleagues’ ability to deal with
cultural issues, suggesting techniques to
defuse disagreements and critical incidents if
they arise
• can create activities, tasks and materials for
own and colleagues’ use and can seek
feedback on these

20. Research questions
• How did EFL teachers
conceptualize the main aim of
English language teaching?
• To what extent are EFL teachers
interculturally competent?

21. Context and Participants
• Foundation English School (FES) Girne
American University (GAU) is an English
medium private university in Cyprus.
• FES is a unit within Girne American
University.
• FES provides intensive General English
and English for Academic Purposes
courses to international students.
• 8 international English language
teachers participated in this study.

22. PArticipants
Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
Countries
visited/
length of
stay
Who does
s/he
communicate
with in
English
language?
Code 1 1P:
Belarus
Russian/
Belarusian
1P: Turkish
Cypriot
2 P.26-30 1P:English
Turkish
German
1P: English
German
2 years
5 years
Cyprus
7 Years
England
1 year
Turkish
Cypriots,
international
students, and
colleagues at
FES
Code 2 Turkish
Cypriot
Turkish
26-30 English
German
5
Years
England
1 year
FES students,
and staff,
Greek
Cypriots, and
ritish friends

23. PArticipants
Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
countries
visited
/length of
stay
Who does s/he
communicate
with in English
language?
Code 3 Australia
English/
Turkish
26-30 English and
Turkish
3 years - Family
FES students
and teachers
Code 4 American
English
41-45 French 3 years England
1 month
France
3 months
FES Students,
colleagues, and
family
Code 5 Jordan
Arabic
31-35 English 7 years Saudi
Arabia
5 years
Cyprus
2 years
FES students
and friends
from different
Asian
countries.

24. PArticipants
Participants Country of
origin/
native
language
Age Foreign
languages
spoken
Teaching
experience
Foreign
countries
visited/
length of
stay
Who does
s/he
communicate
with in
English
language?
Code 6 Turkish
Cypriot,
Turkish
31-35 English 10 years England
1 month
FES students,
and
colleagues
Code 7 Romania
Romanian
41-45 English
Turkish
7 years Cyprus
20 years
FES students,
and
colleagues
Code 8 England
English
21-25 - 1 year Cyprus
1 year
Family,
FES students,
and
colleagues

25. Methodology
1.Research Method
A qualitative research method was utilized.
2. Data collection instrument
Research data was collected by means of semi-structured EFL
teacher interviews.
i. The interview consisted of 9 extended questions.
ii. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed.
3. Data analysis (category analysis)
Data obtained from the teacher interviews were categorized against
the EPG as a benchmark for the degree of teachers’ intercultural
awareness.

26. Teacher Interview
1. What’s the ultimate aim of the English language teaching?
2. How do you define culture and what’s the role of culture in English language teaching?
3. What’s the role of the culture in the communicative language teaching methodology?
4. Do you sometimes include intercultural objectives in your teaching? If yes, what type of
activities?
5. What do you think about stereotypical views about other cultures? Do you think they are useful in
teaching languages and target language culture?
6. Do you sometimes have problems which arise due to intercultural misunderstandings in your
classes? How do you cope with them?
7. What type of intercultural tasks, activities and projects do you use in your teaching?
8. What kind of materials do you use to help your students to develop intercultural competence?
9. Do you sometimes help your friends prepare intercultural tasks as well as materials for their
teaching? How frequently?

27. Results and Discussions
2 participants: 1.2 ICC level
6 participants: 2.1 ICC level
.
 All participants could define culture briefly but none of them
referred to developing intercultural communicative competence in
EFL teaching as an objective.
All participants believed that the main aim of English as a foreign
language teaching is helping students to develop communicative
competence. However, none of the participants could extend it
beyond communicative competence as intercultural communicative
competence.
Six participants stated the role of culture in foreign language
teaching as contextualizing language teaching as well as
motivation.

28. CONCLUSIONS
The research findings revealed that
FES EFL teachers’ do not possess
adequate intercultural awareness in
order to be able to adopt appropriate
pedagogy, materials and tasks to
develop intercultural communicative
competence in their EFL learners.

29. Implications
As intercultural competence is not an
automatically acquired competence, initial
teacher training and inservice teacher
training programs should be revised to
include teaching communicative competence
to prospective foreign language teachers.
There is a call for more research regarding,
teachers’ beliefs, perceptions as well as
practices regarding teaching intercultural
competences.

30. Video
What type of intercultural
knowledge, skills, and attitudes
impede the communication
between Joshua and Madelen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dMh5qim5Iqc
13Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

31. References
Baker, W. (2012). From cultural awareness to intercultural awareness: Culture in ELT. ELT
Journal, 66(1), 62-71.
Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Satrkey, H.C. (2001). Developing the Intercultural Dimensions in
Language Teaching; A Practical Introduction for Teachers. The Council of Europe.
Barrettt, M., Byram, M., Lazar, I., Mompoint-Gaillard, P., & Philippou, S. (2013). Developing
Intercultural Competence through Education. Council of Europe
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
EAQUALS. (2013). A Framework for Language Teacher Training and Development. London:
EAQUALS
Eelderink, M. ( Madelon Eelderink). (2014, 04, 05). Intercultural communication exercise. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMh5qim5Iqc .
Kachru, B. (1992). Teaching world Englishes. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The Other Tongue; En(pp. 1-18).
English Across Cultures (pp.355-387). Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
33

32. References
Sercu, L. (2005). Teaching foreign languages in an intercultural World. In M. Byram, & A. Phipps
(Eds), Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Competence Clevedon: Multilingual
Matters Ltd.
Sercu, L. (2006). The foreign language and intercultural competence teacher: the acquisition of a
new professional identity. Intercultural Education, 17(1). 55-72.
Savignon, S. J. (2002). Interpreting Communicative Language Teaching;
Contexts and Concerning in Teacher Education. USA: Yale University
Press
Sneidr, G., & Lenz, P. (2001). European Language Portfolio: Guide for
Developers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Xianohui, H.,& Li, S. (2011). Teacher cognition of intercultural
communicative competence in the Chinese ELT context. Intercultural
Communication Studies, xx(1), 175-192.
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33. Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015
THANKS A LOT
FOR YOUR PATIENCE