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Lindsey Compo
Professor Gonsior
WRT 3100
27 March 2014
Developing Intercultural Communication Competence in Education
Globalization has made it inevitable for educators to encounter and teach culturally
diverse students. Globalization has amplified the need for global citizens to develop their
intercultural communication skills (Han, 5). Naturally, this phenomenon has increased people’s
exposure to foreign cultures through advanced information technologies, mass communication,
and expedient transportation. As a result, these modern day conveniences have literally shrunk
the world’s vastness. Such advancements allow many individuals to easily come into contact
with diversity with merely one touch of a button. Evidently, building intercultural
communication competence (ICC) is a true necessity in this globalized world, especially within
the field of Education.
There is a significant need for teachers and students to develop and practice intercultural
communication competence within the dynamic classroom environment. Psychology scholars
highlighted, “the number of English-to-speakers-of-other-languages (ESOL) students has more
than doubled since the 1980s and has recently grown significantly at North American schools”
(Huang, Dotterweich, & Bowers, 36). This staggering data shows that teachers no longer have a
choice on whether or not they desire to become competent in intercultural communication. As
educators, fostering intercultural awareness and intercultural sensitivity is not optional; it is
absolutely mandatory (Yu, 168). Instructors must become aware of and to embrace their
students’ cultural differences when teaching in a diverse classroom setting. They must
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understand important ways in which cultures differ and how this affects the ways in which their
students perceive themselves, observe the world, and communicate with others. This is one step
towards providing appropriate and effective training to students. This research specifically aims
towards the audience who teach English as second language (ESL), English as a foreign
language (EFL), and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). This examination focuses
on highlighting the need to combine ICC goals with objectives for the English curriculum.
Furthermore, this study offers possible solutions to meet this need.
Intercultural Communication Competence
Many scholars developed intercultural communication competence theories that explored
what skills are precisely involved in intercultural communication. Most communication and
psychology scholars agree that ICC involves three major skills, which encompass intercultural
awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and intercultural practice (Yu, 170). These ICC factors are
interrelated in nature, because when these three factors are operated together, they assist in
building mutual comprehensive bridge across diversity. Intercultural awareness is a cognitive
ability that is emphasizes the “understanding of culture conventions that affect how we think and
behave” (Yu, 171). Intercultural sensitivity is an affective ability that is focuses on the “desire to
understand, appreciate, and accept cultural differences” (Yu, 171). Intercultural adroitness, also
known as intercultural skills, is a behavioral ability that concentrates on employing
communication skills such as “behavioral flexibility, interactional management, and verbal and
nonverbal skills” during intercultural interactions (Yu, 171). Communication and psychology
scholars highly esteem these three intercultural competencies as the foundation in the pursuit of
achieving appropriate and effective communication across cultures.
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International students who are limited in their English speaking abilities require
intercultural communication competent teachers. In the United States, ESL teachers are
expected to be able to empathetically recognize, tolerate, and embrace their students’ diverse
cultural backgrounds so that their students’ learning experience is a positive one (Huang,
Dotterweich, & Bowers, 39). Psychology researchers suggest that ESL teachers incorporate
ICC strategies to help prevent the occurrence of intercultural miscommunication within the
classroom (Huang et al., 38). It is clear that students require English teachers to be proficient in
intercultural communication. Proficiency in ICC will help to establish respectful understanding
between differences. In addition, teachers who advance their intercultural competence will assist
in the prevention of incidence, such as miscommunication and conflict, in the teaching space.
International students are faced with minimal opportunities in the classroom to practice
intercultural interactions “because of a lack of intercultural confidence” (Wang, 854).
International students have the tendency to not “enjoy themselves in interaction” because they
have not been equipped with intercultural communication skills needed in order to gain
intercultural confidence. Generally speaking, most of the English learning experiences of these
students are “exam-oriented and knowledge-centered” but lacks intercultural communication
practice (Wang, 854). This has increased their anxiety and uncertainty during intercultural
interactions, and they typically “are afraid of making mistakes in communication” (Wang, 854).
According to communication scholar Zhao Bao-he, intercultural awareness and tolerance is “of
great importance in English teaching and learning” because it “contributes to effectiveness and
appropriateness of an English discourse” (100). Intercultural communication training will help
boost their students’ level of intercultural confidence.
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Measuring Intercultural Communication Competence
Prior to developing intercultural communication skills, it is essential for teachers to
assess their level of intercultural competency. Communication scholar Han Yu alerted that as
intercultural communication becomes “an integral part of our education” educators “can no
longer ignore the question of assessment” (p.169). Completing self-assessments, such as selfreports that measure cultural values and interactional knowledge, can give instructors and
students a better sense of what their current strengths and weaknesses are in regards to
intercultural communication competence (Yu, 178). Teachers will benefit from measuring and
then further establishing their competency in intercultural communication. After all, they are
obligated to interact with and instruct diverse students who need interculturally competent
instruction.
A major component of ICC is to improve one’s own cultural self-awareness with the
intention of being empathetic towards those who are culturally different. Communication
scholars argue that “without sound methods for assessment” teachers “risk lowering the quality
of students’ learning and the quality of teaching” (Yu, 169). In order for teachers to be
appropriate and effective communicators, they establish awareness of their own, as well as their
students’, cultural values, assumptions, and biases. Therefore, it would benefit teachers to take
self-reports to measure their competency prior and to measure any progress throughout the
semesters. Measuring self-awareness is a step that will helps teachers to identify their cultural
self-awareness, ensure unbiased teaching, and foster an atmosphere of acceptance. Ultimately,
teachers must be proficient in their ability to receive and understand their students’ different
perspectives to deliver a quality and effective education.
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ICC Development in Curriculum
In order to achieve ICC, curriculums must encourage and integrate intercultural
awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and intercultural skills within educational programs.
Intercultural communication competence goals must be assimilated within the ESL, ESOL, and
EFL instructional content, materials, and resources. Curriculums can be enhanced to equip
students with the good tools to employ in the complex, diversified world. For example,
textbooks should be relevant and support the intercultural communication teaching goals.
English teachers should ensure that their textbooks meet their course goals and offer a “balance
between analytical and application skills” for their students (Barker & Matveeva,193). Scholars
suggest that curriculums can be appropriately designed by utilizing a “three-pronged approach:
awareness, information, and practice” (Barker & Matveeva, 193). Communication and
psychology scholars strongly stress the importance for ESL, ESOL, and EFL curriculums to not
solely focus on teaching English linguistics and vocabulary. It is now necessary to implement
intercultural awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and intercultural skills within the curriculum.
Research in second language education revealed that “ESOL students’ insufficient
English language proficiency, coupled with their unfamiliarity with the North American culture”
has prevented them from achieving effective intercultural communication in their intercultural
learning environment (Huang et al, 36). Researchers contend that it is not sufficient for students
to master the English language. Furthermore, they recommend that teachers help increase their
second language students’ intercultural awareness via providing adequate knowledge of the
culture of the target language (Chen, 2271). Instructors who teach Chinese students the English
language demonstrate effective teaching when they integrate cultural awareness training within
their courses. For instance, instructors can familiarize themselves with the Chinese different
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communication styles and cultural norms. Additionally, they can teach their Chinese students
about the American culture and communication patterns. This knowledge can be implemented
within their teaching practices, so as to ensure that there is a bridge that connects any
communication gaps.
In this case, it is advantageous for both students and teachers to learn about cultural
differences that exist between the Chinese culture and American culture. For that reason, it is
crucial for teachers to continuously educate themselves and implement intercultural
communication skills to warrant an excellent education. It is necessary to provide students
ample opportunities to practice their intercultural awareness by engaging them in classroom
activities that will help to break their ethnocentrism. Communication scholar, Chao Chen
stressed, “When two people from different cultural backgrounds meet to communicate, it will not
do so if one party looks down upon the other’s custom and even attacks it from his own
perspective” (2270). Therefore, it is very important for educators to promote cultural awareness
in their instruction, so that students can improve their cultural sensitivity skills.
Presently, intercultural communicative competence is extensively acknowledged as an
“important goal of language learning and teaching” in ESL and ESOL classroom instruction by
(Chen, 2270). Scholars declare that teaching English “means more than merely teaching
learners the vocabulary, structures, and grammars” (Bao-he, 101). Teaching English entails
informing students “how native speakers of English see the world and how the English language
reflects the ideas, customs, and behavior of their society” (Bao-he, 101). Teachers can help their
culturally diverse students to better understand the North American culture by showing films and
other sources of media that “demonstrate typical cultural interactions” (Huang et al,).
Furthermore, teachers can encourage their students to participate in classroom discussions with
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their American peers to help them put their intercultural knowledge into practice. Scholars
contend that ESL, EFL, and ESOL students will benefit from a curriculum that engages students
in class participation of any “projects, games, and activities that encourage exposure to cultural
differences” (Huang et al., 38). These activities will help promote intercultural interactions and
provide students time to practice developing their intercultural communication skills.
Conclusion
In a globalized world, physical and virtual closeness to diversity is a reality in the
academic environment. Globalization requires for all individuals, including teachers’ and
students’, to reconcile and mutually accept one another’s cultural differences. This is especially
true for students and teachers, because they are daily exposed to different cultures in a diverse
academic environment. ESL, ESOL, and EFL teachers must understand that students’ cultures
affect their learning experience. Thus, it is important for these teachers to employ various ICC
strategies to help increase their student’s intercultural competence with the aim of preventing
intercultural miscommunication. English teachers and students progress in intercultural
communication competence is a necessity to ensure the development and strengthening of these
required skills. In order to foster mutual understanding and respect across diversity, it is
ultimately necessary to enhance the current curriculum to better aid the students. The curriculum
must encapsulate linguistic competence, pragmatic competence, cognitive competence, affective
competence and intercultural communication competence.
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Works Cited
Bao-he, Zhao. “How to Enhance Cross-Cultural Awareness in TEFL/Comment Ameliorer la
Sensibilisation Interculturelle Dans TEFL.” Cross-Cultural Communication 6.2 (2010):
100-104. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Barker, Thomas, & Natalia Matveeva. “Teaching Intercultural Communication in a Technical
Writing Service Course: Real Instructors’ Practices and Suggestions for Textbook
Selection.”Technical Communication Quarterly 15.2 (2006): 191-214. Web. 24 Jan.
2014.
Chen, Chao. “Empathy in Language Learning and Its Inspiration to the Development of
Intercultural Communicative Competence.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies
3.12 (2013): 2267-2273. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Han, Yueqin. “Research on Fostering Intercultural Communication Competence of Foreign
Language Learners.” Cross-Cultural Communication 9.1 (2013): 5-12. Web. 24 Jan.
2014.
Huang, Jinyan, Erin Dotterweich, & Ashleigh Bowers.“Intercultural Miscommunication: Impact
on ESOL Students and Implications For ESOL Teachers.” Journal of Instructional
Psychology 39.1 (2012): 36-40. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Wang, Jian-ying. “Research on Chinese University Students’ Intercultural Communication
Competence.” David Publishing 11.11 (2013): 853-858. Web 27 Mar. 2014.
Yu, Han. “Intercultural Competence in Technical Communication: A Working Definition and
Review of Assessment Methods.” Technical Communication Quarterly 21.2 (2012): 168186. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.