Intercultural competence, Intercultural sensitivity, and Language Pedagogy: Perspectives of Iranian Novice and Experienced EFL Teachers

Subject Areas :

Sina Khalili ¹ , Mohammad Mohammadi ²

1 - English Language Department, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2 - English Language Department, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Received: 2022-07-18 Accepted : 2022-09-30 Published : 2022-12-01

Keywords: Intercultural Sensitivity,  Cultural Awareness, EFL Teachers’ Beliefs, Intercultural Communicative Competence,

Abstract :

Intercultural competence and intercultural sensitivity have drawn the attention of a myriad of scholars in the fields of language teaching, communication, culture, gender, and ethnicity. This is the rationale behind the current research aiming at investigating EFL teachers’ beliefs concerning the concepts of intercultural communication competence (ICC) and intercultural sensitivity (IS) and how such concepts are promoted in their real practices in English classes. To this end, utilizing a qualitative design, a sample of 20 EFL teachers (11 experienced and 9 novice teachers) from different language institutes in West Azerbaijan province were selected. A semi-structured interview and a three-session observation were conducted as data-gathering tools. The results of the data analysis indicated that even though Iranian EFL teachers were familiar with the concepts of IS and ICC and they knew that language and culture are not isolated terms, they ignored culture in the classes due to some regularities imposed on them by society. As a matter of fact, for teachers, the concept of language is the top priority while culture plays a second fiddle. The study has some pedagogical implications for EFL teachers and learners in overcoming cultural differences to improve the level of language proficiency.

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