EFL Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence, Intercultural Contact, and Personality Traits: A Structural Equation Modeling
محورهای موضوعی : نشریه زبان و ترجمهBehrouz Sarbakhshian 1 , Mahnaz Saeidi 2 , Touran Ahour 3
1 - English Department, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
2 - English Department, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
3 - English Department, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
کلید واژه: Personality traits, Intercultural Communicative Competence, intercultural contact,
چکیده مقاله :
Language learners continuously use Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) skills in EFL and ESL contexts but they have various personality traits and intercultural contacts (IC). This study attempted to investigate the relationships among learners’ personality traits, IC, and ICC. To this end, the researchers administered three questionnaires of self-reported Big Five Inventory (BFI), IC, and ICC among 200 male and female Iranian EFL learners from various language schools in Tabriz, Iran. Structural equation modeling (SEM) measured the relationship among variables through SmartPLS3 software. The results demonstrated positive relationships among extraversion, openness, and agreeableness with direct and indirect IC. Their relationships with ICC were also significant and positive. Furthermore, the relationships between direct IC and indirect IC with ICC were significantly positive. However, the relationships between neuroticism and direct IC, indirect IC, and ICC were significantly negative. Moreover, although the relationships between conscientiousness and direct IC and indirect IC were significantly positive, its relation with ICC was insignificant. This study also clarifies the implication of the extracted pathways for ELT and presents some suggestions for future studies.
زبان آموزان به طور مداوم از مهارت های صلاحیت ارتباطی بین فرهنگی ی ویژگی های شخصیتی مختلف و تماس های بین فرهنگی (IC) هستند. این مطالعه سعی در بررسی روابط بین ویژگی های شخصیتی فراگیران، IC و ICC داشت. برای این منظور، محققین سه پرسشنامه خودگزارشی Big Five Inventory (BFI)، IC و ICC را در بین 200 زبان آموز انگلیسی مرد و زن ایرانی از آموزشگاه های مختلف زبان در تبریز، ایران اجرا کردند. مدل سازی معادلات ساختاری (SEM) رابطه بین متغیرها را از طریق نرم افزار SmartPLS3 اندازه گیری کرد. نتایج نشان داد که بین برونگرایی، باز بودن و توافق پذیری با IC مستقیم و غیرمستقیم رابطه مثبت وجود دارد. روابط آنها با ICC نیز معنادار و مثبت بود. علاوه بر این، رابطه بین IC مستقیم و IC غیر مستقیم با ICC به طور معنیداری مثبت بود. با این حال، رابطه بین روان رنجوری و IC مستقیم، IC غیر مستقیم و ICC به طور معنی داری منفی بود. علاوه بر این، اگرچه رابطه بین وظیفهشناسی و IC مستقیم و غیرمستقیم مثبت بود، اما رابطه آن با ICC غیرمعنیدار بود. این مطالعه همچنین مفهوم مسیرهای استخراج شده برای ELT را روشن می کند و پیشنهاداتی برای مطالعات آینده ارائه می دهد.
A Pourakbari, A., Heidari Tabrizi, H., & Chalak, A. (2019). An Investigation of Iranians and international English students' attitudes towards intercultural communicative competence. Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice, 11(23), 151-179.
Abasszadeh, M. S., Amani, J., Azar, H. K., & Pashouy, G. (2012). An introduction of structural equation modeling by the PLS method and its application in Behavioral Sciences. Oroumieh University Publication, 2(1), 126-139.
Adorno, T., Frenkel-Brunswick, E., Levinson, D., Sanford, N., (1950). The authoritarian personality. Harper, New York.
Ahn, S. Y. (2015). Criticality for global citizenship in Korean English immersion camps. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15(4), 533-549.
Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of oj'prejudice. Reading: Addison-Wesley, 129.
Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., & Koh, C. (2006). Personality correlates with the four-factor model of cultural intelligence. Group & Organization Management, 31, 100-123.
Arasaratnam, L. A. (2015). Research in intercultural communication: reviewing the past decade. Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, 8(4), 290–310.
Bagozzi, R., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 16, 74-94.
Basbagi, R. R. (2012). Intercultural communication skills among prospective Turkish teachers of German in the context of the comparative country knowledge course. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(3), 2187–2193.
Bennett, J. M. (2013). Intercultural competence: vital perspectives for diversity and inclusion. In B. M. Ferdman, & B. R. Deane (Eds.), Diversity at work: the practice of inclusion (pp. 155–176). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Bennett, M. J. (1998). Intercultural communication: A current perspective. Basic concepts of intercultural communication: Selected readings, (1), 1-34.
Bok, D. C. (2009). The SAGE handbook of intercultural competence. Sage.
Campbell, N. (2012). Promoting intercultural contact on campus: a project to connect and engage international and host students? Journal of Studies in International Education, 16(3), 205–227.
Chan, J. C. Y., & Sy, P. Y. (2016). The relationships among personality, intercultural communication, and cultural self-efficacy in nursing students. Journal of Nursing Research, 24(4), 286-290.
Chao, T. C. (2013). A diary study of university EFL learners’ intercultural learning through foreign films Language. Culture and Curriculum, 26(3), 247–265.
Chen, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (1996). Intercultural communication competence: a synthesis. Communication Yearbook, 19(1), 353–384.
Cudeck, R., Jöreskog, K. G., Sörbom, D., & Du Toit, S. (2001). Structural equation modeling: Present and future: A Festschrift in honor of Karl Jöreskog. Scientific Software International.
Committee for Economic Development research and policy committee. (2006). Education for global leadership: The importance of international studies and foreign language education for U.S. economic and national security. Washington, DC: Committee for Economic Development.
Dalib, S., Harun, M., & Yusof, N. (2017). Student intercultural competence in a Malaysian campus: A phenomenological approach. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 12(1), 42–62.
Davari, A., & Rezazadeh, A. (2013). Structural equation modeling with PLS software. Tehran: Jahad-Daneshgahi Publications Organization.
Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241–266.
Deardorff, D. K. (2009). The SAGE handbook of intercultural competence. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Deardorff, D. K. (2015). Intercultural competence: mapping the future research agenda. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 3–5.
Ding, L., Velicer, W. F., & Harlow, L. L. (1995). Effects of estimation methods, number of indicators per factor, and improper solutions on structural equation modeling fit indices. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2(2), 119-143.
Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (2005). The effects of intercultural contact and tourism on language attitudes and language learning motivation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 24(4), 327–357.
Elola, I., & Oskoz, A. (2008). Blogging: fostering intercultural competence development in foreign language and study abroad contexts. Foreign Language Annals, 41(3), 454–477.
Ewen, R. B. (2013). Personality: A topical approach: Theories, research, major controversies, and emerging findings. Psychology Press.
Fritz, W., Möllenberg, A., & Chen, G. M. (2002). Measuring intercultural sensitivity in different cultural contexts. Intercultural Communication Studies, 11 (2), 165–176.
Gómez, R., & Fernando, L. (2012). Fostering intercultural communicative competence through reading authentic literary texts in an advanced Colombian EFL classroom: A constructivist perspective. Profile Issues in TeachersProfessional Development, 14(1), 49-66.
Gray, R. M. (2017). The importance of personality trait screening for today’s organizations–application of the Five Factor Model (FFM).
Hammer, M. R. (2015). The developmental paradigm for intercultural competence research. International journal of intercultural relations, 48(1), 12-13.
He, Y. (2010). The advantages of foreign teachers developing students’ intercultural competence. Chinese School Education, 12, 346–347.
Heggernes, S. L. (2021). A Critical Review of the Role of Texts in Fostering Intercultural Communicative Competence in the English Language Classroom. Educational Research Review, 100390.
Huang, L. J. D. (2021). Developing intercultural communicative competence in foreign language classrooms–A study of EFL learners in Taiwan. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 83, 55-66.
Huang, Y. Y. (2012). The impact of intergroup contact on intercultural communicative competence. Nanning, China: Guangxi University [Unpublished masterthesis].
Hulland, J. (1999). Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: A review of four recent studies. Strategic management journal, 20(2), 195-204.
Jackson, J. (2006). Ethnographic preparation for short-term study and residence in the target culture. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30(1), 77-98.
John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big-Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives (Vol. 2, pp. 102-138). Berkeley: University of California.
Kline, T. J. (2005). Modern test theory: assumptions, equations, limitations, and item analyses. In Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach to Design and Evaluation (pp. 107-166). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Kormos, J., Csizér, K., & Iwaniec, J. (2014). A mixed-method study of language-learning motivation and intercultural contact of international students. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 35(2), 151-166.
Kormos, J., & Csizér, K. (2007). An interview study of inter-cultural contact and its role in language learning in a foreign language environment. System, 35(2), 241-258.
Liaw, M. L. (2006). E-learning and the development of intercultural competence. Language Learning & Technology, 10(3), 49–64.
Liaw, M. L., & Johnson, R. J. (2001). E-mail writing as a cross-cultural learning experience. System, 29(2), 235-251.
Lim, A. (2020). The big five personality traits. Simply Psychology.
Liu, M., & Huang, J. L. (2015). Cross-cultural adjustment to the United States: The role of contextualized extraversion change. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1650.
Liu, S. (2012). Rethinking intercultural competence: Global and local nexus.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr, P. T. (2008). The five-factor theory of personality.
Mooradian, T. A., & Swan, K. S. (2006). Personality-and-culture: The case of national extraversion and word-of-mouth. Journal of Business Research, 59(6), 778-785.
Mount, M. K., Barrick, M. R., Scullen, S. M., & Rounds, J. (2005). Higher‐order dimensions of the big five personality traits and the big six vocational interest types. Personnel psychology, 58(2), 447-478.
Mozaffarzadeh, S., & Ajideh, P. (2019). Intercultural Competence: A Neglected Essential in the Iranian ELT Textbooks. The Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances, 7(2), 167-183.
Nadeem, M. U., Mohammed, R., & Dalib, S. (2017). A proposed model of intercultural communication competence (ICC) in Malaysian context. International Journal of Educational Research Review, 2(2), 11-20.
Nadeem, M. U., Mohammed, R., & Dalib, S. (2020). Retesting integrated model of intercultural communication competence (IMICC) on international students from the Asian context of Malaysia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 74, 17-29.
Nadeem, M. U., Mohammed, R., & Dalib, S. (2020). Influence of sensation seeking on intercultural communication competence of international students in a Malaysian university: Attitude as a mediator. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 74, 30-41.
Nadeem, M. U., Mohammed, R., & Dalib, S. (2019). An association between International Students' Attitude and Intercultural Communication Competence. Paradigms, 13(1), 47-51.
Nadeem, M. U., Mohammed, R., & Dalib, S. (2018). International students’ empathy and sensation-seeking traits as the antecedents of motivation to engage in intercultural communication. Paradigms: A Research Journal of Commerce, Economics, and Social Sciences, 12(2), 127-131.
Peifer, J. S., & Yangchen, T. (2017). Exploring cultural identity, personality, and social exposure correlates to college women’s intercultural competence. SAGE Open, 7(2), 2158244017710493.
Peiser, G., & Jones, M. (2013). The significance of intercultural understanding in the English modern foreign languages curriculum: a pupil perspective. The Language Learning Journal, 41(3), 340-356.
Peng, R. Z., & Wu, W. P. (2016). Measuring intercultural contact and its effects on intercultural competence: A structural equation modeling approach. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 53, 16-27.
Piątkowska, K. (2015). From cultural knowledge to intercultural communicative competence: changing perspectives on the role of culture in foreign language teaching. Intercultural Education, 26(5), 397-408.
Ramalu, S. S., Rose, R. C., Uli, J., & Kumar, N. (2010). Personality and cross-cultural adjustment among expatriate assignees in Malaysia. International Business Research, 3(4), 96.
Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Straub, D. W. (2012). Editor's comments: a critical look at the use of PLS-SEM in" MIS Quarterly". MIS quarterly, iii-xiv.
Ruan, J., & Medwell, J. (2020). Using social networking technology to develop intercultural communicative competence: a case of GCSE Mandarin. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 14(4), 362-392.
Sarbakhshian, B., & Saeidi, M. (2016). The comparison of typed and handwritten essays of Iranian EFL students in terms of length, spelling, and grammar. Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice, 9(19), 104-118.
Schuetze, U. (2008). Exchanging second language messages online: Developing an intercultural communicative competence? Foreign Language Annals, 41(4), 660-673.
Shirazi, E., & Shafiee, S. (2017). Novice vs. seasoned Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices about intercultural communicative competence. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(6), 272-299.
Shook, C. L., Ketchen Jr, D. J., Hult, G. T. M., & Kacmar, K. M. (2004). An assessment of the use of structural equation modeling in strategic management research. Strategic management journal, 25(4), 397-404.
Spitzberg, B. H., & Changnon, G. (2009). Conceptualizing intercultural competence. The SAGE handbook of intercultural competence, 2, 52.
Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S., & Ullman, J. B. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (Vol. 5, pp. 481-498). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Tirmizi, A., & Fantini, A. (2006). Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence. World Learning Publications. Paper, 1, 1-74.
Tomoko, Y. (1995). English proficiency, personality and intercultural adjustment of Japanese students studying in America.
Truong, L. B., & Tran, L. T. (2014). Students' intercultural development through language learning in Vietnamese tertiary education: A case study on the use of film as an innovative approach. Language and Intercultural Communication, 14(2), 207-225.
Van der Zee, K., & Van Oudenhoven, J. P. (2013). Culture shock or challenge? The role of personality as a determinant of intercultural competence. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 44(6), 928-940.
Vezzali, L., Crisp, R. J., Stathi, S., & Giovannini, D. (2015). Imagined intergroup contact facilitates intercultural communication for college students on academic exchange programs. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 18(1), 66-75.
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2020). The psychology of culture shock. Routledge.
Ward, C., Leong, C. H., & Low, M. (2004). Personality and sojourner adjustment: An exploration of the Big Five and the cultural fit proposition. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35(2), 137-151.
Weiping, W. U., Weiwei, F., & Renzhong, P. (2013). An analysis of the assessment tools for Chinese college students’ intercultural communicative competence.