Intercultural communicative competence in a university language centre in Mexico: Teachers' and students' perceptions and practices

Abstract

The intercultural dimension of English teaching has been widely acknowledged in policies and curricula but insufficiently investigated in the classroom (Byram, 2014; Baker 2015). In Higher Education (HE), international and intercultural dimensions are expected to be integrated in teaching, research and services. Given the widespread use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in diverse contexts, one of the key strategies is the teaching and learning of English, together with intercultural and communicative competence (ICC).


This thesis investigates the perceptions and practices of intercultural communication and the notion of ICC in two mandatory courses for internationalisation in a Mexican higher education institution (HEI). Data was collected from two rounds of teacher interviews, classroom observations and a focus group, whereas the learners were given a paper-based survey and face-to-face interviews. The teachers considered linguistic competence sufficient for effective communication and ELF resulted an unfamiliar term for most of them. The prevailing model of communication is that of the Anglophone native speaker (NS) mainly from the USA, UK, or Canada. Their teaching practices are characterised by the comparison and contrast of two national cultures and culture teaching is sporadically included. No specific type of knowledge, skills, or attitudes for ICC was overtly promoted in class, considering the global context for HE. The learners considered that language knowledge and some attitudinal elements can contribute to effective communication. For them, English meant the possibility of a better job or a scholarship. They also viewed it as the means to interact with other cultures, although these are not clearly defined. They did not report that these courses had made them more aware of ELF for intercultural communication. The findings of this study suggest that the need for teacher training on notions that are more in line with present hybrid and complex uses and users of English.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for William Baker: orcid.org/0000-0003-0533-2795

Catalogue record

Export record