It is until recently that many language teachers and educationalists have started to preach the idea that second or foreign language teaching should stress the salience of teaching towards enabling learners to connect with other people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds and mediate appropriately and effectively in various cross-cultural communication situations. Thus, so as to be open and flexible towards other cultures, the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence has become a serious concern for any individuals seeking to become competent intercultural speakers. The present study aims at assessing and investigating the intercultural communicative competence and its development among EFL Moroccan university students and the extent to which these students know about the cultural aspects of the target Anglo-American cultures as well as the degree to which their intercultural communicative competence has evolved based on the model presented by Byram (1997).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 The background
1.2 Research Problem and Purpose of the study
1.3 Research questions
1.4 Significance of the study
1.5 Conceptual model of this study
1.6 Design, Method and Procedure.
1.7 Sampling
1.8 Organization of The Study
2. A Review of the Related Literature
2.1 Section One: Defining the Concept of Competence
2.1.1 Introduction
2.1.2 The Linguistic Competence: Chomsky’s Framework
2.1.3 The Communicative Competence: A Precursor to ICC
1.1.3.1 Hymes’s Framework
1.1.3.2 Other Frameworks of Communicative Competence
2.1.4 The Shortcomings of the Communicative Approach.
2.1.5 Conclusion
2.2 Section Two: Intercultural Communication Competence
2.2.1 Introduction
2.2.2 Defining Intercultural Communication: Setting the Scene for ICC
2.2.3 Why Study Intercultural Communication Competence?
2.2.4 Conclusion
2.3 Section Three: Theoretical Framework of ICC
2.3.1 Introduction
2.3.2 More Than a Native Speaker
2.3.3 The Intercultural Speaker: Deconstructing the Meaning
2.3.4 Describing and Defining ICC
2.3.5 Byram’s Model of ICC
2.3.6 Conclusion
2.4 Section Four: English Language Teaching and Intercultural Education
2.4.1 Introduction
2.4.2 Culture Definition in the Intercultural Educational Framework
2.4.3 Intercultural Aspects in the Moroccan English Language Teaching Syllabus
2.4.3.1 English Language Education in Morocco: The State Of The Art
2.4.3.2 Culture and Interculturality in the Moroccan University Syllabus
2.4.4 Conclusion
2.5 Section Five: Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence
2.5.1 Introduction
2.5.2 The Role and Focus of Intercultural Assessment
2.5.3 Some Basic Notions Regarding Assessment: Aspects of Assessment
2.5.3.1 When to assess
2.5.3.2 What to asses
2.5.3.3 How to assess
2.5.3.4 Areas to be assessed
2.5.3.5 Types and Formats of Tests
2.5.4 Conclusion
3. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research questions and the objectives of the study
3.3 Research Design
3.4 The population Sample
3.5 The Research Instrument
3.6 Data Collection Procedure
3.7 Some Methodological Issues: Validity and Reliability
3.8 Conclusion
4. Chapter Four: Data Analysis, Discussion and Interpretation
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Intercultural Test Results
4.2.1 First Section: Knowledge component
4.2.2 Second Section: Attitudes Component
4.2.3 Third Section: Skills Component
4.2.3.1 Skills of Interpreting and Relating
4.2.3.2 Skills of Discovery and Interaction.
4.2.4 Fourth Section: The Critical Cultural Awareness
4.3 Interpretation and Discussion of the Results.
5. Chapter Five: Implications and Pedagogical Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary of the Objectives
5.3 Summary of the Methodology
5.4 Summary of the Results
5.5 Limitations of the Study
5.6 Pedagogical Implications and Recommendations for practice
5.7 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study aims to assess the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) and its development among Moroccan university students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL), examining their ability to interact effectively and appropriately across different cultures based on Byram's (1997) five-competence model.
- Analysis of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) frameworks in language teaching.
- Investigation of Moroccan EFL students' cultural knowledge and attitudes.
- Assessment of students' skills in intercultural mediation and discovery.
- Evaluation of the current Moroccan university syllabus regarding cultural and intercultural education.
- Development of pedagogical recommendations for better integration of ICC in foreign language curricula.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 The background
Since the mid 1980’s, a number of attempts and voices have raised to adopt ‘an intercultural approach’ to second language teaching in the hope to prompt teachers and educationalists “to re-examine the basic assumptions of what language does, and what a language course seeks to achieve” (Corbett, 2003, p.1). It has been a reaction to the view that the communicative methods to second language teaching generally view the teaching enterprise as attempts to bridge a series of information gaps with the ultimate aim to produce learners with a native speaker competence (Corbett, 2003).
The view of the communicative language teaching to language and linguistic development has tended to downgrade culture; however, there have been many serious attempts to integrate culture into the syllabus (Byram, 2001). From this perspective, “the development of intercultural competence is now considered as important as the development of the linguistic, sociolinguistic and discursive components of communicative communication” (Taylor & Weir, 2009, p. 236).
The ultimate goal of the intercultural communicative competence (henceforth ICC) then to language education is not so much as a ‘native speaker competence’ but rather an intercultural speaker communicative competence that is different from both a native speaker’s and a bilingual speaker’s competence (Byram, 1997). The ICC includes “the ability to understand the language and behavior of the target community and explains it to members of the ‘home’ community-and vice versa” (Corbett, 2003, p. 3).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the background and objectives of the study, defining the research questions, design, and target population within the Moroccan academic context.
A Review of the Related Literature: Reviews the evolution of competence models from linguistic-centered approaches to intercultural communicative competence, emphasizing Byram’s model.
Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology: Details the research methodology, including sampling procedures, the rationale for using an intercultural test, and issues of validity and reliability.
Chapter Four: Data Analysis, Discussion and Interpretation: Presents the findings from the administered tests and analyzes the students' performance across various ICC components using statistical tools.
Chapter Five: Implications and Pedagogical Recommendations: Synthesizes the results, outlines study limitations, and proposes practical pedagogical strategies to enhance intercultural teaching in the Moroccan university system.
Keywords
Intercultural Communicative Competence, ICC, EFL, Moroccan University Students, Byram's Model, Savoirs, Intercultural Speaker, Language Pedagogy, Cultural Awareness, Intercultural Mediation, Linguistic Competence, Communicative Competence, Cross-cultural interaction, English Language Teaching, Educational Reform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The book investigates the intercultural communicative competence (ICC) of Moroccan EFL university students, assessing their ability to mediate between cultures effectively.
What are the primary themes covered?
The themes include the evolution of competence models, the integration of cultural studies in language education, and the practical application of intercultural skills in diverse settings.
What is the main research question?
The study primarily asks whether Moroccan EFL university students possess sufficient intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes to function as competent intercultural speakers.
Which scientific methodology does the author use?
The author employs a qualitative research design, utilizing a customized intercultural test as a data collection instrument, supplemented by quantitative data analysis (frequencies, Chi-square tests).
What is covered in the main part of the book?
The main body examines the theoretical framework of ICC, existing literature on language teaching, the current Moroccan syllabus, and a detailed analysis of test results derived from university students.
Which keywords define this work?
The key concepts include Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), Intercultural Speaker, Language Pedagogy, Cultural Awareness, and Intercultural Mediation.
How does the author define an 'intercultural speaker'?
An intercultural speaker is defined as someone who does not strive for native-speaker perfection but instead develops the ability to mediate between multiple cultural perspectives.
What is the significance of the findings in the Moroccan context?
The findings reveal that while students show strengths in their own cultural history, there is a clear need to improve their intercultural knowledge and skills regarding target Anglo-American cultures to survive in a globalized world.
- Citar trabajo
- Assistant Professor Bani Koumachi (Autor), 2012, Investigating University Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/488794
