Exploring Teachers’ Perception of Intercultural Communicative Competence and their Practices for Teaching Culture in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of EFL teachers' level of instruction, education, and experience on their perceptions of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) on the one hand and the effect of teachers' ICC perceptions on their practices of teaching culture on the other. The participants of this study were 111 EFL teachers (59 males, 52 females), selected through purposive sampling. In order to collect data, this study used a Likert scale questionnaire developed by Zhou (2011) and a semi-structured interview (with 12 instructors). The findings revealed that there were no significant differences in the participants' perceptions of ICC in terms of their level of experience, education, and instruction. However, it was found that, the participants' perceptions of ICC did have a role in their self-perceived instructional practices. Qualitative analyses further evinced that ICC is of paramount significance to most EFL teachers. In brief, the findings suggest that with the increasing influence of globalization, teachers of language need to become teachers of language and culture, developing the specific elements of intercultural competence.