Intercultural Communication Competence among Indonesian Pre-Service Teachers: a Quantitative Study

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is critical in English language education, especially in preparing future teachers to address cultural diversity in the classroom. Despite growing awareness of ICC, challenges remain in how pre-service teachers perceive and plan to implement ICC in their future teaching practices. This study investigated Indonesian pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of ICC objectives and their intended integration into English language instruction. Conducted at a university in Central Java, Indonesia, the study involved 19 undergraduate pre-service English teachers who completed a questionnaire, all of whom were invited to participate in follow-up interviews. The questionnaire responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while interview data were examined through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that participants generally acknowledged the importance of ICC, particularly the knowledge dimension—such as understanding non-verbal behaviors, taboos, and levels of formality—and, to a lesser extent, attitudes like suspending judgment. However, responses also revealed inconsistencies, as many participants favored teacher-centered approaches focused on presenting cultural facts, with limited attention to deeper cultural engagement or student-centered activities. Although some participants demonstrated more comprehensive and reflective approaches, the findings suggest that many pre-service teachers have a fragmented understanding of ICC and lack clear strategies for its classroom integration. These results highlight the need for teacher education programs to explicitly address ICC objectives, foster critical intercultural awareness, and promote reflective pedagogies that support effective ICC implementation in future English language classrooms.

Intercultural communication and language proficiency have become increasingly essential in preparing Indonesian EFL pre-service teachers (PSTs) for cultural diversity. Indonesian EFL PSTs only communicated English to people with the same majors or educational background. This study explores the implication of developing PSTs’ intercultural communication competence (ICC) at one of the universities in Indonesia that designed and implemented informal digital learning of English (IDLE) as an extracurricular program. Thirty-seven university PSTs from various multicultural backgrounds with insufficient overseas experiences (such as exchange programs or internship programs) participated in this study. We conducted the study –for one semester during the pandemic, where the PSTs mainly communicated in online environments. Combining the analysis from observations, artifacts, diaries, and interviews, this study reports that engaging in extracurricular IDLE potentially unlocked PSTs to 1) become aware of the value of their own cultural background and biases in developing their perception of other cultures and 2) evaluate their English language choices that potentially affected on how they addressed some topics and interpretation with overseas friends (OFs). Furthermore, this study provides insight into the benefits of implementing ICC for PSTs, especially in language development, and how they perceived this as a motivation for designing their future classroom practices.

The book titled Intercultural Communicative Competence for Global Citizenship. Identifying cyberpragmatic rules of engagement in telecollaboration brings novel approaches to Computer Mediated Communication, based on practical outcomes from a small-scale online international learning (OIL) project, i.e., CoCo, carried out during the academic year 2015–2016, between UK and France. It provides useful insights into the contribution of OIL projects to the internationalisation of the Higher Education (HE) curriculum as well as to the development of global citizenship competences, with a focus on intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in the digital era. The authors structured the book into seven chapters, concentrating on essential pragmatics concepts revisited within the cyberspace and describing the project methodology and findings. Chapter 1, Introduction provides an overview of the topics presented in the volume, with clear definitions and eloquent examples, i.e., Online International Learning (OIL), Intercultural communicative competence (ICC), Telecollaboration, Internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC), Threshold concept (TC), Global citizenship, and Cyberpragmatics. Chapter 2, Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) Revisited brings forth an account of the historical evolution of the concepts of Communicative Competence (CC) and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), while at the same time examining the impact of the World Wide Web, coupled with the extensive use of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) on the re-conceptualisation of ICC and its reassessed characteristics. It emphasises the value of integrating telecollaboration into the Higher Education curriculum with a view to creating global citizenship competences for the digital age in Higher Education. Chapter 3, Cyberpragmatics advances a comprehensive definition of cyberpragmatics seen as a professional as well as an academic genre-specific online ‘savoir-être’. It explores the theoretical foundations of the term, coined by Yus (2011), and brings forth examples of cyberpragmatic findings from similar research. Moreover, it gives an overview of the politeness theory (Brown, & Levinson 1987) and politeness principle (Leech 1983, 2014). The authors explain the blurring line between oral and written language that may occur in the case of online communication and how this affects students. The chapter also provides a clear-cut definition of the threshold concept (TC) pedagogy, upholding that Intercultural Cyberpragmatic Communicative Competence (ICCC) may be subsumed to TC. The authors advocate curricular scaffolding in HE in order to assist students with reflecting on and practising ICCC. Last but not least, the chapter presents the research question that this study aims to address. Chapter 4, The ‘CoCo’ Telecollaborative Project: Internationalisation at Home to Foster Global Citizenship Competences presents the CoCo (Coventry Colmar) telecollaborative course, along with the tasks devised and/or adopted for it, e.g., the Cultura Quizzes. It demonstrates the successful integration of CoCo into the curriculum and assessment of the two participating institutions and how students managed to apply critical digital literacies for global citizenship through active learning. The authors make an overview of research instruments and materials, including the frameworks of analysis and their application. Useful figures and tables illustrating the telecollaborative project structure, the politeness frameworks and strategies applied are also included. The fifth chapter, ‘CoCo’ Research Questions and Answers, delves further into the research questions of this study, at the same time offering a rationale for the analysis decisions taken as part of the asynchronous discussion forums with reference to tasks devised for the CoCo telecollaborative project. It tackles the impact of linguistic politeness theory frameworks on how project participants manage to negotiate politeness online. As for the asynchronous interactions in the CoCo forum, politeness strategies and facework employed by the CoCo interactants are interpreted from a cyberpragmatic standpoint through the application of Brown and Levinson’s and Leech’s politeness frameworks of analysis. Chapter 6, Emerging Online Politeness Patterns, brings forth a thorough account of the results obtained from the analysis of interactants’ exchanges carried out on the asynchronous discussion forums, with respect to the tasks devised for the telecollaborative CoCo project. In particular, three online exchanges were used in order to highlight patterns of linguistic behaviour, i.e., type and frequency of politeness strategies or maxims. The final chapter, Conclusion, presents the summary of findings, limitations and further research suggestions as well as pedagogical implications for teachers and students alike. The politeness frameworks of analysis provided by Brown and Levinson (1978) and Leech (1983), applied to cybercommunication are outlined and explained. The results revealed particular problematical areas in the field of cyberpragmatics, underpinning the challenges that students may face in telecollaboration, leading to the conclusion that detailed and structured task scaffolding is necessary in such collaborative activities. All in all, the book is an extremely useful tool for all stakeholders in the tertiary education landscape. It is a must read for language teachers, teacher trainers, trainees and educators from all educational systems across the globe.

Enhancing pupils’ intercultural communication competence (ICC) is a key EFL teaching goal in China and the pre-service English teachers’ ICC plays an essential role in it. This study aims to investigate the pre-service English teachers’ ICC levels and whether there were any differences between their ICC levels and their genders or their family origins in a public university in China. Data were collected from 186 pre-service English teachers by employing Zhong et al.’s (2013) “Intercultural Communication Competence Self Rating Scale (ICCSRS)”. The results showed that the pre-service English teachers’ ICC is only moderate with an average score of 3.20. Among the eight dimensions of the ICC, attitude showed the highest score (3.87) while linguistic competence showed the lowest (2.72). In addition, the study revealed the female pre-service English teachers have higher ICC than the male ones, but there is no difference between the urban and rural pre-service English teachers. As a result of the pre-service English teachers’ low level of ICC, the study suggested that the university should lay more emphasis on the ICC development in the teaching, provide more opportunities to communicate interculturally for the pre-service English teachers, and take a flexible policy in the class division and teaching.

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is a paramount issue in EFL teaching and learning. This paper intends to systematically review the existing research on EFL teachers’ and pre-service teachers’ intercultural communicative competence (ICC). The authors reviewed a total of 19 peer-reviewed studies on teachers’ and pre-service teachers’ intercultural communicative competence in EFL settings published in 2011 to 2021. The results revealed five major themes emerging from the studies, namely teachers’ cognition (attitudes/ beliefs/ perceptions/ understanding) of (the implementation of) ICC, ICC assessment, teacher development of ICC, ICC training, and ICC-related factors. Drawing on the findings, the writers discuss topics that need further explorations.

In today’s globalised world, businesses operate on an international level. Most business and economics graduates will interact with colleagues, clients, and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Intercultural competencies are essential for their success and effective collaboration in the labour market. A special questionnaire was compiled to investigate students’ intercultural competencies. Based on the statements and responses of the questionnaire, the examination aimed to establish the principal components of the intercultural communication competencies of the students of a Hungarian university. In the next phase of the research, the principal components served to create student clusters which were analysed from a labour market point of view, focusing on advantages and disadvantages. The crucial question was: which cluster is in demand the most in the labour market? By utilizing a principal component analysis, the dataset was reduced to three key components. Subsequently, to classify the students into groups, a multivariate statistical procedure, i.e., cluster analysis, was used to reveal the structures by clearly considering the similarities of a relatively heterogeneous population and to create a relatively homogeneous subset. The study revealed five distinct student clusters, each with varying advantages and disadvantages for employers. In this context, the Interculturally Active and Open with Good Language Skills cluster proved to be the most competent, with the least ideal collection indisputably being the Interculturally Reluctant in Cooperating cluster. The research underscores the importance of intercultural communication competencies for employees and enriches our understanding of the dynamics between intercultural communication competencies and workforce readiness. Developing these competencies in foreign language classes will significantly facilitate our students’ employment.

This study investigates the relationship between intercultural contact and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among Chinese EFL learners at a university in Guangzhou. It adopts an integrated framework combining communicative and intercultural competence, analyzing how direct and indirect intercultural contact influences ICC development. Using questionnaires to assess intercultural contact and ICC, data from 185 students reveal that overall ICC is below the intermediate level, with linguistic competence being the weakest dimension. Intercultural contact is similarly limited, with indirect pathways such as multimedia dominating. The study confirms a strong positive correlation between intercultural contact and ICC, highlighting the reciprocal reinforcement between these factors. These findings provide practical insights for designing educational strategies to enhance ICC through increased and diverse intercultural engagement opportunities.

Globally occurring changes in an ever-shrinking world acknowledge the goal of making effective communication between people with various cultural backgrounds (East, 2012; Jin, 2014; Kramsh, 2013; Zheng, 2014) and hence the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in EFL context respectively. This longitudinal study based on mixed method sequential design, and random sampling procedure strived to investigate male and female Iranian pre-service teachers' intercultural communicative competence. It also tried to assess the effect of mentor teachers on pre-service teachers' ICC and to see how and to what extent those perceptions are reflected in their classroom practices. This investigation was done in two academic semesters with participation of 49 pre-service teachers (M= 29, F=20) who were in their last year of their teacher education program in Farhangian university of Esfahan, one of the biggest teacher training centers in Iran. the second group of the participants was four mentor teachers (M=2, F=2).Results revealed that the first group of participants achieved an acceptable level of ICC, with higher mean scores in the attitude dimensions and lower levels in skill and knowledge components respectively. The results also indicated negative correlation between the attitudes and skill components of mentor teachers and pre- service teachers. The results of triangulation indicated an apparent disparity between teachers’ ICC perception and practice.

This article discussed the need for culture education for pre-service English teachers in an ever increasingly globalized and consequently multi-cultural world. Instruction on culture should be expanded from the gaining knowledge to the formation of attitudes and acquisition of intercultural competence. This classroom-based study aims to propose a new direction to which pre-service English teacher education should advance in terms of the intercultural communicative competence. Intercultural communicative competence has to be integrated into the curriculum for the prospective teachers. Based on Rodriguez (2013), this paper makes recommendations for the effective use of muli-cultural literature in enhancing intercultural communicative competence of pre-service English teachers. This classroom-based action research was conducted with English education major students registered for the American and British culture course in 2018. This study suggested that a culture class should rectify its direction in the cultural awareness education and proposed a teaching procedure which integrates reading multi-cultural literary texts into the intercultural communicative competence, following the sequence of decoding, text information building, and reader-model construction (Koda, 2010). In the three cycles, the students have shown that they gained knowledge about the culture, formulated the attitude, and acquired the skills. The multi-cultural literature was a good starting point to a new direction although any generalization should be made with caution.

Given the inherent pluralism of Canadian society, the emphasis on intercultural communication competence (ICC) is a logical extension of second language education in the 21st century. This chapter explores the import of implementing the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in Teacher Education. To support the development of ICC, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a validated tool, was used to assess the intercultural communication competence of second language preservice teachers in Canada. The purpose of this discussion is to examine if teaching and learning about the CEFR in a Curriculum and Instruction course in the area of French as a second language can provide the necessary parameters to promote intercultural communication competence (ICC) of preservice language teachers. In order to assess ICC of preservice teachers, the Intercultural Development Index was administered during the Fall semester of a one year, Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education Certification Program.

Given the inherent pluralism of Canadian society, the emphasis on intercultural communication competence (ICC) is a logical extension of second language education in the 21st century. This chapter explores the import of implementing the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in Teacher Education. To support the development of ICC, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a validated tool, was used to assess the intercultural communication competence of second language preservice teachers in Canada. The purpose of this discussion is to examine if teaching and learning about the CEFR in a Curriculum and Instruction course in the area of French as a second language can provide the necessary parameters to promote intercultural communication competence (ICC) of preservice language teachers. In order to assess ICC of preservice teachers, the Intercultural Development Index was administered during the Fall semester of a one year, Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education Certification Program.

This study examines the psychological well-being of Indonesian pre-service English teachers, considering non-native speakers during their teaching practice. Well-being is defined from eudaimonic and hedonic perspectives, emphasizing self-actualization, positive relationships, emotions, satisfaction, and happiness. Pre-service teachers face challenges in managing emotions, establishing student relationships, and language anxiety. Forty-eight Indonesian pre-service English teachers completed questionnaires, and 10 underwent in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed a high level of psychological well-being among the pre-service teachers, with positive scores in autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and positive relations. However, language anxiety impacted their confidence in English communication compared to native speakers. Significant transitions, professional domains, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and language anxiety were identified as factors influencing their well-being. Preparing pre-service teachers mentally, emotionally, and intellectually to handle teaching demands is crucial. Improving psychological well-being can enhance teaching performance and student outcomes. While specific to Indonesia, this study calls for further research in diverse educational settings to inform strategies for supporting pre-service teacher well-being.

This study set out to evaluate Iranian EFL teachers’ Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) beliefs and practices. An ICC belief scale was developed drawing on Byram’s (1997) model of Intercultural Competence (IC) and Sercu’s (2005) EFL teachers’ opinion on Intercultural Foreign Language Teaching Questionnaire. To ensure the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, it was piloted on a group of 60 teachers and the obtained data were subjected to Factor Analysis and Cronbach α internal consistency measures. The validated questionnaire was administered to 100 pre-service teachers majoring in Applied Linguistics at M.A. level from six universities in Iran and 100 in-service M.A. holding teachers working in private language institutes. Moreover, 30 EFL teachers’ teaching practices were observed. The results revealed that pre and in-service teachers did not significantly differ in their ICC beliefs. Furthermore, the inexperienced, semi-experienced, and experienced EFL teachers did not differ in their ICC belief patterns. However, while EFL teachers believed in the necessity of the integration of ICC in their classroom practices, the observation results revealed that their ICC practices failed to correspond with their ICC beliefs. The findings suggest that teacher training programs and instructional experience mediate the development of theoretical dimensions of ICC but do not lead to the development of the required skills for the implementation of ICC in pedagogical practices.

The increasing importance of cross-cultural competence in education has made international teaching practicum (ITP) programs essential for pre-service teachers. These programs provide unique opportunities to enhance pedagogical skills and develop global awareness, particularly for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in diverse cultural contexts. However, the specific experiences of Indonesian pre-service teachers participating in ITP programs remain underexplored. This study aims to explore the experiences of Indonesian pre-service English teachers during an ITP program in Malaysia, focusing on the journey, personal growth, and professional development achieved throughout the program. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, this exploratory case study examined the experiences of one Pre-service teacher from the English Education Department, referred to as "Budi," in a Malaysian pesantren. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and program documentation, then analyzed thematically using Braun & Clarke (2006) framework. The findings reveal that the participant gained essential teaching skills, leadership qualities, and cross-cultural understanding while facing challenges such as time management, cultural adaptation, and limited teaching opportunities. These experiences contributed significantly to the participant’s personal and professional growth, highlighting the transformative impact of ITP programs. The study underscores the importance of ITP programs in preparing globally competent educators. By documenting the lived experiences of a pre-service teacher, the research provides valuable insights for program designers and policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of international teaching initiatives.

Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) is an object of recent studies in the areas of applied linguistics, education and teacher training, those discussing theoretical underpinnings of the intercultural approach and those focusing on classroom implications. In Poland, fostering FL learners’ ICC has become an ambitious goal of both FL education and FL teacher training. The paper discusses the results of the study which examined the empirical projects produced by pre-service FL teachers, participants of EFL training organized within a university setting. The topics of all the projects revolve around introducing intercultural elements in EFL teaching. The analysis examined the aims of the students’ projects, the methodology applied and the theoretical perspectives that underlined the studies. The findings allowed the author of the paper to construct the profile of a FL teacher who would be prepared to promote the principles of the intercultural approach in FL teaching. The paper may be of interest to those involved in FL education, including FL teacher training. / Keywords: intercultural communicative competence, teacher education, teaching English as a foreign language