Intercultural Communicative Competence and English for Academic Purposes: A Synthesis Review of the Scholarly Literature

Mark Rosvold,Scott Roy Douglas

doi:10.7202/1050809ar

Abstract

With increasing numbers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds enrolling in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs, understanding intercultural communicative competence can contribute to developing effective EAP pathways to higher education. This review of the literature was carried out to synthesize and uncover emerging themes related to intercultural communicative competence and EAP over a 20-year period from 1996 to 2016. A careful search found 15 scholarly works related to this topic. Papers were coded and analyzed for their key findings to reveal eight major themes: miscommunication, ethnocentrism, acculturation, awareness, ethnorelativism, identity, teaching and learning, and academic success. The scant literature related to the topic points to the need for further research. However, the findings do indicate how EAP practitioners can move away from ethnocentric perceptions and programs of study fixed on acculturation toward ethnorelative understandings and EAP classrooms that support intercultural awareness for both teachers and students.

Highlights

In countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, there have been growing numbers of international students from linguistically diverse backgrounds seeking entry to higher education
While there has been a wide range of studies examining intercultural communicative competence and additional language learning in general, a specific focus on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) settings can serve to disaggregate these findings from numerous other studies without an EAP focus, in order to highlight unique considerations related to the culture of higher education
A key theme to emerge in the review of the literature of intercultural communicative competence and EAP was that of miscommunication related to misconceptions and appropriate choice of communication strategies during intercultural encounters

Summary

Introduction

In countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, there have been growing numbers of international students from linguistically diverse backgrounds seeking entry to higher education. With an increasing focus on internationalization in higher education (e.g., University of British Columbia, 2011), growing numbers of university-bound international and domestic students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, and a rising demand for English for academic purposes (EAP) pathways for those students, a systematic review of the scholarly literature on how intercultural communicative competence manifests within EAP settings is timely and relevant. Such a review can serve as an initial inquiry pathway for both novice and seasoned EAP practitioners who are beginning to explore this topic. The guiding inquiry question for this systematic review and synthesis of the scholarly literature related to intercultural communicative competence and EAP is as follows: How do understandings of intercultural communicative competence manifest within EAP settings in higher education?

Results

Discussion

Conclusion