Intercultural teaching approaches and practices of Chinese teachers in English education: An exploratory mixed methods study

Abstract

Integrating intercultural competence in foreign language classrooms has been emphasized in China, yet scant explicit guidance currently exists on how to teach intercultural competence in college English courses. This study aimed at comparing and contrasting intercultural pedagogical approaches used by instructors in English courses for non-English majors, as well as teaching feedback provided by students enrolled in such courses. This study applied a sequential exploratory mixed research design. Methods such as face-to-face interviews and teaching and learning related document analyses were utilized to collect data, and generated qualitative and quantitative data. Three-dimensional meta themes emerged in mixed analysis, categorizing pedagogical approaches and teaching styles of individual instructors. Student feedback revealed learning experiences and difficulties of the teaching approaches.