Promoting intercultural awareness among Moroccan EFL learners: A glimpse at the affective dimension

Abstract

The present study aims to explore the extent to which the teaching of Reading Comprehension and Précis II, using intercultural topics along with intercultural tasks enhances Moroccan University EFL learners’ intercultural awareness in the area of attitudes or savoir-être. To this end, a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was adopted. Two data collection tools were employed, namely an intercultural test, and a semi-structured interview. In light of convenience sampling, the study included 98 participants who were assigned to an experimental and a control group. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between attitudes towards cultural diversity in the sample groups. The findings also showed that there was a statistically significant increase in students’ mean scores after the administration of the experiment. This indicates that students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group. Pedagogical implications are provided for quality assurance. Keywords: Attitudes; intercultural awareness; Moroccan EFL learners; reading comprehension and précis II