Promoting Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence through English Literary Texts: Students’ Attitudes and Teachers’ Challenges

Abstract

The focal aim of the current paper is to take an in-depth look at the effect of the English culture on foreign language learners. In this regard, the researchers inquire about how intercultural communication affects English as a foreign language (EFL) students during the process of learning English literary texts carrying aspects of the target culture. This study, thus, endeavours at shedding light on students’ attitudes towards some aspects of the English culture when studying literary texts. It also intends at scrutinizing teachers’ strategies in teaching culture through literature; referring to their active roles in fostering intercultural awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) among their learners. To do so, the researchers collected data through a questionnaire addressed to forty first-year Master students of Literature and Civilization in the department of English at Tlemcen University supported by an interview with teachers of literature. The findings revealed that most students exhibit negative attitudes towards some aspects of the English culture when studying literature. Their responses demonstrate that they are unaware and ignore the differences between cultures i.e., they are not culturally competent enough to avoid intercultural clash within various lectures of literature. The results also showed that teachers peacefully attempt to provide the appropriate teaching techniques and strategies to integrate teaching culture through literary texts to foster tolerance and empathy with speakers’ target language, identity, and culture.