Relationship between Intercultural Communicative Competence and L2 Learning: Iranian EFL Learners’ Motivation and Achievement

Abstract

This study aimed to scrutinize the measurement of ICC and then investigate the relationship between Iranian L2 learners and their L2 learning motivation, and achievement on the one hand, and the difference between ICC and motivation of EFL learners, on the other. To do this, the participants included 60 B.A. Translation and 60 B.A. non-Translation students in universities in Iran. A test battery including the final version of the ICC questionnaire and an L2-learning motivation questionnaire adapted from Gardner’s attitude/motivation test battery was then administered to a random selection of both English and non-English students. The correlation results showed that there was not a significant relationship between L2 learners’ ICC and L2-learning motivation. In the meantime, t-test results depicted that there was not a significant difference between English and non-English Iranian EFL learners. The correlations results showed that there was a significant relationship between ICC and achievement of English students. This study can convince the learners to become aware of the significance of ICC and the effect of teaching English on developing this competence.