Intercultural Citizenship Education Research Articles

Intergenerational service-learning through virtual exchange across a foreign language program

This paper reports on the implementation of intergenerational service-learning (SL) through virtual exchange (VE) across a German as a foreign language program at a private research institution on the East Coast in the U.S. The S-L integration started during the pandemic in intermediate courses as an outreach effort to Germanspeaking older adults in Germany and in the U.S. and has become a cornerstone of the German Program. Participants include intermediate and advanced German learners, two non-profit volunteer organizations in Germany that focus on improving the living conditions of older adults in society, one local U.S. community partner, and German heritage speakers in the U.S. Since Spring 2021, students have engaged with older adults in different formats (tandem, whole-group, a mix of both) via technology tools (landlines, Zoom, WhatsApp, Facetime). The Program is rooted in three experiential pedagogical approaches and frameworks, namely VE, S-L, and Intercultural Citizenship Education, which are driven by principles of reciprocity and reflection. The overall programmatic objective is to contribute to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) goals (community engagement, partnership formation) set forth in the institution’s strategic plan. Course learning outcomes include fostering intergenerational, intercultural, and language learning and raising students’ awareness towards challenges older adults may face. On the level of language program development, the Program provides opportunities for instructor-instructor collaborations, instructor-student collaborations, and communityengaged research.

INTERCULTURAL CITIZENSHIP: A SURVEY ON KAZAKHSTANI EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND TEACHING PRACTICES

Intercultural citizenship education aims at harmonious raising of individuals with multiple talents, skills, and expertise, by instilling moral ideals, commitment to peace, responsibility, and conscientiousness. All these contribute to a comprehensive and stable development of society and state.This small-scale research aims to explore how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachersperceive the concept of intercultural citizenship and what teaching practices they employ to foster students’ intercultural citizenship skills. The study collected data through an online questionnaire that included open-ended and close-ended items. The participants in the study were 23 EFL instructorsfrom two universities in Kazakhstan. The study’s results identified several categories associated with intercultural citizenship, such as openness and respect towards others, a commitment to human rights, empathy, tolerance, humanism, and active engagement in intercultural dialogue. The study indicated that teaching practices related to the integration of the intercultural citizenship component in the EFL classroom were limited, with some teachers promoting it through specialized textbooks and extracurricular activities, including English language decades and reading clubs. However, some participants did not employ teaching practices to prepare students as intercultural citizens. Furthermore, the participants reported challenges in finding suitable teaching materials to develop students’ intercultural citizenship skills. The findings of this study may provide insights for enhancing curricula, developing teaching resources, and implementing effective teaching practices to prepare students for active participation in a globalized society.

間文化的シティズンシップ教育としての日本語教育 ― 韓国と日本の過去克服と和解のために ―

間文化的シティズンシップ教育としての日本語教育 ― 韓国と日本の過去克服と和解のために ―

Exploring Technology and AI in Intercultural Citizenship Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations

Exploring Technology and AI in Intercultural Citizenship Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations

Отражение аспектов межкультурной гражданственности в современных учебниках по английскому языку

На сегодняшний день наблюдается актуализация межкультурного образования, что связано с увеличением международных контактов, укреплением международного и межкультурного диалога. Межкультурное образование направлено на развитие у обучающихся навыков общения с представителями «иных» лингвокультурных сообществ, повышение их лингвокультурной грамотности, развитие их критического мышления, рефлексии, самокритичности, необходимых для жизни в мультикультурном мировом сообществе. Межкультурное образование формирует компетенции и воспитывает качества гражданина в межкультурном контексте. Гражданин, готовый к межкультурному общению, — это человек, который демонстрирует активную гражданскую позицию, участвует в жизни общества не только на локальном, но и на глобальном уровне, обладает знаниями и компетенциями, которые позволяют ему эффективно функционировать в условиях языкового и культурного многообразия. Обзор научной литературы по проблеме проведения анализа учебников по иностранному языку (УИЯ) показал, что ни одна из существующих схем оценки УИЯ не акцентирует внимание на реализации в них концепции межкультурной гражданственности. В статье представлены результаты анализа современных учебников по английскому языку (УАЯ) на предмет отражения в них аспектов межкультурной гражданственности. Проведенный анализ показал, что учебники по английскому языку содержат ограниченный объем учебного материала, связанного с развитием межкультурной гражданственности обучающихся. Тексты учебников отражают лишь некоторые темы глобальной проблематики; упражнения, представленные в анализируемых УАЯ, не отличаются разнообразием и в большинстве своем связаны с развитием критического мышления.

EXPLORING ENGLISH LEARNERS’ READINESS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND CITIZENSHIP

In the world of super-diversity, education for intercultural citizenship has acquired a special significance. Despite numerous reviews in the research literature that address the intercultural citizenship in foreign language (FL) education, very few studies have investigated the connections between language learners’ motivation for studying a foreign language and their development of intercultural citizenship (IC). This study aims to bridge this gap by focusing on this relationship. For this purpose, quantitative data was collected from 407 students through an online questionnaire. The results revealed that the respondents consider intercultural communication, travel, networking, and future prospects, as important motivations for learning English. Moreover, the participants reported having a diverse range of intercultural experiences and feeling prepared for intercultural communication and citizenship. However, when evaluating their English classes’ effectiveness in preparing them for these aspects, the majority of students expressed that their EFL classes did not adequately equip them for high-level intercultural communication and citizenship. This research contributes to existing literature by investigating the connection between students’ motivation to learn English and their intercultural communication and citizenship skills and behaviors. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the significance of providing students with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage in purposeful and successful intercultural dialogue. Key words: intercultural communication, intercultural citizenship, EFL students, motivation, factors.

Intercultural citizenship and pre-service teacher education

Abstract This article explores the concept of intercultural citizenship and the significance of involving culturally sensitive issues in English language teaching and teacher education curriculum to train future global citizens. Before exploring ways to implement intercultural citizenship education from K-12 to university level, it is necessary to emphasize the need to integrate “intercultural citizenship education” into teacher education programs. In other words, English language teachers should become intercultural citizens themselves so that they can help their students to become intercultural citizens. In this paper, we emphasize the importance of training interculturally sensitive future teachers of English. In this respect, we report the findings of studies on intercultural telecollaboration projects involving cultural exchange between students in pre-/in-service teacher education programs in Turkey and abroad. We also suggest ways of increasing these intercultural citizenship courses and modules in training teachers to gain intercultural communicative competence and intercultural citizenship skills.

Intercultural citizenship and the internationalisation of higher education: the role of English language teaching

Abstract The expanding internationalisation of higher education (HE) has resulted in the inte rcultural dimensions becoming a core aim of many institutions. This is frequently represented though the concept of intercultural or global citizenship with students expected to engage with academic, professional and social communities across multiple scales from the local to the global. The language though which both the internationalisation of HE and intercultural citizenships is expected to take place is often English, or more precisely ELF, epically in English medium education (EME). Therefore, given this key role for English, English language teaching (ELT) provides an ideal setting for developing intercultural citizenship education. However, at present, this is an under-researched area. To address this gap, this collection of short papers provides a snap shot of current thinking and research form ELF perspectives. We include reports on the development of intercultural citizenship through study abroad for university students from China, Japan and Thailand; the role of intercultural citizenship in pre-service teacher education in Turkey; and a discussion of the relationship between intercultural citizenship, identity, symbolic power and language in the ELT and EMI classroom.

Worldview literacy as intercultural citizenship education: A framework for critical, reflexive engagement in plural democracy

Within plural democracies, the concept of ‘religious literacy’ is commonly understood as denoting the knowledge, skills and understanding vis- à -vis religious diversity required of the citizen. In schools across Europe such learning is traditionally housed within Religious Education (RE), the aims of which are increasingly framed in terms of citizenship education, yet the two school subjects are often unhelpfully siloed, and both criticised for lack of criticality and an over-focus on knowledge acquisition. This article introduces the concept of ‘worldview literacy’ as a reworking of ‘religious literacy’ that addresses concerns around inclusivity and criticality. Rather than a product of good RE or citizenship education, worldview literacy is envisaged as a transformational process of educational praxis through encounter in plurality, that forges a pathway between the two school subjects and contributes to the broader educational endeavour of engagement in social life.

Global versus intercultural citizenship education

Global versus intercultural citizenship education

Developing intercultural citizenship competences in higher education by using a literary excerpt in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to develop intercultural and critical citizenship competences by using a literary excerpt among a group of EFL university students in Spain. For this purpose, the focus group method was adopted, and a qualitative study was designed. The core aim was to implicitly work on aspects such as otherness, the rejection of racism and the use of revenge as a response to a perceived unethical action. The findings demonstrate that the approach dealt effectively with all these concepts. The literary excerpt triggered discussions against racism and religious intolerance. Revenge was rejected as a constructive solution to discrimination and the cohort expressed their connection to ‘others’ through a common humanity, which is linked to human rights principles. These values are closely aligned to the theoretical reference points known as Intercultural Citizenship Education (ICE), Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and cosmopolitan citizenship.

Re-envisaging English medium instruction, intercultural citizenship development, and higher education in the context of studying abroad

Although the development of intercultural citizenship among university students has now been included as a key policy in international universities, pedagogical practices for promoting the awareness, understanding, and development of intercultural citizenship while studying abroad have reportedly been inadequate. To address this gap, this qualitative interview study 1) explores the perceptions of Thai and Chinese students enrolled in English-medium education programs on the development of intercultural citizenship and 2) identifies links between intercultural citizenship and English for students studying in international universities. The findings reveal that the participants generally had positive attitudes toward the concept of intercultural citizenship and agreed that living in a foreign country surrounded by individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds made it more effective to learn about and promote awareness of intercultural citizenship compared to staying in their homelands. They further demonstrate that English proficiency levels, exposure to teaching methods before studying abroad, and regular on-campus and off-campus activities with international friends from different linguistic-cultural backgrounds are significant in enhancing intercultural citizenship competencies. Further, some implications in terms of the promotion of intercultural citizenship education through English are also proposed and discussed. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.1996595 .

Internationalism and Global Competences in Foreign Language Teaching

Global citizenship education and intercultural citizenship education are critical aspects of foreign language teaching that are anchored on enhancing global competence and awareness of global issues where the learners respect the global culture. The internationalist perspective to foreign language teaching and learning focuses on empowering learners with skills that enable them to tackle global issues in tandem with the spirit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Foreign language education is the platform that could be used to promote global competence that embrace intercultural dialogue and this in turn facilitates the bridging of differences across national, ethnic, and linguistic lines as shared universal values.

Art matters in languages and intercultural citizenship education

ABSTRACT This introductory paper briefly discusses the pressing need for intercultural citizenship education in a human world made small, currently shut down due to a pandemic. We further argue for a renewed relationship between the arts and intercultural citizenship education that explores sustained imagined worlds; stimulates empathy; promotes the critical development of languages towards dialogue; inspires social, cultural, and political action; and demands transformation. Lastly, we present the six papers that comprise this issue and document, illustrate, and examine art matters in languages and intercultural citizenship education.

Building Empathy and Intercultural Citizenship through a Virtual Exchange Project

Building Empathy and Intercultural Citizenship through a Virtual Exchange Project

Is there a place for forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies in the foreign language classroom in higher education?

ABSTRACTThis article describes an online project in the foreign-language classroom in which Argentinian and British university students communicated across the globe to address a topic of human rights violations. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether there is a place in language education for forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies. This focus is new in the field. It begins with an overview of intercultural citizenship education in language pedagogy, followed by an outline of the pedagogical intervention and case study. It continues with a description of theoretical developments in forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies as the framework of the study and provides an analysis of the data from the project with these lenses. Findings indicate that students displayed varying affective, physical and intellectual forms of emotional investment as they mediated interculturally with their interlocutors and the ghosts of those who suffered from human rights abuse in the past. To do this, they engaged in what we call critical remembering, i.e. remembering wrongdoings through a decolonising human rights educational approach. It is concluded that it is possible for language teaching in the higher education sector to meet the educational aim of developing learners’ democratic competences by combining intercultural citizenship with forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies.

Does education for intercultural citizenship lead to language learning?

ABSTRACTThis paper reports a bilateral university project designed to promote intercultural citizenship and foreign language development simultaneously. It is concerned with developing active and responsible citizenship through content-language integrated learning within an ordinary foreign language classroom. The need and rationale for broadening the scope of language courses and combining them with intercultural citizenship or human rights education has been explained elsewhere and empirical studies reporting on classroom practice are recently available. These studies have connected both types of education (language and citizenship/human rights) and have demonstrated growth in self and intercultural awareness, in criticality and social justice responsibility, as well as the emergence of a sense of community of international peers during the projects. However, the concern remains as to whether this combination leads to language learning and this article addresses this issue. The article describes one transnational intercultural citizenship project in the foreign language classroom in Argentina and the UK and focuses on the research question: Does an intercultural citizenship project lead to language learning? Findings – taken from the Argentinean data – show that students developed procedural knowledge by using the foreign language with a genuine need, engaged in multiliteracies practices and developed their plurilingual competence within a translingual orientation.

From principles to practice in education for intercultural citizenship. A review

From principles to practice in education for intercultural citizenship. A review

Preparing elementary readers to be critical intercultural citizens through literacy education

The purpose of this study is to extend existing approaches to civic and English as a foreign language (EFL) literacy education to include critical intercultural citizenship. Students not only need to learn how to communicate, but should also develop their positions as citizens who exercise literacy skills to demonstrate connections to others in intercultural domains. The central research question explored how teacher pedagogy in the intercultural citizenship curriculum helped students to become more intercultural and caring citizens. A practitioner action study was conducted for two years with 10 fifth- and sixth-graders (11–12 years old) in Korea. All 40 one-hour video-taped class sessions containing eleven graphic novel discussions, as well as the artifacts students produced, were collected for analysis. Data analysis illustrates that critical citizenship literacy skills can be developed with teacher pedagogy that help students reflect on the cultural knowledge and practices that seem natural to them. The pedagogies of dialoguing, active consideration of missing perspectives and direct juxtaposition of students’ own and others’ social contexts are unpacked to suggest ways of incorporating intercultural citizenship education into literacy education. Educational implications are considered in terms of teacher engagement with learners, expanded position-taking of learners as intercultural citizens, and selection of discussion topics.

Intercultural citizenship in the (foreign) language classroom

The purpose of this special issue is to bring the theory of intercultural citizenship education to readers’ attention and to offer teachers and researchers working with this or similar concepts the opportunity to make their work known in a context of a coherent presentation of theory and practice. In this introduction, we will explain the rationale and the concepts involved in intercultural citizenship education and present the articles in this special issue which arose from our call for papers.