Intercultural Foreign Language Research Articles

A qualitative study on Chinese primary school EFL teachers’ beliefs about incorporating intercultural competence into foreign language teaching

Intercultural competence has become one of the important goals of foreign language education. The potential and value of foreign language education on students' intercultural competence (IC) has been widely recognized by academia. Currently, most of the research on intercultural foreign language teachers in China focuses on university teachers, with little attention paid to primary school EFL teachers. However, the cultivation of IC is a staged and continuous process which cannot be achieved in one stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to include primary school EFL teachers in the study of IC cultivation. This paper presents data on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' beliefs about incorporating IC into foreign language teaching. Specifically, their understanding of culture, IC, and intercultural teaching practices are investigated through interviews. The interview transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research found: 1. Chinese primary school EFL teachers generally hold an essentialist view of culture; 2. Teachers emphasize the attitudinal dimension of IC; however, they also exhibit a tendency to oversimplify IC or perceive it as a higher-order skill than language proficiency, hence deeming it unsuitable for cultivation at the primary school level; 3. Most cultural teaching practices are teacher-centered, focusing on background knowledge-style introduction. In general, teachers’ intercultural teaching practices align with their cultural outlook. At last, the study explores two suggestions for promoting intercultural foreign language teaching: 1. Supporting primary school EFL teachers in updating their language and culture concepts system; 2. Encouraging teachers to reflect on their daily teaching practices as a major opportunity to promote the development of intercultural foreign language teaching.

Professionally focused communicative competence of prospective foreign language university teachers as a modern trend in higher education

The article analyses the present condition of training foreign language teachers / university teachers using pertinent scientific sources. Its objective is to comprehend the scientific developments in cultivating intercultural communicative competence among prospective educators, which have been acknowledged in the scientific realm. This understanding is central to the creation of a theoretical structure for the establishment of professionally focused communicative competence (PFCC) in prospective English university teachers. Despite the progressions in artificial intelligence, teaching professions remain crucial, as automated systems cannot substitute them entirely. The study utilizes analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization to comprehensively examine scientific and methodological literature, as well as European and national higher education regulations. It presents a categorical evaluation of «professionally focused communicative competence», which is a subcategory of «intercultural communicative competence». The current state of methodological foundations and scientific support of the process of formation of prospective university specialists’ intercultural communicative competence outlines the following problems: incomplete detailing in the professionally focused foreign language training of bachelors and masters of education; lack of a state standard of higher language education for the training of future teachers / university teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL); limitations of textbooks and manuals for students of the second (master’s) level of higher education. For the successful implementation of the researched training in scientific theory and practice there is an understanding of the need to design: a holistic concept of intercultural foreign language teaching across various educational institutions, (proposed by S. Y. Nikolaieva), based on the principle of continuity; a foreign language training system for future educational specialists, taking into account the specifics of their specialty and further professional development, requirements for foreign language proficiency, needs of the rapidly changing labour market and, as a result, modernisation of professional training technologies, practical implementation of effective forms and methods of their training in the educational process of higher education institutions

Exploring Debates in Intercultural Foreign Language Education in the Chinese Context

Exploring Debates in Intercultural Foreign Language Education in the Chinese Context

The potential of intercultural foreign language education for the development of existential competence in senior schoolchildren

The anthropocentrism of today’s educational paradigm prioritizes foreign language learners’ ideological self-determination. The latter actualizes the need to define the concept and the components of existential competence in foreign language education. A literature review in existential analysis helps to identify the meaningful models potentially suitable for developing existential competence through an examination of authentic cultural facts. The research paper defines the concept of existential competence, justifies the potential of intercultural foreign language education as a factor in existential competence development, and suggests a short lesson scenario as an educational technology for developing existential competence in senior school students.

The Roles of Machine Translation in Learning Among K-12 Students at the International Schools in the Great Bay Area, China

Intercultural foreign language learning among K -12 students at international schools involves the cross-cultural discovery of the changing habits of people whose mother tongue might be different instructive languages at schools. Bilingual education is essential in bridging the gap between the mother tongue and instructive languages. However, it needs effective strategies that combine in-classroom language learning with new technology. Several language learning and teaching trends concerning the digital environment and innovative technologies such as machine translation or digitalization are currently challenging K-12 schools and families. This research investigates the role of machine translation in learning among K-12 students at international schools in the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai. It aims to identify these gaps in existing research and propose innovative strategies for boosting learning outcomes to recognize the learning habits they developed as young learners in the 21st century and their cultural motivations. Bilingual surveys are being handed out to K-12 families. These surveys are written in both English and Chinese. In total, 221 of them were collected. The data was analyzed to examine how helpful machine translation is for academic learning in both languages. The strengths and weaknesses were summarized among K-12 students using machine translation, highlighting strategies used with it at international K-12 schools.

A subsystem of exercises for the formation of professionally directed reading competence of future German teachers during independent work

The article deals with the problem of formation of professionally oriented competence in the pre-service German teachers training during independent work. For this purpose, a subsystem of exercises is presented for the formation of receptive skills and abilities (reading). The professional literature on the problem was analyzed, which became the basis for compilingand making up exercises for teaching reading during independent work with a professionally oriented dominant. The author singled out the goals of the formation of professionally oriented reading competence and proposed two blocks of exercises at the receptive level of the formation of intercultural foreign language communicative competence. Special attention is focused on the cultural content of the exercises subsystem and on the intercultural aspect in particular. To ensure the procedural basis of the content, examples of different types of receptive exercises for teaching reading are provided, taking into account the communicative goal of perceiving and understanding information. The article draws attention to innovative learning technologies, in particular Internet technologies, which optimize the performance of exercises within the students’ independent work. Two blocks of exercises are demonstrated, which cover groups of exercises for the formation of language and speech competences. A practical goal and an educational strategy of the exercises are formulated. Their educational and cultural potential is described. The leading actions of a foreign language lecturer for the formation of communicative skills and abilities in reading of the pre-service German teachers are determined.

The system of exercises and tasks for the formation of intercultural foreign language communicative competence of prospective teachers of the german language

Exercises and tasks serve as learning tools for modeling a foreign language environment, a motive for communication, and a tool for improving cognitive-communicative and metacognitive learning strategies. The article deals with the methodical features of compiling a system of exercises and tasks for mastering the German language in the context of intercultural communication. The article considers a system of exercises and tasks for the formation of intercultural foreign language communicative competence of future teachers during self-study work. An analysis of the specialized literature was carried out, which became the basis for the theoretical justification of the developing and use of exercises and tasks for the formation of a cultural secondary language personality. The generalized system covers all types of speech activities and contains communicative, semi-communicative and non-communicative exercises of a receptive, reproductive and productive nature, with the aim of forming and developing language and speech foreign language skills and abilities, which are based on the intercultural aspect. The author gives a number of examples of exercises according to the determined levels of mastering German-language material, namely receptive, reproductive-productive and creative. The criteria for developing exercises have been specified: focus on receiving or issuing information; communicativeness; motivation; level of action management; presence/absence of a game component; presence/absence of visual and illustrative supports; method of performing the exercise; cultural and emotional orientation of exercises. The system of exercises consists of subsystems, the goals of which are aimed at mastering the German language skills and abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The specifics of using the acquired information for oral and written communication were studied. The article describes in detail the course of foreign language activities to ensure the consistent use of foreign language information for the purpose of acquiring cultural, linguistic, sociocultural knowledge and developing skills and abilities of intercultural communication. Special attention is given to the intercultural aspect of the content, the manifestation of which is the language and speech material, the communicative behavior of interlocutors during the intercultural communication. Interactive, innovative technologies and teaching methods are proposed for the effective application of exercises in order to optimize the educational process of future teachers during independent work.

Lexical Competence Formative Control in Development of Intercultural Foreign Language Communicative Competence of Prospective German Language Teachers

Introduction. The article examines the formative control of lexical competence in the conditions of the formation of intercultural communication in the German language. Attention is focused on the interrelation of control objects with the educational program of specialty 014 “Secondary education.” Purpose. The paper shows successful mastery of the lexical aspect; it depends on certain linguistic strategies, expressed through techniques, methods, and means of their implementation. The objects of lexical competence control are described and examples of types of exercises for their implementation are given. Methods. The professional competencies of the educational program have been analyzed and knowledge, skills, and abilities were singled out as objects of lexical competence control in the German language. The professional literature on the issue of control/self-control, and evaluation/self-evaluation in the process of formation of foreign language skills and abilities have been analyzed. Results. The importance of the linguistic base for the development of intercultural foreign language communicative competence of prospective German language teachers is noted. Improving lexical skills and abilities through using a variety of lexical and phraseological units optimizes the acquisition of cultural knowledge about the countries and languages being studied. With the help of the lexical aspect, it is possible to form a linguistic picture of the world, to reproduce the value orientations of the peoples whose language has become the subject of study. Conclusion. Thus, examples of communicative productive exercises using the method of problem-based learning and a cultural assimilator for lexical competence formative control are given. The course of exercises is described, and attention is also focused on their content, the intercultural aspect of which determines the national-cultural characteristics of the German language.

Peculiarities of Humorous Dialogues of the Japanese Comic Performance Genre of Manzai

Introduction. Researchers have pointed out that dialogue itself may be considered from the point of view of intercultural interaction. This is connected with the process of forming intercultural foreign language communicative competence that at recent times has been frequently carried out through information and communication technologies etc. Due to that, we have chosen as the object of our research the humorous dialogues of the Japanese comic performance genre of manzai, which we retrieved from the educational and entertainment video (one of the means of edutainment technology). Methods. Based on the classification of the peculiarities of the dialogues such as communicative, psychological, and linguistic ones developed by Ukrainian researchers we made an analysis of the Japanese dialogues of manzai genre and distinguished their functional types. Results. The analysis of the mentioned above dialogues revealed that first of all the dialogues may be considered as the ones of the combined type from the point of view of their functions. As well as we have clarified that dialogical unities of the analyzed dialogues often may have combinations of peculiarities such as psychological and linguistic ones or linguistic and communicative ones. Also, we have defined the peculiarity which provides the comic effect in these dialogues and serves as the base for what dialogue of such kind is developing. Conclusion. To sum up, it was found that the mentioned above peculiarities of the dialogues play a significant role in the process of forming intercultural foreign language communicative competence. Therefore, we consider this research useful for developing exercises for Japanese language students to form competence in dialogical speech using the educational and entertainment videos of the Japanese comic performance genre of manzai.

Facilitating EFL learners' intercultural competence through culturally responsive teaching in oral English classrooms

This study explored the potential of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) as a pedagogical approach to intercultural foreign language teaching. Implementing 14 CRT sessions with English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in a Chinese university, this study examined and assessed students' intercultural learning in oral English classes. Based on a mixed-methods analysis of students’ learning journals, interviews, intercultural assignments, and assessment results, this study highlights the potential of CRT in fostering openness, sharing multiple perspectives, and critical meaning-making processes in the Chinese EFL context.

A mixed method study on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' preparation, affecting factors and support needed to implement intercultural foreign language teaching.

Cultivating intercultural competence is a long-term and staged process requiring the efforts of all counterparts in the education field from primary school up to university. Currently, most research on intercultural education in China focuses on the tertiary education context, and little attention has been paid to elementary education as well as primary school EFL teachers. Against this background, this study intends to investigate Chinese primary school EFL teachers' preparedness for intercultural foreign language teaching (IFLT), its influencing factors, and the support teachers need to implement IFLT. A convergent mixed method was used in this study. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews, SPSS and the thematic analysis method were used to analyze the data. Via both quantitative and qualitative methods, this empirical study found that: 1. Primary school EFL teachers are not well prepared for IFLT; 2. Textbooks, the current evaluation system, teachers' lack of literacy in intercultural competence, insufficient teacher training on intercultural competence, and teachers' lack of time and energy are five major factors that constrain the implementation of IFLT; 3. Support from school administration, the construction of intercultural-related materials and resources, and practice-oriented teacher training are the three main support teachers need. Based on these findings, the role of textbooks, experience abroad and general materials on culture in promoting IFLT were discussed. At last, implications and future research directions were proposed.

Modern German language and culture teacher professional portrait

The article focuses on the professional and creative qualities of a German language and culture teacher. A theoretical analysis of the literature on the issue of the competence-based approach to the future specialists’ training has been carried out. The article deals with the psychological and pedagogical aspect of the teacher's communicative competence. Purpose. The paper defines the main pedagogical qualities of a teacher in the organization of the educational process and the observance of national and cultural norms for conducting a dialogue. Methods. On the basis of the analyzed scientific literature, the professional qualities of the teacher, which he/she has to possess, are defined. Intercultural competence is illustrated, its components that make up the content of the formation of intercultural foreign language communicative competence arenoted. Results. The metacognitive, cognitive, creative and communicative qualities of the teacher are identified in the context of the pedagogical activities implementation in order to organize intercultural communication. Conclusion. Thus, the article focuses on the competence of a German language teacher, where intercultural competence forms the basis for the formation of intercultural communicative competence. The author directs his opinion on the national and cultural characteristics of the teacher as a mediator in the educational process on the verge of at least two different linguistic cultures. It is concluded that the formation of foreign language skills and abilities of intercultural communication begins at the stage of interpersonal idioethnic communication with a teacher.

TRANSMISSSION OF CULTURE AS A GOAL OF MODERN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

The article deals with one of the modern global trends – the transition from a monocultural to a multicultural perspective in social interaction. It focuses on the reflection of this trend in language education (both in native and foreign language). The problem is to reintegrate the cultural dimension into learning languages. The author of the article argues that the purpose of intercultural language education lies in the construction of an intercultural awareness as the ability of language users to act as representatives of certain cultures, be ready to accept the "otherness" of each other, respect the right to cultural difference, exhibit tolerant attitude to other’s values and behaviour patterns, counteract stereotypes and bias, and to rethink their own cultural luggage. The study of a language is considered as an intercultural language education. The result of the intercultural approach in language education is viewed as the multicomponent intercultural competence – the unity of knowledge of one’s own and other cultures; skills of discovery, interaction, and interpreting; curious and open attitude to one’s own and another culture and country; critical cultural awareness. Dialogue of cultures is positioned as one of the key principles of intercultural foreign language education. It means readiness to listen to and understand multiple perspectives, products, practices, and cultural norms in one’s own and other countries, even those with which you disagree, to have critical attitude towards stereotypes and prejudice, to be open for exchange of ideas based on mutual understanding and respect for cultural diversity. The modern language textbooks should be multicultural in their content, and contain information about not only the target language culture, but also offer materials on other cultures for visual and mental perception, discussion and comparison.

The Effectiveness of Intercultural Contact in Foreign Language Learning Anxiety of Students Majoring in Less-commonly Taught Languages in China

To figure out the confusion remained in the survey conducted previously, a review on the relationship between intercultural contact and foreign language learning anxiety had been done. Conclusion can be drawn like that qualitative study of what types of intercultural contact students have and how they view the role of contact situation influencing their foreign language learning anxiety is appropriately prior to the quantitative study of to what extent the language contact can affect students’ foreign language learning anxiety and how it affects. Furthermore, the design of research should be based on multidimensional perspectives like quantitative, qualitative and inter-group aspects of intercultural contact and direct type or indirect type of intercultural contact.

Содержание профессиональной подготовки учителей английского языка с позиции образовательной урбанистики

The modern educational process in the field of intercultural foreign language education becomes controversial in terms of content (the need to understand the native culture as, first of all, a manifestation of the regional culture) and the organization of training (the need to transform the mediated, formal intercultural communication in the audience in direct interpersonal interaction with the acquisition of personal experience of the activity). On the other hand, the training of teachers in the field of language education involves a request for the development of non-linear and unsupported thinking of graduates, the formation of their ability to work with the future at the levels of design and methodological analysis. As a result of the complexity of the goal, there is a need to find new resources and ways of educational activities. The article is based on the thesis that it is possible to link the professional-pedagogical (methodological) and subject-communicative training of the modern foreign language teacher within the framework of an appropriate resource for this purpose — the urban educational environment. To substantiate the proposed thesis, the author analyzes the system of requirements for the professional training of the modern teacher of foreign languages, formulates the connection between intercultural foreign language education and the city. From the standpoint of educational urbanistics, the city is regarded as an educational multidimensional environment for professional and communicative training of the future teacher of English. Anthropopractice is defined as the main method for such training, and playing games can be the leading technique. The case of the Moscow educational environment helps to exemplify the components of the content of professional pedagogical training of EL teachers (within the intercultural approach).

Сучасні закономірності та принципи іншомовної освіти майбутніх фахівців з міжнародних відносин у процесі фахової підготовки

The relevance of this study is that in Ukraine, foreign language education acquires a special status, which is argued by the fact that language creates an effective basis for international and intercultural understanding. However, the problem of implementing intercultural foreign language education in higher education institutions needs further comprehensive analysis and solution. This is evidenced by the analysis of the state of intercultural foreign language education in the works of national and foreign scholars, which demonstrated the numerous views and scientific achievements on the successful implementation of foreign language education in Ukraine. The study of foreign languages in higher education institutions of Ukraine is an indisputable positive feature of curricula, based on the recognition that the study of languages along with significant practical, educational, educational and developmental potential is a necessary condition for the education of modern specialists in international relations. On the other hand, today it is an urgent need in terms of the chosen socio-economic vector of development of our state, as the implementation of the concept of "learning languages during life" is impossible without careful study of languages by future experts in international relations. The study allows us to identify the leading patterns and principles of foreign language education in the European Higher Education Area. In the course of the research it was found out that foreign language education of specialists in international relations is based on regularities and general didactic principles that reflect the main approaches to the organization of education, namely: developmental and educational nature of education; scientificity; regularity and consistency; accessibility; connection of theory with practice; individualization. The research concluded that an open European educational space highlights significant prospects, while requiring efforts to remove barriers and upgrade foreign language teaching and learning systems in higher education. The formation of a single European cultural and economic space actualizes the creation of parameters of "europeanness" of modern Ukrainian science, culture and education.

THE FORMATION OF STUDENTS' FOREIGN LANGUAGE GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE

The article deals with the intercultural aspect of foreign language teaching in general and the formation of students' foreign language grammatical competence in particular. The culturological approaches to foreign language teaching (sociocultural, linguo-ethnographic, linguo-culturological, ethnographic, multifunctional, and intercultural) are briefly described. It is concluded that the intercultural approach is the most appropriate for the implementation of intercultural foreign language education as it reflects the modern requirements of foreign language teaching and enables students to master linguistic knowledge and communicative skills together with a whole set of cultural knowledge. The necessity to combine teaching grammar of a foreign language with cultural information is supported with numerous English and Ukrainian examples.  

ПРОГРЕСИВНІ МЕТОДИКИ ВИКЛАДАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ У ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ ІЗ ЗАСТОСУВАННЯМ СУЧАСНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ

Purpose. In recent years, the scope of knowledge in the field of science and technology has dramatically increased, and human’s ability to adapt to new knowledge in science and technology has also increased. So, there is an immense need for innovative and creative minds to explore unknown and unrevealed areas of different fields. To cope up with the modern world and the knowledge-driven era of technology, adopting modern ways are the only means to survive. The relevance of this study is that in Ukraine, foreign language education acquires a special status, which is argued by the fact that language creates an effective basis for international and intercultural understanding. However, the problem of implementing intercultural foreign language education in higher education institutions needs further comprehensive analysis and solution. Therefore, the aim of our study was to analyze such innovative technologies as: training and information and computer technologies, active learning methods and personality-oriented technologies in the process of teaching a foreign language in higher education institutions of Ukraine. Methodology. In the frame of organizing research, we optimally combined a set of methods, taking care that such a combination provides a compre- hensive information about the development of foreign communicative competence of future specialists. The methods that were used had to ensure the simultaneous study of activities, communication and awareness of the students. The variety of methods that were applied in the ongoing pedagogical research can be classified into empirical research methods as well as theoretical methods. Results. During the pedagogical investigation we have come up to the findings that there are some sufficient modern methodic active introduction of which will increase the educational outcomes of the foreign language competence of modern students. So, we have witnessed that the usage of trainings, digital tech- nologies, active methods along with individual-oriented methodic during foreign language teaching are likely to provide a set of studying benefits for modern students. Originality. For the first time, we have conducted the research of meth- ods with our author real-life examples in English suitable for every foreign technology. Practical value. We have creat- ed step by step the logical strategy of modern methods application in the educational process of shaping foreign com- municative competence necessary for future specialists in global virtual environment. We believe that modern methodic gives a vast scenario which encourages learners to study profoundly and study to satisfy their curiosity.

Developing intercultural foreign language communication via case study technology

Profound structural changes in the economy, increasing saturation and awareness of the population, internationalization of various spheres of life lead to the need to create a variety of opportunities for education and self-education of young people in intercultural foreign language communication. In this regard, one of the leading technologies which help to promote intercultural foreign language communication is case study technology. The case-method is based on the acquisition of sets (cases) of text teaching materials and transfer them to students for self-study. The main aim of the research work is to study the effectiveness of case study technology for promoting autonomous learners in intercultural foreign language communication. The author reveals the concept of case study technology in foreign language learning, distinguish four main stages of using case study technology for promoting autonomous learners in foreign language education: preparatory stage, introductory, main stage and final. It is concluded that the use of case study technology for promoting autonomous learners in intercultural communication promotes the development of internal motivation of student to educate and self-educate; the development of creative thinking, activity and autonomous work of students; the consolidation of the knowledge and skills necessary for the formation of self-educational activities; reflection on their self-educational activity. The results and conclusions of the presented paper can be used by teachers and lecturers at the English classes, seminars and in such lecture courses as “Technologies of foreign language teaching in primary schools»”, “Theory of foreign language teaching”.

Intercultural communication as the basis for effective teaching of foreign languages

The article examines the role and importance of intercultural communication in the process of learning a foreign language at university. Intercultural interaction is viewed as a source of formation and development of professional and personal qualities of students, intercultural competency and interethnic tolerance, as a means of overcoming communication difficulties in situations of foreign language communication. In modern society, in the context of digitalisation, the development of informational and social networks, with the introduction of distance education, intercultural foreign language communication is considered an indispensable part of life and learning. It is characterised by an intensive exchange of information, values and experience, by networking and maintaining contacts, and developing cooperation. Intercultural dialogue allows students to expand their knowledge of cultural characteristics, traditions, etiquette and customs of people living in different countries; to understand and accept the linguistic and cultural diversity of communication partners; to improve their skills and abilities; to use language and speech means, choose strategies and tactics of behaviour and communication in order to achieve mutual understanding and goals following the communicative task and communicative situation. Reliance on intercultural communication in the process of learning foreign languages contributes to the interiorisation of new knowledge, the development of social activity, creativity and mobility of students, increases the motivation to learn a foreign language, inspires the use of new interesting psychological and pedagogic forms in studies and work, allowing effective interaction in a multicultural environment.