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Teaching ESL/EFL: The Role of Cultural and Intercultural Knowledge, Skills, and Competence

Author

Nancy Lynn Anderson, University of the Pacific

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Intercultural Relations

First Advisor

Kent Warren

First Committee Member

Kimberley Brown

Second Committee Member

Margaret Pusch

Third Committee Member

Robin Sakamoto

Abstract

In this ever-changing world of 201 0, we are more closely interconnected than ever before. English plays a key role in this world's communication as a global or international language- making intercultural connections and bridging differences in the process. It is critically important and challenging for people to learn skills for interacting in this global society. ESL/EFL teachers, educators, and administrators become key resources for learning and transmitting the knowledge, skills, and strategies for using English in a variety of social, business, or academic interactions. Immigrants, refugees, and international students need to learn more than the linguistic structure of the English language. To communicate effectively and competently, they need to learn cultural and intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes for navigating those intercultural situations.

This exploratory study examined the roles of cultural and intercultural knowledge, skills, and competency of ESLIEFL teachers and educators in the teaching of language. An electronic survey was used to explore how ESL/EFL teachers and educators were defining the terms cultural and intercultural, how and to what extent were cultural and intercultural concepts being taught, where educators were receiving their information, and if, and how, were they assessing students' learning.

Results indicated that many teachers and educators were not receiving primary cultural and intercultural information from courses connected to MA TESOL programs, that confusion exists over the definitions of cultural and intercultural, and that in many cases intercultural concepts and competency were not being integrated into class curricula. It appears clear that the designers and teachers in foreign language programs would be well served by adopting a more interdisciplinary approach to foreign language teaching and by collaborating with those who could provide information, clarity, and freshness for the integration of cultural and intercultural competency into current programs.

Pages

133

Recommended Citation

Anderson, Nancy Lynn. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL: The Role of Cultural and Intercultural Knowledge, Skills, and Competence. University of the Pacific, Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/727