English in Students’ Cultural Competence Development

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Motivation for Study
Conceptual Foundations
Discussion
References

Introduction

English is used as the main language in several international colleges. However, many educational settings may still fail to foster intercultural communication competence (ICC) in learners because they continue to associate English with the cultures of the native speaker countries. It is suggested that, by shifting perceptions of the language towards English as lingua franca (ELF), non-native students can change their understanding of the multicultural global space and improve ICC. Thus, this paper aims to research the role of ELF in the development of students’ cultural competence (CC).

Motivation for Study

According to Havril (2015), CC is “extremely important for any individual or organization wishing to operate professionally and effectively in a multicultural context” (p.558). At the same time, she notes that ICC contributes to constructive and prejudice-free interaction between people from diverse backgrounds (Havril, 2015). In the globalized environment, ICC helps graduates to solve multiple problems and it fosters greater employability, better job performance, and personal growth (Dalib, Harun, Yusof, & Ahmad, 2017). Therefore, higher education institutions should strive to develop an awareness of both tangible and intangible aspects of ICC associated with ELF in students and show them how their CC can be improved.

Conceptual Foundations

Moeller and Nugent (2014) define a culturally competent interaction as a “reciprocal conversation based on mutual understanding and an attitude of openness” (p. 2). The given definition of ICC is standard in the transcultural studies discourse. For instance, Daryai-Hansen and Schröder-Sura (2012) also consider that a person should activate the theoretical knowledge about cultures, practical skills, and psycho-emotional attitudes altogether to have a successful intercultural communication experience. The researchers’ ideas indicate that ICC is not limited by linguistic proficiency alone but is rather a multifaceted phenomenon in which individual perceptions of cultural identities play a significant role.

According to Zerzová (2016), knowledge (i.e., cultural information and self-awareness, etc.) and skills (i.e., listening and interpretation, etc.) overlap with individuals’ attitudes and mindsets and lead to various internal (e.g., flexibility and empathy, etc.) and external (e.g., mutual understanding, etc.) intercultural communication outcomes. The given idea can be applied in educational settings in a different way depending on the views of the English language used there − English as a foreign language or ELF. Traditionally, educators plan the curriculum in a way that emphasizes the links between the target language and the culture associated with it. Students are encouraged to explore the connections between the two and asked to act consistently with the cultural and linguistic information they become aware of (Moeller & Nugent, 2014). It is possible to say that foreign language practice in universities is one of the primary methods aimed to develop CC. However, language practice alone is unarguably not enough to reach this goal.

ELF should be distinguished from English as a foreign language. As stated by Cutillas Espinosa (2017), language learning was traditionally seen as a process of acquiring or approaching towards native speakers’ competence by learners. The given perspective implies that the form of the language used by native speakers in their daily communication is the only right model to be provided to students. Nevertheless, Cutillas Espinosa (2017) notes that with the appearance of ELF, “there was an increasing trend to question the ownership of the English language” among the researchers (p. 13). In other words, people from distinct countries who use English in transcultural interactions do not always aim to develop the same linguistic and cultural competence as native speakers have, but merely can use it as a means to get in touch with multiple cultures and transfer their cultural values and views to others. Thus, while English as a foreign language can be regarded merely as an academic practice exclusive of any flexibility, ELF is the social and interactive one (Jenkins, 2015).

As stated by Mansfield and Poppi (2012), aiming to gain a native-like set of language skills may sometimes lead to counterproductive results in intercultural communication. On the contrary, the simplicity of the language is more valuable in this situation. The problem is that most learners have wrong expectations of using their foreign language skills. They believe they will mostly utilize them to communicate with native speakers from inner-circle countries, i.e., England and the USA, and, therefore, they do not regard English as an international language (Ke & Cahyani, 2014). However, due to the evolving and transitory nature of the multicultural environments and speaker relations that occur in them, unlike ELF, the conventional views on English as a foreign language may have a discouraging effect on students and create barriers to productive intercultural communication. Therefore, educators should strive to integrate the understanding of English as a global language into the learning and instructional practices to develop ICC in learners.

Discussion

Nowadays, English has become one of the most widespread “contact” languages (Dewey, 2014, p. 14). “Communication in English often occurs in contexts of exceptional linguistic and cultural heterogeneity,” and it makes ELF a truly “global linguistic” phenomenon (Dewey, 2014, p. 14). Universities represent one of such culturally heterogeneous contexts because they often attract international students and provide environments in which intercultural communication is inevitable. For this reason, the role of ELF and ICC becomes increasingly important in these settings as anywhere else.

The findings of the literature review revealed that ICC is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. It refers to a person’s ability to communicate across cultural boundaries, to develop positive attitudes to unfamiliar cultures, and to manage the process of interaction with people with distinct backgrounds and pragmatic, behavioral orientations (Candel-Mora, 2015). Additionally, Dalib, Harun, and Yusoff (2014) claim that ICC implies harmonious interpersonal relationships in which “all parties maintain appropriate relationships instead of being driven by personal goals” (p. 131). Based on this, it is possible to say that the shift in the traditional understanding of English as foreign a language towards ELF is necessary to develop ICC because this model of the language is associated with greater simplicity of expression and mutual intelligibility that significantly facilitate the process of non-native international speakers’ communication.

By emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity in the process of language skills acquisition, educators may foster greater openness and appropriate attitudes in language learners. It may seem paradoxical, but the only way to highlight the multicultural diversity and show that English can be used by representatives of different nations is to make English teaching activities culturally neutral. Smokotin, Alekseyenko, and Petrova (2014) claim that to teach English as the language of intercultural communication, it “must not be confused with major national standards of English so as to avoid the effects oral domination, which would undermine ethnic and cultural identities of the language learners” (p. 512). In this way, by reducing cultural biasing, it will be possible to promote an adequate awareness of different cultural identities and respect for diversity in international university students.

References

Candel-Mora, M. A. (2015). Attitudes towards intercultural communicative competence of English for specific purposes students. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 178, 26-31.

Cutillas Espinosa, J. A. (2017). “A relaxing cup of lingua franca core:” Local attitudes towards locally-accented English. Atlantis, 39(1), 11-32.

Dalib, S., Harun, M., & Yusoff, N. (2014). Reconceptualizing intercultural competence: A phenomenological investigation of students’ intercultural experiences. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 155, 130-135.

Dalib, S., Harun, M., Yusof, N., & Ahmad, M. K. (2017). Probing intercultural competence in Malaysia: A relational framework. SHS Web of Conferences, 33(00045), 1-5.

Daryai-Hansen, P. G., & Schröder-Sura, A. (2012). FREPA – a set of instruments for the development of plurilingual and inter-/transcultural competences. Cultus. Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication, (5), 20-36.

Dewey, M. (2014). Pedagogic criticality and English as a lingua franca. Atlantis, 36(2), 11-30.

Havril, A. K. (2015). Improving intercultural competence of female university students in EFL within Saudi Arabia. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 192, 554-566.

Jenkins, J. (2015). Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a lingua franca. Englishes in Practice, 2(3), 49-85.

Ke, I., & Cahyani, H. (2014). Learning to become users of English as a lingua franca (ELF): How ELF online communication affects Taiwanese learners beliefs of English. System, 46, 28-38.

Mansfield, G., & Poppi, F. (2012). The English as a foreign language / lingua franca debate: Sensitising teachers of English as a foreign language towards teaching English as a lingua franca. Profile, 14(1).

Moeller, A. K., & Nugent, K. (2014). Building intercultural competence in the language classroom. Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, 161, 1-18.

Smokotin, V. M., Alekseyenko, A. S., & Petrova, G. I. (2014). The phenomenon of linguistic globalization: English as the global lingua franca (EGLF). Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 154, 509-513.

Zerzová, J. (2016). Intercultural competence of first year students of English at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University: A report of research. Journal of Language and Cultural Education, 4(2), 3-26.

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