Intercultural competence in foreign language teaching

Can it be explained by its inappropriate curriculum and the lack of professional literature? Can it be explained by the very fact that previous educational programs have failed to prepare today's teachers' intercultural competence teaching? Or maybe textbooks are not appropriately equipped, taking into account intercultural approaches? While the research illustrates the importance of including intercultural competence and culture in foreign language classrooms, concrete approaches are lacking today.

Conclusions

The research confirmed the hypothesis of availability of two clearly distinct teachers' profiles regarding the integration of intercultural competence in foreign language education group A «favourably disposed foreign language teachers» predominates by one fourth the group B «the favourably disposed foreign language teachers». Each group can be identified by means of a number of characteristics. Group B believed that it is impossible to integrate language and culture teaching. Teachers also believe that intercultural skills cannot be acquired at school. Even they see a negative effect intercultural competence teaching reinforces pupils' already existing stereotypes. In addition, these teachers believe that it is only when there are ethnic minority community children in one's classes that one should teach intercultural competence. Group A, by contrast, believed that teaching culture is as important as teaching the foreign language, and that it is possible to integrate both. In their opinion, intercultural competence teaching makes pupils more tolerant. These teachers prefer an approach that is cross-curricular and are convinced that teachers of every subject should teach intercultural competence, not only foreign language teachers. Also 5 % of group A can even be called as «foreign language-and-culture teachers», since along with focusing primarily on the acquisition of communicative competence in a foreign language; they also teach culture to enhance their pupils' familiarity with the foreign culture.

The findings also indicate that the majority of participants (62 %) are moving towards becoming interculturally competent teachers, although at present their profile does not meet all expectations regarding knowledge, skills and attitudes that had been put towards the desirable profile of «a foreign language-and-culture teacher» or a profile of the expected «foreign language and intercultural competence teacher». Moreover, according to Table 1 at present 74 % of all participants distributed less than 20 % of teaching time on culture teaching in language teaching classroom. And here is the question of the ratio of self-perception of a teacher as a representative of group A and the time he\she spends in a language teaching classroom on a cultural component?

The findings of the present study were consistent with those of Sercu et al. (2005), Atay et al. (2009) and Nemati et al. (2014). Similar to Turkish, Iranian teachers, as well as Polish, Spanish, Swedish and Belgian teachers defined the objectives of foreign language above all in terms of the acquisition of the ability to use the foreign language for practical purposes. Similarly, school teachers prioritized language teaching objectives over culture teaching objectives. Regarding the objectives of culture teaching, Ukrainian teachers supported the skills like helping students gain knowledge and skills necessary for life in general, favored the development of openness and tolerance and defined culture teaching more in terms of passing on knowledge than providing intercultural skills.

This study leads us to a number of recommendations regarding what can be done at different levels. Education programs should include a cultural aspect in their curricula, such as a course on intercultural communication, in order to equip prospective teachers with intercultural awareness and intercultural competence. Both preand in-service teachers can be provided with examples of how language and culture teaching can be integrated, and encouraged to explore alternative ways of culture teaching. The national guidelines could be an effective mediator in considering other factors that influence the content of intercultural competence material for foreign language classrooms.

At the level of textbooks and teaching materials, our results show that the majority of the participants do not have to follow the textbook strictly; moreover, they also tend to use additional materials like audio and video tapes, the internet, song lyrics, maps and photographs. There is no doubt that these materials help them to motivate the students, respond to their need for authenticity and break the monotony of the classroom, providing the students with up-to-date material. Thus, many teachers reported that they were not satisfied with the cultural content of their textbooks. This highlights the need for textbook authors to carefully consider the content that promotes intercultural competence skills needed in foreign language learning.

At the teacher development level, our results show that teachers' beliefs affect their conceptions of specific teaching situations and ultimately, their teaching practice. Without teachers' awareness and understanding of the main issues in intercultural communication, the students' progress is under threat. Thus, language teachers' intercultural skills cannot develop without appropriate teacher development and teacher education comes into the role to provide and equip them with the practical and theoretical support to fulfill those responsibilities. Ukrainian foreign language teachers need professional training that can provide them with opportunities to develop their beliefs to make them more compatible with teaching intercultural competence as well as provide tools for its teaching. In order to do so, teachers should be given increased opportunities for further education in order to be able to develop professionally and keep up the standard of their teaching. Moreover, in order to change their beliefs regarding culture teaching, teachers need to be exposed to alternatives for current teaching approaches. Professional development encourages self-reflection and also reflection with ones colleagues. Therefore, collegial co-operation is necessary for teachers to develop teaching strategies that will foster intercultural competence acquisition by their pupils.

intercultural competence language teacher

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