DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT – AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT – AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Summary/Abstract: The field of intercultural studies, with globalization and internationalisation becoming increasingly familiar phenomena, has exploded in recent years. As a consequence, a practical interest has arisen in cross-cultural training for those who are professionally mobile, including language teachers. It is important to note that there is a strong need for sound theoretical understanding of the field of cross-cultural communication. Otherwise it is possible to do more harm than good, to reinforce prejudice and overgeneralization. Due to the potential negative effects people need preparation, guidance, time for reflection and intellectual tools for analysis. Since there is an increasing need to be able to deal effectively and appropriately with cultural diversity, it can be reasonably assumed that while teaching linguistic skills, second and foreign language instructors should also integrate a variety of cultural elements in their lessons. A discipline that can offer language teachers and their educators important insights into how and why cultures of learning might vary is the field of intercultural communication. In the paper, I discuss why and how the questions from the field of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) can be used in language teacher education, giving greater knowledge of possible socio-cultural variation in language learning and teaching and evaluating the socio-cultural appropriateness of proposed language teaching methodology.

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