학술논문
EFL Textbooks and Teachers’ Potential for Promoting Intercultural Competence: A Mixed Methods Research in Palestinian State Schools
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Author
Source
TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
A medida que el mundo se vuelve cada vez más interconectado y globalizado, el sector de la enseñanza de idiomas se enfrenta a la necesidad de reevaluar la competencia en idiomas extranjeros para incluir la Competencia Intercultural (IC), definida como la capacidad de interactuar de manera efectiva con personas de diversos contextos culturales. Esto implica incorporar contenidos culturales adecuados y métodos de enseñanza para fomentar el desarrollo de las habilidades de comunicación intercultural de los estudiantes. Por lo tanto, esta investigación tiene como objetivo mejorar los materiales de enseñanza de EFL palestinos y el desarrollo profesional de los educadores. El estudio utiliza un enfoque de métodos mixtos para proporcionar una visión holística de los elementos culturales de los libros de texto. Asimismo, se usó una encuesta nacional para recopilar datos de una muestra amplia de 360 profesores de EFL palestinos. Los datos recopilados fueron sometidos a análisis estadístico descriptivo, así como análisis estadístico inferencial (Chi-cuadrado de independencia). Los resultados muestran que la cultura se incorporó de manera desorganizada y ocasional a los libros de texto. Además, no se tuvo en cuenta el desarrollo de la IC al crear los libros de texto, ya que los aspectos culturales incorporados tenían como objetivo aumentar el conocimiento cultural de los estudiantes en lugar de sus habilidades de comunicación intercultural. Los resultados relativos a la IC de los profesores revelan que, aunque los profesores de EFL palestinos tienen un conocimiento adecuado de la IC, sus actitudes hacia la IC y las prácticas de enseñanza cultural son moderadas. Además, la mayoría de los profesores carecen de exposición internacional y formación adecuada en IC. El conocimiento y las prácticas de los profesores en IC están correlacionados positivamente con la exposición internacional y la formación en IC, aunque sus actitudes solo se correlacionaron con los contactos internacionales.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and globalized, stakeholders and educators in foreign language education are now facing the need to reassess proficiency in foreign languages to include Intercultural Competence (IC)–the ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. This entails incorporating suitable cultural content and teaching methods to foster the development of students’ intercultural communication skills. Accordingly, this research aims to assess the potential of Palestinian EFL textbooks and teachers in promoting IC. To achieve this objective, the research adopts a mixed methods approach whereby both quantifiable and non-quantifiable data were collected and analyzed to provide a holistic picture of the cultural elements of the textbooks. Additionally, the research employs a nationwide survey to gather data from a sizable sample of Palestinian EFL teachers (N = 360). The collected data underwent descriptive statistical analysis, including means and standard deviations, as well as inferential statistical analysis, namely the Chi-square test of independence. Findings show that IC development was not considered when creating the textbooks, as the incorporated cultural aspects aimed to increase students’ stock of knowledge rather than their intercultural communication skills. The findings concerning teachers’ IC reveal that while Palestinian EFL teachers had adequate knowledge of IC, their attitudes towards IC and cultural teaching practices were moderate. Besides, the overwhelming majority of teachers lacked international exposure and adequate training in IC. Furthermore, teachers’ knowledge and practices of IC were positively correlated with international exposure and training in IC. However, teachers’ attitudes were only correlated with international contacts, with no association with overseas experiences and training in IC.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and globalized, stakeholders and educators in foreign language education are now facing the need to reassess proficiency in foreign languages to include Intercultural Competence (IC)–the ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. This entails incorporating suitable cultural content and teaching methods to foster the development of students’ intercultural communication skills. Accordingly, this research aims to assess the potential of Palestinian EFL textbooks and teachers in promoting IC. To achieve this objective, the research adopts a mixed methods approach whereby both quantifiable and non-quantifiable data were collected and analyzed to provide a holistic picture of the cultural elements of the textbooks. Additionally, the research employs a nationwide survey to gather data from a sizable sample of Palestinian EFL teachers (N = 360). The collected data underwent descriptive statistical analysis, including means and standard deviations, as well as inferential statistical analysis, namely the Chi-square test of independence. Findings show that IC development was not considered when creating the textbooks, as the incorporated cultural aspects aimed to increase students’ stock of knowledge rather than their intercultural communication skills. The findings concerning teachers’ IC reveal that while Palestinian EFL teachers had adequate knowledge of IC, their attitudes towards IC and cultural teaching practices were moderate. Besides, the overwhelming majority of teachers lacked international exposure and adequate training in IC. Furthermore, teachers’ knowledge and practices of IC were positively correlated with international exposure and training in IC. However, teachers’ attitudes were only correlated with international contacts, with no association with overseas experiences and training in IC.