Intercultural Communicative Competence in Multinational Language Colleges in Ireland: An Investigation of Language Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Culture and Language Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers towards cultural teaching in the language classroom. Globalisation has highlighted the need for ESL learners to acquire intercultural communicative competence (ICC): the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people from various cultures in a shared language (Byram, 2021). This study looks into the materials and activities used by ESL teachers in Ireland to integrate culture into lessons. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on intercultural communicative competence and adds to the discussion through insights from ESL teachers about attitudes towards cultural teaching and the incorporation of culture into lessons. The resulting research objectives are as follows:

1. To investigate ESL teachers’ attitudes to the impact of teaching culture on students’ ICC.

2. To establish what teaching materials are used by ESL teachers to integrate culture into language lessons.

3. To explore which activities ESL teachers utilise to incorporate culture in language lessons.

A mixed methods approach was undertaken for the purpose of gathering primary data. The quantitative data was collected by way of an online survey and the qualitative data by semistructured interviews. Through adopting an explanatory two-phase approach, initial results from the quantitative phase were explained and explored in the qualitative phase effectuating corroboration and denotation of findings, and exploring conceptual gaps (Kimmons, 2022). The research revealed that whilst ESL teachers believe culture impacts students’ ICC and educators perceive culture to be integral in communication, ESL teachers have disparities in attitudes towards the meaning of ‘culture teaching’ and the learning outcomes sought. The primary research and the literature also found communicative language activities to be essential in attaining ICC. Based on the research undertaken, the study makes several recommendations for language schools and teacher training which include the incorporation of intercultural communication skills in basic ESL training courses, and collaboration within language institutions.