Just like the previous one, the characters themselves are completely clean, but it has quite a few hard line breaks hidden at the ends of the lines. Pasting it as-is will cause OJS to break the lines awkwardly on the article landing page. Additionally, there are a couple of en-dashes (in "teacher–student") and typographic apostrophes (in "students’")—while OJS usually handles these fine nowadays, it is safest to standardize them to plain text to prevent any weird encoding glitches on older databases. Here is the clean, single-paragraph version with the mid-sentence breaks removed and punctuation standardized, ready for OJS: This study investigates how criticality, a central concept in academic writing, is understood and negotiated in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom within an intercultural and multilingual Indonesian context. Drawing on an intercultural language teaching and learning (ILTL) framework, the study conceptualises criticality not as a fixed set of textual or cognitive skills, but as an intercultural and relational process of meaning-making. Using a qualitative, interpretivist design, data were collected from classroom interaction, including teacher-student dialogue, and analysed thematically across textual, interpersonal, and epistemological dimensions. The findings show that while criticality is introduced as a structured academic practice aligned with dominant Anglophone conventions, students interpret and enact it through culturally shaped practices such as indirectness, relational sensitivity, and mitigation. Classroom interaction reveals that within an ILTL perspective, criticality is realised through the intercultural processes of noticing, comparing, reflecting, and negotiating meaning, rather than through adherence to fixed academic conventions. At the same time, tensions persist between global academic expectations and students' existing cultural frameworks. The study argues that understanding criticality requires attention to these intercultural processes and highlights the need to reconsider how academic writing is taught in multilingual contexts. Future research should examine how such understandings are realised in students' written texts to provide a more comprehensive account of criticality in practice.
This study investigates the "discursive divide" within Thai as a Second Language Education (TSL) in Chinese universities, focusing on the gap between high-level policy rhetoric and pedagogical reality. Situated in the under-researched context of China-Thailand educational and professional exchange, the study adopts a qualitative, multi-stakeholder design involving 22 stakeholders, including program chairs, students, alumni, and employers. The findings show that although Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) is recognized in principle, it remains vaguely manifest in practice, particularly within early curriculum design, routine pedagogy, and assessment. Language training continues to receive stronger emphasis, while the interpretive, mediatory, and role-sensitive capacities needed for professional interaction are less systematically developed. The study also suggests that overseas exposure alone does not ensure ICC development when it is not supported by explicit guidance and reflection. In addition, assessment practices continue to privilege linguistic accuracy over intercultural learning, helping explain the gap between formal certification and workplace readiness. The study contributes to research on Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) by showing that ICC frameworks remain useful but may require context-sensitive interpretation in South-South educational settings shaped by institutional conditions, professional demands, and situational mediation.
The expansion of BIPA (Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers) programs in Thailand necessitates the development of teaching materials that are not only linguistically sound but also culturally responsive and contextually relevant. This study examines the intercultural dynamics in the development of culture-based BIPA teaching materials by six practicum teachers in Thai secondary schools, focusing on how they integrate Indonesian cultural elements, the constraints they encounter, and how reflective experiences shape their material innovation practices. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis of teaching materials, then analyzed thematically using NVivo. The findings reveal three key dynamics. First, cultural integration operates through culture as content and culture as activity structure, enabling a shift from static cultural information toward interactive, comparative, and experiential learning. Second, constraints such as technological limitations, pedagogical-cultural competence gaps, mismatches with student characteristics, and systemic workload function not merely as barriers but as catalysts for pedagogical awareness and creative adaptation. Third, teacher inspiration forms an integrative reflective cycle, from classroom experience to empathic awareness, creativity, and systematic structuring, transforming challenges into sustained pedagogical growth. The study contributes theoretically by repositioning cultural integration as a dynamic pedagogical process rather than static content, and practically by offering empirical insights for strengthening practicum teacher training, institutional support systems, and the development of context-sensitive, digitally supported BIPA materials in intercultural educational settings.
Study abroad contexts can generate apprehension and reluctance to communicate across cultural difference, constraining opportunities for meaningful intercultural engagement. This qualitative study examines how students described intercultural willingness to communicate and intercultural competence during study abroad. Using Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as an interpretive framework, semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically, yielding four interrelated themes: intercultural apprehension as it relates to a willingness to communicate, intergroup dynamics, accommodation, and intercultural communication competence. Participants described how apprehension and perceived group boundaries shaped whether interaction felt possible or worthwhile, while accommodation (both behavioral and psychological) helped them remain engaged, manage perceived distance, and navigate uncertainty. They also described intercultural communication competence less as an automatic outcome of exposure and more as something experienced in practice through repeated interaction, reflection, and reciprocal adjustment. This study contributes to intercultural communication and study abroad research by showing how willingness to communicate and participants’ perceived changes in competence are linked to interactional conditions, intergroup interpretations, and accommodative effort, shifting attention from exposure to the communicative processes that make intercultural engagement possible, sustained, and meaningful over time.
Globalization and increasing diversity have rendered intercultural sensitivity (IS) an essential skill for effective communication and development of positive international relations. However, there is a notable lack of studies on the perceptions and development of IS among teachers and students in international schools. This phenomenological study explored conceptions of IS and development strategies involving eight teachers and four students from International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, this study found that participants viewed IS as a dynamic developmental process that exceeds mere recognition of differences. IS was characterized by respect, emotional engagement, open-mindedness, effective communication, empathic understanding and appreciation of cultural plurality. Participants emphasized experiential and dialogic learning, which is the direct engagement with diverse cultural contexts, alongside sustained personal reflection as central mechanisms that help develop IS. The findings suggest that IS should be intentionally embedded in educational frameworks by integrating cognitive learning with affective and metacognitive dimensions (emotional awareness and reflective practice) to build inclusive and respect-oriented learning environments. Future research should extend these insights through longitudinal designs, cross-context comparisons and examinations of links between IS and international-mindedness in the IB MYP.
Mexico presents a unique linguistic context with extensive linguistic and cultural diversity. This study presents the results of a quantitative descriptive-correlational and inferential analysis based on the perceptions of 202 elementary school teachers regarding oral language teaching in Mexican intercultural educational contexts. It addresses the difficulties and strategies they use in the classroom, as well as the significant differences found among the various educational contexts in Mexico. The main results reveal challenges in the teaching of oral communicative competence, with highly significant differences between the public and private sectors, geographic location (urban or rural), and years of teaching experience. There is also a difference between theory and practice in the teaching of oral communicative competence and intercultural competence. These results underscore the need to strengthen teacher training and generate more contextualized strategies that articulate theory and practice in culturally diverse educational settings.
Against the backdrop of religious hostilities worldwide, there is a pressing need to increase intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in the domain of religion. While there is a growing body of scholar ship concerning interreligious dialogue, particularly in the field of peacebuilding, less is known about the contribution that universities can make towards facilitating religious understanding through inter cultural education. Student-conducted ethnography, which has been shown to promote the learning of sociocultural beliefs and practices, holds significant potential for learning in this area. The present study explores this potential by examining the experiences of 16 undergraduate Japanese university students who completed an ethnographic assignment in a minority religious community. The students engaged in participant observation at international Christian churches in Japan to deepen their understanding of how religion is manifested in practice. They documented their findings in ethnographic reports which under went deductive qualitative content analysis according to categories drawn from Byram’s (1997) model of ICC. Analysis found that ethnography played a significant role in supporting classroom learning cognitively and affectively: students’ reports demonstrated enhanced knowledge regarding the theory and practice of Christianity, and favorable attitudes toward the community members. Nevertheless, perceptions of difference remained, with some students exhibiting an essentialized notion of their home culture. While previous studies of student ethnography have mainly been conducted in the context of language learning, the present study extends this knowledge to the context of learning about religion. It offers a pedagogical model to intercultural educators aiming to facilitate interreligious understanding in higher education.
This paper examines Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) in South Africa as a site for epistemic transformation rather than mere linguistic reform. While policy efforts have widened access by including African languages, classroom and institutional practices often remain anchored in Eurocentric epistemologies. Drawing on decolonial theory and existing empirical studies, the paper argues that MTbBE can only fulfil its transformative promise when language reform is coupled with pedagogical shifts, curriculum design, and institutional reward systems. It shows that translanguaging and bilingual pedagogy enhance comprehension and participation, yet genuine transformation requires teachers to use African languages as reasoning and knowledge creation resources. Re-authoring curricula and restructuring institutional incentives emerge as essential for sustaining such change. The paper contributes to debates on decolonisation by reframing MTbBE as a strategy for epistemic justice that links linguistic inclusion with cognitive renewal. It concludes that when African languages are recognised as instruments of inquiry, education can move from translation to transformation, fostering an intellectual order that reflects South Africa’s multilingual and plural realities.
Intercultural competence (IC) is a vital capability in higher education, yet limited opportunities for authentic intercultural interaction in many Asian EFL contexts constrain its development. This study examined the effectiveness of a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-integrated Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum in enhancing IC among Taiwanese university students. The intervention combined global problem-solving activities with virtual peer feedback on Virsody, a web-based 3D exhibition platform that supports intercultural exchange. Using a mixed-methods design, 107 participants completed the Intercultural Competence Scale (ICS) at three time points, and 23 students participated in semi-structured interviews. Repeated-measures ANOVA results revealed significant improvements in students’ IC scores, while qualitative findings indicated that anonymous virtual peer feedback promoted reflection, empathy, and openness to diverse perspectives. The integration of SDGs (content), PBL (process), and Virsody (medium) operationalized IC development through collaborative, experiential, and technology-enhanced learning. The study contributed to intercultural education theory by demonstrating how sustainability-oriented and digitally mediated pedagogies can foster measurable intercultural growth. Practically, it offers a replicable model for incorporating global citizenship education into EFL curricula through authentic, reflective, and collaborative learning experiences.
This qualitative study examines how Chinese EFL teachers position their identities when teaching Intercultural Communication (IC), an interdisciplinary subject. With data collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis of three experienced EFL teachers at Chinese universities, thematic analysis revealed: (1) Teachers adopt strategic roles as “organizers,” “guides,” “transmitters,” and “midwives” in IC pedagogy; (2) Their identity evolution progresses from casual taster to IC promoter, apprentice to independent practitioner, and student to creative professional; (3) Sustained IC teaching expands their identities beyond EFL teachers to encompass IC instructors, learners, and researchers. Findings highlight a reciprocal relationship between IC expertise development and identity formation, with pedagogical growth shaping identity and vice versa. The study offers insights for EFL teacher development in intercultural education and specialized content teaching contexts.
Integrating intercultural activities in English language textbooks that foster intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is crucial for promoting global awareness and tolerance in young learners. However, previous studies have identified persistent gaps in ICC representation, especially in textbooks designed for international use. In the context of Indonesia’s Kurikulum Merdeka, which highlights global diversity as one of the Profil Pelajar Pancasila values, ICC integration becomes essential. This study investigates how ICC is reflected and to what extent it is integrated in an internationally published English textbook for Grade 1 students in Indonesia, Explore English Stage 1. A content analysis design was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. A modified ICC checklist, adapted from Byram and Masuhara (2013), consisting of 19 indicators across four components, Knowledge, Awareness, Attitudes, and Skills, was applied. The findings indicate that the intercultural content is limited, with only 8 indicators appearing across all 58 pages. The overall ICC presence reached 60.34%, categorized as Moderate Integration based on Mishan and Kiss’s (2024) adapted scale. Moreover, the analysis of illustrations, character names, situational contexts, and classroom activities shows that the textbook mainly features observable cultural elements without fostering deeper reflection or intercultural awareness. These results align with previous research, suggesting that English textbooks often meet linguistic goals while overlooking intercultural dimensions. Therefore, textbook developers are encouraged to incorporate more explicit exposure to diverse cultures to meet curriculum expectations better and support the development of ICC in young learners.
In foreign language (FL) education, it is now emphasised that learners' needs are not limited to knowledge and skills in the grammar of the language but also the aptitude to use the language in socially and culturally suitable ways in intercultural contexts. However, addressing intercultural communication (IC) in an FL context remains a challenging goal to achieve, especially given the need for innovation in curriculum design and pedagogical implementation. This paper examines the status quo of IC education in Yemen through scrutinising the curriculum of English language programmes in the higher education system. A corpus-based analysis was used to analyse the integration of IC in the course specifications of English as a foreign language (EFL) programmes. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered to delve into EFL faculty members' perceptions of the barriers to implementing IC education in the same context. The results revealed that IC is unproductively included, taught, and practiced in formal EFL education in Yemeni universities. The results also indicated that superficial exemplification of IC patterns, imbalance between linguistic and cultural dimensions, ineffective teaching methods, improper classroom practices, and lack of exposure to the target culture are the key impairments of IC education in the context of this study.
While English is now the most commonly used language for internationally recognized academic publications, its consequences for non-native English-speaking researchers have yet to be sufficiently documented in the Arabian Gulf. Using Flowerdew’s (2023) framework of ‘globalization of scholarship’ within ERPP (English for Research Publication Purposes), this paper explores the challenges and subsequent strategies used by Omani Arabic-speaking early-career scholars publishing in English language journals. This study is based on the analysis of qualitative data obtained from personal, unstructured interviews with eight Omani researchers in a publicly funded university in Oman to investigate the ways in which Arabic-speaking novice researchers negotiate the pressure to publish in well ranked English language publications by both conforming to established protocol, as well as by asserting their unique linguistic and discourse identity. The findings suggest that early-career scholars value English language publishing as a marker of institutional and professional achievement, but they want better support systems in terms of training and mentoring. Their recommendations to advance academic belonging consist of being involved with international organizations in specific disciplines to become familiar with academic discourse in English, engaging in collaborative writing, and using a journal’s in-house languages services. This study calls for inclusive publication opportunities as well as increased pedagogical support for scholars seeking to belong to the English language academic community.
In accordance with the shift in focus towards a culturally varied world, foreign language education curricula in most contexts have been revised integrating elements of interculturality. Yet, it remains unknown how successful these modifications are in achieving culturally decentralized and varied language education (R’boul & Saidi, 2023). Especially in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region where such research is scarce, it is essential to understand whether language teachers are trained in line with critical intercultural education, as these teachers will definitely be teaching in more culturally varied settings in the near future. Türkiye is no exception to this, and language teacher education curricula have been recently modified providing more space for intercultural communicative education. Considering these changes, the aim of the current study is to examine interculturality in field-specific elective courses offered in English Language Teaching (ELT) programs at a state university in Istanbul. A critical thematic analysis of culture-related courses is employed, following the two-step analysis offered in Lawless and Chen (2018). The analysis produces evidence demonstrating that interculturality is insufficiently embedded in the ELT curriculum, where it appears scattered across field-specific electives without systematic organization and within a narrowly confined scope. In brief, the study indicates that the specific ELT curriculum under investigation falls short of supporting culturally diverse language teacher training.
Intercultural contact (IC), affording interactions between individuals from different cultures, should be an accessible goal in promoting intercultural (communicative) competence (ICC) in additional language learning context. IC happened either directly through in-person interaction or indirectly through exposure to cultural elements such as media. This study explored ways of direct and indirect IC, the levels of ICC, and their dynamic association. Data were collected from 425 participants at a Chinese university with an IC-ICC survey. Results revealed limited availability of direct in-person intercultural contact and a moderate level of ICC, with indirect IC being the primary means. The interplay between IC and ICC were reciprocal. Based on Byram’s (2021) model of ICC components, in the present study direct contact through intercultural activities within the home country and online written exchange on social media predicted the variance of knowledge of self and others, as well as skills of discovery. Indirect contact through personal connections and media, influenced intercultural attitudes and awareness, as well as skills of interaction and interpretation. Indirect contact through reading only enhanced knowledge of other cultures, while general English and cultural courses demonstrated no significant effects on ICC. Conversely, higher ICC facilitated IC, with knowledge of other cultures emerging as a particularly influential predictor of both direct and indirect IC, while intercultural attitudes mainly had an impact on indirect IC. The findings of this study highlighted the importance of indirect intercultural contact in the development of intercultural competence and the virtuous cycle of IC and ICC development.
This article focuses on one example of intercultural musicking (IcM) - when mostly non-Jewish music students experience unfamiliar methods to learn to perform klezmer which for most of them is an unfamiliar music culture - and the value later attached to this experience. We briefly introduce klezmer as a music culture and our teaching of it. We then describe the combination of visual and narrative methods - also unfamiliar to participants - which we used to explore former students’ experience of performing klezmer. We discuss illustrative data from these ensemble alumni. We review our learning from this alumni-based practice-evaluation study regarding student development of transmusicality and intercultural personhood. We conclude with our insights into the use of visual and narrative methods in exploring the value of intercultural music education.
The growing global diversification of early childhood education (ECE) settings necessitates pedagogical approaches that are both responsive to and affirming of diverse learner needs. However, the expansion of related literature risks fragmentation, obscuring structural divides, including persistent policy–practice gaps and global knowledge inequities. To date, bibliometric methods have not been applied to systematically diagnose these issues or propose a resolution framework. This study addresses this gap via a bibliometric–systematic review conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. A total of 203 documents (1991–2025) from the Scopus database were analysed using performance analysis and science mapping to delineate the field’s intellectual, conceptual, and social dimensions. Research findings indicated that multicultural ECE research is grounded in three core pillars—developmental psychology, pedagogical practice, and educational policy—but is constrained by a persistent disconnect between policy- and practice-oriented research. The study also provides quantitative evidence of a pronounced core–periphery structure in knowledge production, dominated by North American and European institutions, and identifies strategic gaps in research on educational technology and culturally responsive assessment. Based on these findings, this study’s principal contribution is the development of the Integrative Framework for Multicultural ECE Research (IFMER). The model reconceptualises technology and assessment not as deficits but as strategic bridging mechanisms that link policy and practice, integrate developmental theory into pedagogy, and promote more equitable global research collaboration. The IFMER provides a strategic roadmap for advancing a more coherent, equitable, and impactful research agenda.
This exploratory case study examined the implementation of the GLOBE pedagogical model in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for veterinary medicine students, and assessed its impact on linguistic competence, interdisciplinary collaboration, sustainability awareness, and intercultural competence. Grounded in systemic functional linguistics, genre-based pedagogy, and interdisciplinary education, the model integrates language learning with sustainability and social engagement. The study was conducted with 51 undergraduate students from a private university in Argentina who were concurrently enrolled in two courses: Sociology and Community Service and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The participants engaged in collaborative work that integrated content and objectives from both courses. Through scaffolded instruction, students developed community service projects and delivered elevator pitches, in which they linked language use to real-world professional and societal challenges. A qualitative analysis of a focus group with three teachers revealed that the model fostered teamwork, interdisciplinary integration, and communicative competence. However, students struggled with linguistic accuracy, oral fluency, and shifting from animal-centered to human-centered sustainability projects. Findings align with research on task-based and interdisciplinary learning, and emphasize the need for structured support in writing, oral performance, and project conceptualization. The study underlines the potential of GLOBE for ESP instruction while identifying areas for refinement, such as increased practice opportunities, targeted feedback, and reflective assessments. Future research should explore its long-term effectiveness in fostering global communication skills and sustainability oriented professional engagement.
With the intensification of globalisation and international exchange, intercultural communicative ability has become a focal point in English as a foreign language education in Chinese secondary schools. However, recent studies have indicated that the developmental construct of intercultural awareness is sometimes conflated with intercultural communicative competence. This leads to ambiguity in defining appropriate learning objectives. Using a sequential explanatory research design, this study surveyed 200 learners, followed by an interview with three learners. Questionnaire data were summarised using descriptive statistics, and thematic coding was used for analysing the interview transcripts. The results indicate that learners have positive attitudes towards cultural diversity (mean = 4.12) but fairly poor cultural knowledge (mean = 2.73) and low behavioural engagement (mean = 2.45). The thematic analysis highlights three barriers: a persistent grammar–translation orientation reinforced by exam pressure, fragmented “culture bites” offering little communicative value and showcase lessons disconnected from daily practice. The results highlight a disconnect between what the national curriculum aspires to achieve and what actually happens in classrooms. The material should include dialogue and recommendation-based materials and need to be supplemented with reflective journals and performance-based tasks to enable reflection and to promote aspects of authentic cultural interaction. Thus, it can enhance the development of intercultural awareness and provide some practical implications for promoting intercultural learning in Chinese secondary education.
Globalization has increased the demand for English proficiency and intercultural competence. However, English instruction in Indonesia often focuses on grammar and vocabulary, with limited emphasis on cultural understanding. Although AI tools are commonly used to support language learning, their potential to promote intercultural learning remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate how Indonesian EFL students use AI-powered conversational agents to explore cultural perspectives and what cultural insights they gain. The research employed a descriptive phenomenological design involving 15 undergraduate students from five regions in Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The results showed that students moved from retrieving simple cultural facts to engaging in deeper conversations that supported reflection and critical thinking. They described AI as a non-judgmental partner that allowed them to ask sensitive cultural questions. The students learned to distinguish between surface-level cultural practices and deeper values. They also habitually questioned AI-generated content and verified it through other sources. This process helped them build critical AI literacy. The findings suggest that AI tools can support intercultural learning if used with guidance. Teachers are encouraged to design activities that help students reflect on cultural content and develop critical awareness during AI interaction.
