masterThesis
The implementation of intercultural communication awareness in the language classroom to increase communication across cultures: a mixed method case study /
Autor
Rodríguez Urbina, Daniel Nayid
Institución
Resumen
Through a sociocultural lens, this study aims to identify how students internalize culture, through the current English Language Program (ELP) at Universidad del Norte. It was developed for level 6 students which are prepared to deal with this type of topic. The mixed-method case study searches to answer the question “Does direct discussion and implementation of intercultural communication awareness in a foreign language classroom increase students’ ability to communicate more culturally appropriate with others?” The guiding secondary questions seek to find answers to the benefits and the weakness of such an approach. Currently, students need to be aware of culture in order to complement skills and subskills within the target language and to be able to relate more naturally to people from other countries. Culture is a fundamental part in the acquisition of language since it allows the learner to understand why some expressions, words, and grammar choices are different from their own cultural perspective. Data collection methods include a pre questionnaire of students’ understanding of four intercultural competence domains, an intervention plan, which includes workshops to address those same competence domains, and post questionnaire to the participating students. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data are tabulated and are triangulated to note significant differences in students’ cultural and intercultural awareness.