EFL Textbooks and Teachers’ Potential for Promoting Intercultural Competence: A Mixed Methods Research in Palestinian State Schools

Identifier:  TDX:4273

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4273

Authors:  Faraj, Jehad

Abstract:
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.