Exploring Intercultural Communication Competence Perceptions and Integration into Classroom Practices of Chinese English Teachers at a Chinese Middle School in Shanxi

Abstract

          The recognition of intercultural communication competence (ICC) has prompted the Chinese government to require teachers of English to acquire it so as to develop their students. This study explored the extent to which Chinese English teachers perceived their own ICC and integrated it into classroom practices. Forty-seven teachers purposively recruited from a middle school in Shanxi assessed their own ICC through a questionnaire; then five of them voluntarily participated in semi-structured interviews. To a very high extent, they thought they had the ability to understand and respect the excellent cultural traditions of other countries, communicating and interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds, and adapting to the needs of China's social, economic, and technological development and international interactions. They also thought they integrated ICC into classroom teaching to a very high extent, providing cultural activities and timely feedback to their students. These findings fulfilled the Chinese government’s policy and implied that the levels of their ICC perception and integration were influenced by self-improvement activities in their leisure time and the advanced teaching facilities provided by the school. The same study can be replicated in other middle schools where they can promote their teachers’ positive attitudes toward developing and teaching ICC.