Improving the students’ intercultural awareness through guided discussion an action research approach with 11th form english major students at luong van tuy gifted high school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
****************************

TRẦN THỊ THU TRANG

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS
THROUGH GUIDED DISCUSSIONS: AN ACTION RESEARCH
APPROACH WITH 11TH FORM ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT LUONG VAN TUY GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL
Nâng cao nhận thức liên văn hóa của học sinh thông qua thảo luận
có định hướng. Nghiên cứu hành động đối với học sinh lớp 11
chuyên Anh trường THPT chuyên Lương Văn Tụy – Ninh Bình

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111

Hanoi, 2016


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
****************************

TRẦN THỊ THU TRANG

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS

THROUGH GUIDED DISCUSSIONS: AN ACTION RESEARCH
APPROACH WITH 11TH FORM ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT LUONG VAN TUY GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL
Nâng cao nhận thức liên văn hóa của học sinh thông qua thảo luận
có định hướng. Nghiên cứu hành động đối với học sinh lớp 11
chuyên Anh trường THPT chuyên Lương Văn Tụy – Ninh Bình

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lê Văn Canh

Hanoi, 2016


DECLARATION

I, Trần Thị Thu Trang, hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Improving
students’ intercultural awareness through guided discussion. An action research
approach with 11th form English major students at Luong Van Tuy High School
for Gifted students.” is submitted for the partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of
Arts at the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and
International Studies- Vietnam National University, Hanoi. I also declare that this
thesis is the result of my own research and efforts and it has not been submitted for any
other purposes.

Hanoi, 2016

Trần Thị Thu Trang

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my sincere and deepest gratitude to my
supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Canh for his unfailing support, patience and
continuous help in the process of writing up this dissertation. His insightful ideas and
constructive suggestions have enriched my knowledge about the research in the field of
interculture and it thus broadened the scope of my project.
Besides, my deep thanks and appreciation also go to all the lecturers and the
staff of the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies at University of Languages and
International Studies for their valuable lectures and knowledge on which my minor
thesis was laid the foundation. In addition, I am also grateful to my lovely 11th form
English major students at Luong Van Tuy High School for Gifted students who were
highly cooperative in my study.
Last but not least, I deeply indebted to my parents, my husband and my
children, my beloved brothers and sisters and many of my friends for their love and
great support so that I am able to complete my study successfully. I am so convinced
that without their help and spirit, I might not be able to finish this thesis and I deeply
feel indebted to all of them.

ii


ABSTRACT
The development of intercultural understanding, awareness and practical
communication skills has become the most useful in a multicultural society. To acquire
these competences, language learners need to develop intercultural awareness as a
primary step. Such awareness has received less than adequate attention in Vietnam to

date. In this action research, attempts are made to demonstrate how students’
intercultural awareness can be strengthened through guided discussion. The study was
designed in the form of a classroom action research. It was conducted into one cycle
and the cycle consisted of six classroom sessions and involved four steps namely
planning, action, observation and reflection. This study aims to improve intercultural
awareness of students at Luong Van Tuy Gifted High School in Ninh Binh province,
and discuss the role of intercultural awareness in the development of students’
intercultural communication and interaction skills in foreign language learning. There
were four instruments used to collect the data in this study: pre-treatment and posttreatment questionnaires administered to the students, student interview and teaching
diaries to measure improvement in students’ awareness towards intercultural
competence. The research findings indicated that in this action research, students
highly valued the role of intercultural awareness in foreign language teaching and
learning in education. A six weeks independent study action research was developed
and delivered to thirty five 11th form English major students at Luong Van Tuy Gifted
High School.

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………..ii
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………...iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………….………………………………………iv
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………...vii
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………viii
LIST OF APPENDICES……………………………………………………………..ix
PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….1
1. Rationale……………………………………………………………………………..1
2. Aims and objectives of the study……………………………………………………2

3. Research questions…………………………………………………………………..2
4. Method of the study………………………………………………………………….2
5. Scope of the study…………………………………………………...……………….3
6. Significance of the study……………………………………..………………………3
7. Structure of the thesis…………………………………………………………...……3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………………………..5
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………….5
1.1 Definitions of intercultural awareness……………………………………………....6
1.2 The role of intercultural awareness ……………………………………………….10
1.3 Developing intercultural awareness ………………………………………………13
1.4 Guided discussion…………………………………………………………………20
1.5 Previous studies……………………………………………………………………21
CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………..23
2.1 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY…………………………...………………………23
2.1.1 Setting of the study……………………………………………………….……..23
2.1.2 Participants………………………………………………………………………23
iv


2.1.3 Materials……………………………………………………………...………….24
2.2 RESEARCH DESIGN………………………………..………………………….24
2.2.1 Rationale for using action research method…………………….……………….24
2.2.2 Research procedure……………………………………….……………………..27
2.2.2.1 Conducting preliminary investigation…………………………………………30
2.2.2.2 Planning the action ……………………………………………………………30
2.3 DATA COLLECTION……………………………………..……………………31
2.3.1 Questionnaires………………………………………………………….……….31
2.3.2 Student interview………………………………………………….…………….32
2.3.3 Classroom self-observation and teaching diaries……………………………….33
2.4 TECHNIQUES OF ANALYZING DATA……………..………………………33

CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION………….…………34
3.1 Pre-treatment questionnaire results………………………………………………..34
3.2 After action findings ………………………………………………..…………….38
3.2.1 Post-treatment questionnaire results……………………………………………..38
3.2.2 Students’ attitudes towards effectiveness of guided discussion method…...……39
3.2.3 The interview data…………………………………………………….…………40
3.2.4 Classroom self-observation and teaching diaries……………………...………...44
3.3 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………45
3.4 Reflection………………………………………………………………...………..46
PART C. CONCLUSION AND PLAN FOR THE NEXT CYCLE………………50
4.1 Summary of main findings………………………………………..……………….50
4.2 Limitations of the study…………………………………………………..……….50
4.3 Plan for the next cycle……………………………………….…………………….51
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………….52
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………..…………..I

v


LIST OF TABLES
Table 2: The timetable of the action implementation…………………………………28
Table 3.1: Students’ levels of interest in guided discussion about interculture……….36
Table 3.2: Students’ comments on guided discussion activities………………………39

vi


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2: The model of action research ……………………………………………….27
Figure 3.1. Students’ attitude towards intercultural awareness………………………..35

Figure 3.2. Students’ level of knowledge about intercultural communication………..36
Figure 3.3. Students’ levels of knowledge about interculture after action…………….38

vii


LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A. Pre-treatment questionnaire………………………………………………I
Appendix B. Post-treatment questionnaire…………………………………………...VII
Appendix C. Students interview………………………………………………………..X
Appendix D. Lesson plan……………………………………………………………XIV

viii


PART A. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Globalization and technological advancements are breaking down barriers
and borders with vast implications for education in general and foreign language
teaching in particular. More than ever, our programs need to address
internationalization and cross-cultural understanding. Contemporary language
classes must account for features far beyond just the linguistic. They must
incorporate the larger cultural fabric of which language is only a part. There is a
developing consensus that it is important to include culture learning as part of
language learning with a primary goal of making students aware of alternative ways
of interpreting personal and social experiences (Sellami, 2000).
Furthermore, globalization has changed the goal of English language
teaching from communicative competence based on the native-speakers’ norms to
intercultural communicative competence. So, English language teaching now is
targeted at enabling learners to become intercultural speakers or mediators who are

able to engage with complexity and multiple identities and to avoid the stereotyping
which accompanies perceiving someone through a single identity” (Byram et al.,
2002, p. 5). This implies that the aims of language teaching should include both
intercultural and linguistic competences; prepare students for interaction with
people of other culture(s); enable them to understand and accept people from other
culture(s) who have their own perspectives, values and behaviors; and help them to
see that such interaction is an inspiring, enriching, educational and new experience
(Byram et al., 2002, p. 6).
As Stern (1983) proposes, the language learner should not only study the
cultural context (language and culture) but should be made aware of the interaction
between language and culture. Therefore, intercultural awareness is required if a
foreign language learner is to achieve intercultural communication competence,
which is now considered the major goal of foreign language learning (Han, 2013).
According to Kramsch (1998), intercultural awareness, or the “fifth skill”, is the

1


ability to be aware of cultural relativity – following reading, writing, listening and
speaking. In response to the demands of a globalizing world and in order to prepare
future global language learners, intercultural awareness, as an indispensable element
in language learning, becomes critical for a productive and successful life in the
ever shifting social, cultural, economic and technological reality that defines the
shrinking world of the twenty-first century. The use of the term “intercultural”
reflects the view that foreign language learners have to gain insight into both their
own and the foreign culture (Kramsch, 1993). While intercultural communicative
competence has become the goal of foreign language teaching and learning, the
question of how teachers can develop competence for their students remains
unanswered at least in the context of Vietnamese high schools. This action research
entitled “Improving students’ intercultural awareness through guided discussion.

An action research approach with 11th form English major students at Luong Van
Tuy High School for Gifted students.” is an attempt to try out a classroom
technique: guided discussion to raise students’ intercultural awareness.
2. Aims and Objectives of the Study
This action research is aimed at exploring how students’ intercultural
awareness was changed as a result of guided classroom discussions.
3. Research questions
To fulfill this aim, the following research questions were raised:
To what extent do guided discussion activities change the students’
intercultural awareness?
4. Method of the Study
Since the purpose of this study is to gain understanding of a new teaching
strategy in developing my own students’ intercultural awareness, an action research
approach is employed. The data were collected by means of:
-

Pre-treatment and post-treatment questionnaires administered to the
students

-

Student interviews

2


-

Teaching diaries

These three research instruments are used in cycle of the action research to
for pre-research, the process and the effects that the action created, and reflection on
the action cycle.
5. Scope of the Study
To improve student’s intercultural awareness, EFL teachers can use varieties
of techniques. However, this study merely focused on finding out whether and to
what extent guided discussion helped to raise students’ intercultural consciousness.
The treatment, i.e., guided discussion, was used in six classroom sessions.
The action was carried out with 35 English major students of Grade 11 at Luong
Van Tuy High School for Gifted students. The collected data were analyzed and
discussed to figure out how to help improve 11th form students’ intercultural
awareness through guided discussion. Then some solutions were proposed to
improve the quality of teaching and learning culture in high school.
6. Significance of the Study
For the teachers of English division, this study is hoped to bring them the
detailed and full view on the improvement of intercultural awareness at 11th form
English major students of Luong Van Tuy High School for Gifted students. As a
result, through guided discussion, they can raise their intercultural competence. In
addition, they are also given chance to know about interesting differences between
different countries in the world which helps them improve the ability of
communication and gain effective conversation.
7. Structure of the thesis
The study consists of three major parts:
Part A, Introduction, presents the rationale of the study, the aims and objectives,
the research questions, the method, the scope, the significance and the design of the
study, and review of previous studies.
Part B, Development, includes three chapters:

3

Chapter 1, Literature Review, reviews the theories on intercultural awareness;
definitions of intercultural awareness; the role of intercultural awareness;
developing intercultural awareness.
Chapter 2, Methodology, describes the setting of the study, the participants and
materials used during six sessions of the research. Moreover, this chapter shows
how the researcher applied the data collection instruments and her procedure of
conducting the study.
Chapter 3, Data analysis and findings, the researcher used quantitative and
qualitative method to study and analyze the figure and information collected.
Part C, Conclusion, gives a summary of the study, its limitations of the study and
plan for the next cycle.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
There is a general consensus that culture and communication are interwined.
Therefore, learning about culture and developing intercultural awareness is
sometimes referred to as the “fifth skill” in language learning. When learning a new
language, learners will learn not only vocabulary, grammar, and how to understand
and communicate, however will also learn about the cultures associated with that
language. Cultural content in learners’ language classes might include: gaining
knowledge about art, literature, history, or popular culture in the target language;
discussion of values important in the countries where the language is spoken; or
developing awareness of everyday life and social structures. This will also help
develop more general intercultural awareness and intercultural competence. The key
question is what happens when communication has to happen outside one’s cultural
sphere. No two cultures are exactly alike and we cannot know all about every

culture, yet we require some knowledge so that communication, for example in
business and education, can occur in a successful way. Byram (1989) sees cultural
knowledge as systematic information which is necessary to understand another
culture and the emphasis here is that the meaning of culture is transported through
the vehicle of language. Culture and language are inseparable for maintaining any
semblance of significance for meaning-making. Knowledge of how another culture
works is an essential precursor to achieving better communication, as is evident in
second language learning, and this is the focus of my analysis. Furthermore,
Tomlinson and Masuhara (2004) stress raising cultural awareness increases
tolerance and achieves empathy and sensitivity which facilitates second language
learning. This awareness is especially significant as second language learners come
with diverse learning styles and how they learn will not necessarily be the same as
English Language Teaching lecturers’ expectations. Thus, English Language
Teaching lecturers need to have an understanding of culture from the point of view
of English Language Teaching learners, which is hard to achieve. This point will be

5


addressed in the findings and discussion/ analysis chapters of my research. To
perform this function, lecturers require competence in language which is defined as
“the sum of knowledge, skills and characteristics that allow a person to perform
actions (Common European Framework, 2000, p.9). Thus, knowledge about other
cultural systems, awareness of our own cultural conditioning and cultural biases,
and skills acquired through real‐life interactions and experience are prerequisites for
successful.
1.1 Definitions of intercultural awareness
Scholars have defined intercultural awareness in various ways. To explain
difficult concept of intercultural awareness Kramsch claims:
“If...language is seen as social practice, culture becomes the very core of

language teaching. Cultural awareness must then be viewed as enabling language
proficiency ... Culture in language teaching is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked
on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading and writing.”
(Kramsch 1993, p. 27)
Kramsch further suggests that we cannot be competent in the language “if we do
not have an awareness of that culture, and how that culture relates to our own first
language/ first culture.” (Kramsch, 1993) She therefore claims that it is essential to
have cultural awareness together with intercultural awareness in order to be efficient
in the language. In Common European Framework for Languages (2002),
intercultural awareness is explained as a product of the relation between knowledge,
awareness and understanding of “the world of origin” and “the world of the target
culture”. Intercultural awareness also includes awareness of regional and social
diversity of both cultures and how the culture appears from the perspective of the
other culture; often in the form of national stereotypes.
According to Yassine (2006), intercultural awareness is the development of
awareness and understanding of one’s own and other cultures. Intercultural
awareness occurs when people no longer assume that their culture’s way of looking

6


at things is the best way or the only way, and when people therefore begin to
evaluate other perspectives.
Baker (2012) adds that intercultural awareness is a conscious understanding of
the role culturally based forms, practices and frames of reference can have in
intercultural communication, and an ability to put these conceptions into practice in
a flexible and context specific manner in real-time communication. (Baker, 2012)
Furthermore, Scollon & Scollon (2001, p. 13) identified that intercultural
communication (ICC) considers (interpersonal) communication which has the
added characteristics of cultural “variance” between those people involved, in one

or more areas, such as: values, beliefs, thought patterns, practices (including
language) and other habits of behaviour. Cultural variance can be salient in that it
can create differing expectations and interpretations of interactions between people.
Besides, it can be adopted the definition proposed by Korzilius, Hooft and Planken
(2007), because it is more practical and understandable when compared with other
more complex and implicit definitions:
“Intercultural awareness is the ability to empathize and to decenter. More
specifically, in a communication situation, it is the ability to take on the perspective
of a conversational partner from another culture or with another nationality, and of
their cultural background and thus, to be able to understand and take into
consideration interlocutors’ different perspectives simultaneously.” (p. 8)
As it can be seen, there is more to intercultural awareness than merely acquiring
facts about another culture. Chris Rose (2004, cited in Yassine 2006), lists
observing, identifying and recording elements in both the home and target cultures,
comparing and contrasting, negotiating meaning, dealing with or tolerating
ambiguity, accepting difference, defending one’s own point of view while
acknowledging the legitimacy of others, and not limiting the possibility of
interpretation as necessary skills and attitudes for heightened intercultural
awareness.

7


Intercultural awareness, as defined by Byram et al. (2002) is “the process of
becoming more aware of and developing better understanding of one’s own culture
and others cultures all over the world to increase international and cross-cultural
understanding” (p. 5). This definition is adopted in this study because the purpose of
this study is to raise students’ intercultural understanding through a particular
pedagogical intervention, i.e., guided discussions.
Byram goes on to say that Intercultural Awareness is the ability to interact

effectively with people of cultures other than one’s own (Byram, 2000, p. 297). The
term intercultural implies a restructuring of one’s own attitudes and world view
(Seelye, 1994, p. 21). In other words, Intercultural Awareness involves awareness
of different values, attitudes and behaviors of the “others”, as well as skills to deal
with them in a non-judgmental way. It requires that students acquire the knowledge,
skills, attitudes and critical culture awareness to communicate interculturally,
(Parmenter, 2003, p. 20). Intercultural language learning is not simply a method of
embedding language, culture and learning, but rather an overall orientation, a way
of thinking and doing, a stance and overall perspective which influences all
decisions regarding curriculum (Asian Education Foundation, 2005, p. 6). In terms
of Foreign Language classroom practice Intercultural Awareness refers to activities
connected with behavior and speech patterns, such as appropriate choices for
conversation topics, opening and closing a conversation, criticizing and
complaining, stereotyping, reacting to culture shock, personal space restrictions and
non-verbal communication.
As it can be seen, intercultural awareness is awareness of how cultural context
and background influence communication, the ability to predict possible areas of
miscommunication and mediate between different culturally based communicative
behaviours.
Moreover, intercultural awareness can be regarded as the foundation of
communication. It involves two qualities: one is the awareness of one’s own
culture; the other is the awareness of another culture. In other words, it involves the

8


ability of standing back from our own point and becoming aware of not only our
own cultural values, beliefs and perceptions, but also those of other cultures.
Cultural awareness becomes essential when people communicate with people from
other cultures. Because people see, interpret and evaluate things in different ways,

what is considered as appropriate in one culture is likely to be inappropriate in
another, and therefore, misunderstandings arise when people communicate. For
example, as a Vietnamese, his intuition on seeing an American is probably as the
one who always works, wears casual clothes, eats fast food, drinks coca cola and
talks about business over lunch. These impressions more or less reflect that the
meaning people giving to certain activities, like having lunch or dinner could be
different in contrast to certain cultures. In Vietnam, where relationships are highly
valued, lunch, dinner or a gathering for tea has a social connotation: people get
together to talk and relax, and more importantly, to build an intimate relationship.
Misinterpretations occur primarily when we are not aware of our own behavioral
rules and project them onto others. In absence of cultural awareness, we tend to
misinterpret the verbal or the non-verbal behavior of the person with whom we
interact.
To sum up, a general definition is the willingness and ability to realize the need
for social changes within an international context as well as to understand the
increasing connectivity between different cultural groups. Ideally, this increasing
connectivity will be seen as an uneven process of development upon which further
efforts to improve the situation will need to be undertaken in order to ensure a more
globalized social community. Intercultural awareness is necessary in order to
achieve competence in intercultural relations. Chen (2007) argues it is “the
cognitive aspect of intercultural communication” and refers to “the understanding of
cultural conventions that affect how people think and behave.”
Since intercultural awareness in language learning is often talked about as
though it were a 'fifth skill' - the ability to be aware of cultural relativity following
reading, writing, listening and speaking. There is something to be said for this as an

9


initial attempt to understand or define something that may seem a difficult concept

but, as Claire Kramsch points out.
Generally, language itself is defined by a culture. We cannot be competent in the
language if we do not also understand the culture that has shaped and informed it.
We can not learn a second language if we do not have an awareness of that culture,
and how that culture relates to our own first language/ first culture. It is not only
therefore

essential

to

have

cultural

awareness,

but

also

intercultural

awareness. Following on from what Kramsch says above, intercultural awareness is
not really therefore a skill, but a collection of skills and attitudes better thought of as
a competence.
1.2 The role of intercultural awareness
According to Friedman (2005), the world is “flat” now. Geographical
borders and boundaries are perhaps becoming increasingly irrelevant in today’s
globalized world. Different societies in East and West are in much greater direct

contact with one another. Therefore, it is critical to be aware of cultural variation, to
develop intercultural communication skills, and to become more effective at
working across cultures.

Also, a study by Stadler (2009) shows that some

fundamental aspects of intercultural communication and business values that may
seem obvious to some are still often overlooked; these include knowing the culture
of Asian clients, greeting appropriately, showing respect, and gift giving. Not
knowing these things can pose unexpected problems while doing business in the
global market. But if cultural awareness and intercultural competence are essential
components for efficient communication in a modern, globalized world, how do we
teach these skills. Eastern and Western cultures are so distinct that one can only
truly understand and appreciate them through concrete examples. Learning
language and culture in a target country not only provides language learners a clear
context but also shows them how foreign customs are carried out in real life. This
presentation will further illustrate how to design activities that can increase learners’
intercultural awareness.

10


In addition, intercultural competence involves raising the learner’s awareness
of their own culture as well as raising awareness of the culture of the language
being learned. Learners are often asked to reflect on aspects related to their own
culture and the target culture as they look at differences and similarities and explore
areas that are often taken for granted. This will ultimately help to clarify what is
deepest and most relevant to their identity. Students gradually develop an awareness
of themselves and how they relate to those who are from the other culture, the
“other”. With the right choice of activities, the foreign language classroom can help

learners turn their attention back to their lives and discover certain aspects in which
they can take pride.
Learners are very active agents in the learning process; the focus is on them,
what they can bring into the classroom, and what they can take out of it. Learning
about the target culture is redirected towards a more concerted hands-on experience
learning approach where the learner engages in a discovery process of both the
target and home cultures and their ways of life (Sellami, 2000). The learner, in the
process, does not only learn a foreign language but also develops as a person and as
a member of a larger community. Incorporating intercultural awareness in the
foreign language class can and should promote developing awareness of the
learner’s own identity, (Fenner, 2008) and thus personal growth. The personal
growth is a product of enabling students to reconcile their own beliefs with ideas
from the culture of the “other” that may be very new and challenging (Porto, 2009).
Many specialists use the iceberg model to explain the culture. In everyday
interaction we see only the surface level of culture, i. e, books, film, food, fashion
and language. It is the underbelly of the cultural iceberg that poses the problems.
They are fundamentals such as attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, world views,
communication styles and values. If people are unaware of such differences when it
comes to such fundamentals, the potential for misunderstandings, poor
communication and failed relationships are increased.

11


On the other hand, becoming aware of our cultural dynamics is a difficult task
because culture is not conscious to us. Since we are born we have learned to see and
do things at an unconscious level. Our experiences, our values and our cultural
background lead us to see and do things in a certain way. Sometimes we have to
step outside of our cultural boundaries in order to realize the impact that our culture
has on our behavior. It is very helpful to gather feedback from foreign colleagues on

our behavior to get more clarity on our cultural traits.
Obviously, misinterpretations occur primarily when we lack awareness of our
own behavioral rules and project them on others. In absence of better knowledge we
tend to assume, instead of finding out what a behavior means to the person
involved, e.g. a straight look into your face is regarded as disrespectful in Japan.
Therefore, intercultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact
with people from other cultures. People see, interpret and evaluate things in a
different ways. What is considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is
frequently inappropriate in another one. Misunderstandings arise when we use my
meanings to make sense of your reality. For example, as an Italian it is almost
automatic to perceive United State Americans as people who always work, talk
about business over lunch and drink their coffee running in the street instead of
enjoying it in a bar. What does it mean? Italians are lazy and Americans
hyperactive? It means that the meaning that people give to certain activities, like
having lunch or dinner could be different according to certain cultures. In Italy,
where relationships are highly valued, lunch, dinner or simple pauses for coffee
have a social connotation: people get together to talk and relax, and to get to know
each other better. In the United State Americans, where time is money, lunches can
be part of closing a deal where people discuss the outcomes and sign a contract over
coffee.
The appropriateness of focusing on a single variety of English is becoming hard
to sustain. Instead there is a need to negotiate the diversity of English through
developing the skills and knowledge associated with multilingual, intercultural

12


communication such

as accommodation, code-switching, negotiation and

mediation. Intercultural awareness (Baker, 2009 a; 2012) is an attempt to specify
what some of these skills and knowledge might be.
As stated in Byram, intercultural awareness builds on the earlier approaches to
intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997) in viewing successful
intercultural communication as a process which goes beyond vocabulary, grammar
and phonology. However, whereas cultural awareness has tended to deal in cultures
as definable entities, ICA recognizes the intercultural nature of the socio-cultural
context of lingua franca communication through English.
According to Straub (1999) as cited in Thanasoulas (2001), learners need to be
provided with some kind of meta-language in order to talk about their culture and
“to cultivate a degree of intellectual objectivity essential in cross-cultural analysis.”
Critical thinking skills are developed when students are forced to confront the
foundations of their own culture as they relate to the foundations of the culture of
the language being learned.
1.3 Developing intercultural awareness
Intercultural awareness means the transformation from “ethnocentrism” to
“ethnorelativism” and the ability to view an issue through the eyes of another
person and “empathize” with and recognize the fact that dynamics of
communication can lead to intercultural changes in person and society (Frederique
& Pascaline 2005).
One of the most well-established models of intercultural competence was
developed by Byram in 1997 (Sinicrope, Norris and Watanabe, 2007). Byram
proposed a five-factor model of intercultural competence (Byram, 1997, Chapter 2):
1. The attitude factor which refers to the ability to see oneself in relation to
others,
2. Knowledge about one’s own and other cultures, and in addition knowledge
about the process of social interaction
3. The skills of interpreting and relating,

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4. The skills of discovery and interaction, and
5. Cultural awareness which describes the ability to use perspectives, practices,
and products, in one’s own culture and in other cultures to make evaluations.
In order to improve students’ intercultural awareness, should pay attention to
enhance intercultural awareness skills. What are these attitudes and skills that make
up the competence? Among them are:
- observing, identifying and recognizing
- comparing and contrasting
- negotiating meaning
- dealing with or tolerating ambiguity
- effectively interpreting messages
- limiting the possibility of misinterpretation
- defending one's own point of view while acknowledging the legitimacy of others
- accepting difference
These are very similar to many of the skills we teach normally. So what makes
intercultural learning different? Raised awareness of what we do and of the vital
importance of these skills already makes intercultural communicative competence a
more attainable goal. Moreover, despite the fact that the competence is more than
just a body of knowledge-intercultural awareness skills can be developed by
designing materials which have cultural and intercultural themes as their content, a
kind of loop input, if you like. Developing intercultural awareness involves not only
becoming familiar with cultural beliefs and practices in a new language and cultural
context, but also becoming aware of own beliefs and values. Intercultural skills can
be developed in a number of ways; these are a few that you can do outside the
classroom, or bring into your language classes for discussion.
Discussion is very often used as a teaching tool in classrooms. When designed
properly and used thoughtfully, discussion tasks can be an effective learning tool

that promote creativity, as well as generate meaningful interaction and
understanding for the learner. Well-designed discussion tasks lead to progressive

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knowledge-seeking inquiry (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994) or expansive learning
(Engestrom, 1999) where learners are actively synthesizing new information with
prior knowledge and experiences in the process of creating not only new knowledge
but also new understanding of the learning process.
Class discussions can enhance student understanding, add context to academic
content, broaden student perspectives, highlight opposing viewpoints, reinforce
knowledge, build confidence, and support community in learning. The opportunities
for meaningful and engaging in-class discussion may vary widely, depending on the
subject matter and format of the course. Motivation for holding planned classroom
discussion, however, remain consistent.
The move to understanding discussion as more than an instructional tool that
encourages learners to talk has implications for the design of discussion tasks.
Hacker and Niederhauser (2000) argue that effective learning comes about
through teachers' thoughtful design and use of instructional strategies.
The learning-through-discussion framework shares aspects of Bereiter's (1994)
concept of progressive discourse, where the goals are for learners to first develop
their individual thinking, then suspend these opinions to consider alternatives, and
later negotiate meaning with other discussants to arrive at a shared understanding of
the issues at hand. With thoughtful and well-designed discussion tasks, teachers can
help students attain learning goals of critical inquiry, debate and reflection.
There are four major discussion tasks designed for classroom use, with a
description of teachers' roles and learning strategies to be adopted by the
discussants. However, guided discussion task will be used effectively in this
research.

According to Ngeow, Karen - Kong, Yoon-San (2003), the goal of guided or
directed discussion tasks is to give learners a chance to develop critical thinking,
clear oral expression, as well as experience in posing and responding to questions.

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