INTERCULTURAL PEDAGOGY IN LESS COMMONLY TAUGHT LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS: TEACHER PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES

Abstract

The main goal of this in-depth case study is to explore perceptions of less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors regarding intercultural communication competence (ICC) and how these perceptions shape their intercultural teaching practices. The findings demonstrate that intercultural approaches to teaching foreign languages differ across LCTL instructors. It describes how they infuse intercultural communication goals into their curriculums. Systematic investigation of foreign language teacher perceptions and practices for intercultural communication is critical as teacher perceptions profoundly influence their teaching practices and design choices (Byram & Risager, 1999; Sercu, 2005; Young & Sachdev, 2011). Therefore, it is essential to learn more about the LCTL instructors' perceptions, practices, and transformational experiences to infuse intercultural communication goals into their curriculum and teaching practices. Using a descriptive case study approach, I investigated how LCTL instructors' perceptions of culture and intercultural communicative competence guide their intercultural communication practices and highlighted their challenges in promoting ICC. Nine LCTL instructors were selected as the study participants. The primary data includes semi-structured interviews. The secondary data consists of observation notes and documents such as syllabuses, lesson plans, or activity descriptions. Data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis methods. The following five themes were generated after analyzing data: 1. Conceptualizing culture and intercultural communicative competence. 2. Reflections on critical stance and teacher roles. 3. Creative ways of co-constructing meaning in different spaces. 4. Perceived obstacles with designing and facilitating intercultural communication. 5. Reported needs of LCTL instructors for promoting intercultural communication. This study highlights LCTL instructors' perceived understanding of intercultural communication, describes LCTL instructors' innovative solutions for promoting intercultural communication in foreign language classrooms, and addresses reported challenges in LCTL classrooms.