Title EFL Teachers' Beliefs about the Development of Intercultural competence Title (croatian) Uvjerenja nastavnika engleskog kao stranog jezika o razvoju interkulturalne kompetencije Author Anja Birović Mentor Anna Martinović (mentor)Committee member Ivo Fabijanić (predsjednik povjerenstva)Committee member Anna Martinović (član povjerenstva)Committee member Dino Dumančić (član povjerenstva)Granter University of Zadar Defense date and country 2023-10-31, Croatia Scientific / art field, HUMANISTIC SCIENCES Abstract Intercultural competence is an essential factor in learning a second language, as it facilitates more efficient language acquisition and fosters a deeper understanding of the world. The main goal of this research was to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of English foreign language (EFL) teachers regarding the cultural aspect of teaching a foreign language and how language learners' intercultural competence is developed in Croatian schools. In addition, the strategies and activities that teachers use when teaching intercultural competence were explored, as well as the challenges that English language teachers face when teaching intercultural competence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of ten elementary and high school EFL teachers. The results showed that Croatian EFL teachers have positive attitudes toward teaching intercultural competence and consider it an integral part of English language teaching. In addition, it was found that teachers used different teaching strategies and activities to encourage intercultural competence among learners. For example, they use additional Internet materials, presentations, discussions, group work, games, and video calls. Several challenges that teachers encounter in their attempt to develop learners' intercultural competence include a lack of time, the need for additional training and seminars, and traveling or spending some time abroad. In conclusion, this study highlights the limitations of the research given that a few respondents participated in the research. However, the study also shows that there is a need to address some of the challenges of developing learners' intercultural competence, especially considering its place in the curriculum and importance in today's world.
Abstract (croatian) Interkulturalna kompetencija jedan je od bitnih čimbenika u učenju drugog jezika, budući da olakšava učinkovitije usvajanje jezika i potiče dublje razumijevanje svijeta oko nas. Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je istražiti percepcije i stavove nastavnika engleskog stranog jezika o kulturološkom aspektu poučavanja stranog jezika i poučavanja interkulturalne kompetencije u hrvatskim školama. Putem polu-strukturiranih intervjua s deset osnovnoškolskih i srednjoškolskih učitelja engleskog jezika istražile su se strategije i aktivnosti koje učitelji koriste prilikom poučavanja interkulturalne kompetencije te izazove s kojima se nastavnici engleskog jezika suočavaju prilikom poučavanja interkulturalne kompetencije. Rezultati su pokazali da hrvatski nastavnici koji podučavaju engleski jezik imaju pozitivne stavove o poučavanju interkulturalne kompetencije i smatraju je sastavnim dijelom nastave engleskog jezika. Također, hrvatski učitelji engleskog jezika koriste različite nastavne strategije i aktivnosti za poticanje interkulturalne kompetencije među svojim učenicima. Neki od primjera su internetski materijali, prezentacije, rasprave, grupni rad, igranje igara, video pozivi, itd. Najveći problem s kojim se hrvatski učitelji engleskog jezika suočavaju prilikom uključivanja sve većeg broja kulturnih aspekata u svoja predavanja, najčešće su nedostatak vremena, potrebu za dodatnom obukom i seminarima na ovom polju te putovanje ili provođenje određenog vremena u inozemstvu. Zaključno, ovaj rad ističe ograničenja istraživanja s obzirom da je u istraživanju sudjelovao malen broj ispitanika. Međutim, preporučuju se daljnja istraživanja za rješavanjem nekih od izazova razvoja interkulturalnih kompetencija učenika, posebno s obzirom na njezino mjesto u kurikulumu i njegovu važnost u današnjem svijetu.
Keywords
Second language acquisition
English Foreign Language (EFL) teaching
Intercultural competence
primary and secondary EFL teachers
Keywords (croatian)
usvajanje drugog jezika
interkulturalna kompetencija
nastava engleskog kao stranog jezika
nastavnici engleskog jezika u osnovnim i srednjim školama
Language english URN:NBN urn:nbn:hr:162:819785 Study programme Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Teaching, Research Type of resource Text File origin Born digital Access conditions Open access Terms of use Created on 2023-11-02 13:50:36
