You are on page 1of 31

Running head: K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

K-6 Korean English Language Teachers’ Intercultural Competence Commented [APS1]: Consider adding a verb, e.g.,
exploring, examining
Or you might consider perspectives and applications to
reflect your RQ.

Hyejin Yoon

George Mason University

Fall, 2017

EDUC 851 001: Research on Teacher Education


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 2

Abstract Commented [APS2]: Ok but see my guidelines on going


public ppt for later.
The world’s regions and countries have close ties with each other in most areas of human
activity such as politics, economics, society, culture, and education (Popkewitz et al., 2009;
Satyanath, 2006; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2004). To successfully cooperate and communicate with
one another, language is considered essential because it plays a crucial role for people to
exchange their perspectives, convictions and cultures (Seelye, 1993). The trend of teaching
culture in language classes is reflected in the curriculum of English language teaching in Korea.
In the 2009 revised National Curriculum, English was defined as an ‘international language’ and
a part of a toolkit enabling effective communication among people with different cultural
backgrounds and languages. To accomplish this, intercultural competence (IC) is required.
Hence, this qualitative study is planned to assess how English language teachers in Korea
perceive and apply IC in their teaching practices.

Introduction

The world’s regions and countries have close ties with each other in most areas of human

activity such as politics, economics, society, culture, and education (Popkewitz et al., 2009;

Satyanath, 2006; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2004). To successfully cooperate and communicate with

one another, language is considered essential, because it plays a crucial role for people to

exchange their perspectives, convictions and cultures (Seelye, 1993). As a global language,

English is no longer only for people who are native speakers, rather it is an international

language used for communication between people from various languages and cultures (Crystal,

1997; McArthur, 2003; Pennycook, 1994; Tam, 2004). However, one of the serious obstacles to

more successful use of English for non-native speakers is a lack of adequately perceiving

communication partners’ cultures, which can cause misunderstandings and conflicts. Therefore,

teachers should encourage students to become active members of the international community,
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 3

and to do that, especially in a language class, it is necessary to integrate cultural elements in their

teaching.

Globalization, especially English’s globalization creates a variety of challenges for

teacher education, including the need for training pre- and in-service language teachers to have

intercultural competence (IC). To fulfill new tasks in the International Language education, the

qualities of foreign language teaching professionals need to be revisited and refocused. Zhao

(2010) argued that a new generation of teachers is required which means that teachers should be

“… able to act as global citizens, understand the global system, and deliver a globally oriented

education” (p.429). Also, Levy and Fox (2015) contend that on top of content knowledge,

teachers should show their expertise in culturally pertinent pedagogical skills and have a

language proficiency, understanding linguistic diversity and theories of second language

acquisition. That is, English teachers should comprehend the nature of international language so

that they can impart IC to students. Moreover, Kramsch (2004) defined a language teacher as a

‘trans-cultural go-between’ who can lead more globally oriented language education. In a

similar meaning, language teachers are ‘intercultural mediators’ who acquired knowledge of how

to interact with people from other cultures (Byram, 1997).

As a result, foreign language professionals need to have pertinent knowledge, skills, and

attitudes (Bennet, 2009) on cultures so as to carry out the role of ‘trans-cultural go-betweens’ and Commented [APS3]: Cite terms

‘intercultural mediators’. Teacher education organizations should train pre- and in-service

language teachers to be equipped with high sensitivity on cultural disparities and to be competent

in communication with heterogeneous people (Byram & Fleming, 1998; Sercu, 2006). As

‘intercultural mediators’, language teachers have a responsibility to teach culture in class. By

virtue of culture education, students can experience “penetration that occurs between individuals
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 4

at the interpersonal level as people from different backgrounds come together to collaborate in

the pursuit of a common goal” (Cushner, 2015, p. 204).

The trend of teaching culture in language classes is reflected in the curriculum of English

language teaching in Korea. In the 2009 revised the National Curriculum, English was defined

as an ‘international language’ and a part of a toolkit enabling effective communication among

people with different cultural backgrounds and languages. The modified English language

education curriculum is meaningful in that it highlights the necessity of cultural education in

developing communication strategies, which is distinguished from traditional aspects of

education in Korea. Thus, as Korean education reforms are implemented, it will be important to

assess how the English language teachers in Korea perceive and apply IC in their teaching Commented [APS4]: Good – could include in your study
title.
practices.

Literature Review

Conceptualization of Culture

Across many disciplines, scholars studied with regard to culture over a long period time.

Due to the complex and ambiguous nature of culture, it was hardly difficult? agreed to define

the meaning of culture with one concept. According to Brody (2003), there are hundreds of

definitions of culture at the beginning of 20 century. Among many cultural notions, it is

meaningful to examine the one of Edward T. Hall (1989), because he was an original thinker

whom many scholars consider to be the founder of the study of intercultural communication. He

introduced a concept which he regarded as potentially threatening to harmonious relationships

among people. According to Hall (1989), mankind has been adding to their weaknesses by

evolving various “extensions” (p. 25), cultural elements such as languages, mechanical systems,

and social structures that affect how one perceives one’s culture. Humans are caught in a trap
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 5

called “extension transference” (p. 28), thus culture is becoming lived in an unconscious way.

Hall used “extension transference” to explain the phenomenon, underlining how one loses

consciousness or awareness of one’s culture. Once the extensions are internalized, the author

explained, cultural influences on humans’ political acts, decision-making, prioritizing and ways

of thinking are not consciously understood. Culture plays such a prominent part in every aspect

of our lives and it is easy for us to be hoodwinked into believing that our convictions are true and

universal when in fact they are not.

As a result, human beings marginalize themselves and lose their ability to control their

culture. So long as direct conflicts do not occur in intercultural and interethnic encounters,

culture does not easily come up to the level of consciousness. It is in ‘background’ and is

extraordinarily subtle. Hall (1989) argued that through a process of rigorous analysis, “identity-

separation-growth” (Hall, 1989, p. 227), mankind should make efforts to find the original

identities that have been lost and marginalized. Hall’s argument justifies the need for Korean EL

teachers who are in multicultural settings to develop their cultural sensitivities.

Dimensions of Culture

Culture is multidimensional concept. Bennett (1998) identified culture as having two

layers; Upper-Case Culture and Lower-Case culture. The first is “Culture writ large” with a

capital “C” (p. 2) such as social, economic, political and linguistic systems. By means of

understanding those objective cultures, people are able to increase their knowledge regarding the

cultures. On the other hand, the subjective culture, “culture writ small” with a small “c” (p. 2)

can generate competence, because subjective culture refers to the psychological features such as

the patterns of beliefs and acts and values of people. Edward T. Hall (1989) was a pioneer in

identifying different communication methods in different cultures. He developed the concept of


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 6

‘high context communication’ and ‘low context communication’, for understanding behaviors

across cultures. In high context cultures such as South Korea, Japan, and China, a few words go

a long way. Full meaning is found in the broader context in which the communication occurs.

In contrast, in low context cultures such as the US, German, and the UK, lots of words are

needed to communicate meanings clearly as the context or situation is not as ‘meaning rich’. A

broad understanding of the importance of the cultural dimension in society had been further

expanded and explored in detail by G. Hofstede (2001). He developed value indexes—measures

of traits that appear in cultures. These include and are outlined in the table below. Each index

can be regarded as a continuum. Organizations and societies can be placed along each index.

Given that all individuals exhibit various degrees of their own cultures, categorizing people

based on dimensional models and then assuming people’s ways of communicating is

oversimplification. Hall and Hofstede’s distinctions contribute to understanding and handling

the complex reality of our social world (Hofstede, 2011). Hence, cultural sensitivity is needed

for teachers to have effective intercultural relationships with their students.

Power Distance Index (PDI)


High Power Low Power
• Concentrated power • Dispersed power
• Authority clear • Authority less clear
Individualism vs. Collectivism Index (IDV)
Individualism Collectivism
• Loose family ties • Strong, extended family ties
• Loose Loyalty to group • Strong Loyalty to Familial Group

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)


High UAI Low UAI
• Strict Codes of Behavior • Less Structure
• Rigid Outlooks • Acceptance of Differences of
Views
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 7

Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS)


High Masculinity High Femininity
• Achievement Orientation • Empathy, Care for Others
• Assertiveness, Heroism • Modesty, Cooperation
Long-Term Orientation vs. Short Term Orientation (LTO)
High LTO High STO
• Adaptive Problem Solving • Past Oriented, Tradition

Figure 1. Hofestede’s Cultural Dimensions

Conceptualization of IC

The word ‘intercultural’ is combination of ‘inter’ and ‘cultural’. Due to the prefix ‘inter’

indicating ‘between’, the term ‘intercultural’ emphasizes relationships and interactions between

individuals of different cultures (Hill 2006; Pusch 2004). Believing that intercultural

competence was essential for people to acquire and promote to solve conflict sprang from

cultural disparities, over the last 30 years, many scholars used and defined the term intercultural

competence, but they could not reach a consensus on a single definition (Deardorff, 2006). Chen

and Starosta (1997) considered intercultural competence as a behavioral aspect for effective

intercultural interaction. Based on their argument, so as to interact with others in an effective

manner, people need intercultural awareness (cognitive), intercultural sensitivity (affective), and

intercultural competence (behavioral) (Chen & Starosta, 1997). Lustig and Koester (2006)

explain that intercultural competence requires knowledge, motivation, skills in communication

and germane behaviors. According to Byram (1997), intercultural competence is comprised of

five savoirs; Savoir (knowledge), Savoir-etre (curious and opened attitudes), Savoir-comprendre

(skills of interpreting and relating), Savoir-apprendre/faire (skills of discovery and interaction)

and Savoir s’engager (critical awareness). However, in terms of the commonalities between
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 8

various definitions, a majority of theorists recognize that intercultural competence is related to

four dimensions, knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors (Perry et al., 2011).

Dimensions of Culture Learning

Paige (2005) introduced five dimensions of culture learning: knowing the self as a

cultural being, knowing culture per se, knowing culture specifically, and knowing culture

generally, and knowing how to use communication strategies in intercultural settings. These five

dimensions of culture learning can be a theoretical framework which serves as guidance for

teaching and learning intercultural competence in classrooms. The learning content is the self as

a cultural being; learners will be aware of how the cultures they were born and raised contributes

to their individual identities. Cultural self-awareness enables learners to understand cultural

influences and to compare and contrast between cultures as the foundation of intercultural

competence. To be effective cultural learners, they should know what culture is. Paige’s (2005)

definition is “Culture refers to values, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, customs, learning styles,

communication styles, history/historical interpretations, achievements/accomplishments,

technology, the arts, literature, etc.—the sum total of what a particular group of people has

created together, share, and transmit” (Paige, 2006, p. 43). Another learning content is the

specific elements of the host culture. Culture-specific learning enables learners to be more

proficient in specific cultural settings. In terms of cultural-general learning, learners experience

cultural commonalities and disparities. In the learning process, individuals experience

phenomena such as intercultural adjustment, adaptation, culture shock, acculturation, and

assimilation. Lastly, students learn about learning; they acquire strategies that they can use in

intercultural communicative situations.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 9

Process and Developmental Models of IC

While Paige (2005) presented the content of cultural learning, M. Bennett (1993)

conceptualized a developmental model of intercultural competence. The Developmental Model

of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) is used as a framework so as to understand cognitive

development, not attitudes and behavior, that learners come to experience in intercultural

situations. Teachers should carefully reflect their perspectives to detect if unintentional and

subtle prejudice are promoted in their classes. DIMS could be an effective tool to understand

teachers’ world view, because through the DMIS stages, the level of cultural competency and

sensitivity among teachers could be measured (Van Hook, 2000).

The assumption underlying the model of DMIS is that as the experiences of cultural

disparities become more sophisticated, one’s intercultural competence increases. In the DMIS

model, there are total six stages along the continuum of intercultural sensitivity. The first three

stages, denial, defense, and minimization, are ethnocentric. People who are dominated by

ethnocentrism consider their own cultures as a center, so they tend to interpret phenomena based

on their own cultures. The rest three stages, acceptance, adaptation, and integration, are

ethnorelative. People who are oriented to ethnorelativism are inclined to understand their own

culture as it relates to other cultures and their behaviors are context-bound.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 10

Figure1. The Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Adapted from Towards ethnorelativism: A
developmental model of intercultural sensitivity, by M. J. Bennett, (1993).

IC in Language Classrooms

Due to the applicability of DMIS’s core principles to not only cultural learning but also

language learning, the model can be beneficial for language teachers. When we see language

learning as a communication endeavor and as a humanistic enterprise, the development of an

intercultural mind from cultural learning of DMIS resonates with communicative proficiency-

related theories of language learning (Bennett et al., 2003). The model posits that in cultural

learning, people explore cultural self-awareness, and relate their first languages to a

second/foreign language. Moreover, the model focuses on how learners approach cultural

similarity and difference, centering cultural difference in the development of intercultural

awareness. The importance of similarity and difference exists in the language learning domain

as well.

The DMIS provides a guide for language teachers to match language proficiency levels to

developmental levels of intercultural sensitivity by collapsing the six stages of DMIS into three

stages; denial and defense into stage I, novice; minimization and acceptance into stage II,
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 11

intermediate; adaptation and integration into stage III, advanced. By dint of assessing the

learners’ stages of language and cultural learning, the teachers can adjust the level of cultural

complexity in curriculum and prepare relevant teaching and learning materials.

Competence Stage I Stage II Stage III


Stage Novice Intermediate Advanced
Novice

Language Level

College Intermediate
Language
Proficiency Language Level
Level

Advanced

Language Level

Developmental
Level of
Intercultural Denial/Defense Minimization/Acceptance Adaptation/Integration
Sensitivity
Ethnocentric Stages Ethnorelative Stages
Experience of Differences

Figure 2. Development of Intercultural sensitivity. Reprinted from Culture as the core, by Bennett, M. J.,
Bennett, M. J., & Allen, W. (2003).

Investigation into IC of Language Teachers

In European countries

Sercu (2006) investigated foreign language (FL) teachers’ beliefs on the cultural aspect of

their FL teaching practices and the teaching of intercultural competence. The research began

with the perception that there was a precondition to transform teachers’ convictions on IC and

alter their teaching practice, and the research began by diagnosing what teachers knew about IC,

how they taught IC and how they reacted to IC in their present circumstances. The researcher
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 12

collected data from 424 teachers from 7 countries. The questionnaire contained questions

regarding participants’ convictions on IC and language and cultural teaching practices. Thanks to

Sercu’s (2006) efforts, people could perceive FL teachers’ self-concepts and IC teaching

practices and the relationships between them. Sercu (2006) examined whether FL teachers’

professional profiles were meeting the formal standards generated in the theoretical literature

regarding the ‘foreign language and intercultural competency teacher’. According to the

findings, FL teachers’ knowledge, skills, and attitude were still insufficient to satisfy the

standard.

In the USA, UK and France

Generally, integrating cultural elements into language learning and teaching is strongly

advocated in the theoretical and applied linguistic literature and in frameworks such as the

Council of Europe’s Common European framework of reference for languages. However,

Young and Sachdev (2010) noticed that there was little empirical research conducted with regard

to the extent to whether or how such an approach was operationalized. Hence the authors

investigated the beliefs and practice of in-service teachers in the USA, UK and France based on

the model of IC, Byram’s language-pedagogical model of IC. They implemented mix method

techniques such as diaries, focus groups and questionnaire so as to collect data. Given the

findings, an apparent disparity between experienced teachers’ beliefs and attitudes on IC, and

their classroom performance appeared to exist. That is, most participants reported their general

consensus about teaching cultures in schools and supported the idea that ‘good’ teacher and

learners are likely to reveal high intercultural competence. However, the participants proposed

that the problem was aggravated by a lack of support in testing, in textbooks, and in institutional

syllabi for ‘cultural learning’ and interculturality.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 13

In China

In response to the current broad emphasis of globalization and internationalization, IC

development was emphasized for Chinese English teachers. Tian (2013) paid attention to

Chinese teachers of English in China and their intercultural competence, posing questions about

Chinese English teachers’ perception of IC in their teaching, the way they apply dimensions of

IC in their classrooms, and the connection between their beliefs on IC and their choices in

teaching culture. Tian collected data by using a mixed method. A total of 96 Chinese teachers of

English, and among them, a sample of 7-11 teachers was selected for class observations and one-

on-one interviews. The researcher found that the participants were inclined to focus on

developing students’ language skills based on textbook content; they presented a reluctant

attitude concerning the ambiguity of intercultural teaching. They also had a lack of interest in

guiding students to explore their cultural identity and cultural self-knowledge. In terms of

intercultural topics and activities that participants dealt with in classrooms, these were not a main

focus in most participating teachers’ classes, and the participants prepared extended factual

knowledge drawn from textbooks regarding culture, especially concerning English speaking

countries. The teachers acted as the knowledge provider in classrooms, so the classroom

interactions occurred to deliver the knowledge. Finally, Tian (2013) observed that Chinese

philosophy, institutional context, and personal background contributed to teachers’ beliefs and

practices with respect to IC. The lack of cultural knowledge and emphasis on teaching-to-the-

test, and curriculum requirements intervened in implementing the teachers’ beliefs.

In Korea
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 14

In communicative language teaching (CLT), IC has been emphasized based on numerous

theories. However, due to the nature of culture learning there had been few critical reviews

regarding culture learning in language education (Piage, et al., 2000). Park (2006) posed the

problem of the lack of established empirical research regarding the developmental relationship

between intercultural sensitivity and linguistic competence. The author explored a theoretical

information gap and a conceptual myth that the two components, intercultural and linguistic

competence, were embedded inside each other through a heuristic approach. To assess the

strength of the relationship between two variables, intercultural and linguistic competence in 104

Korean student teachers, the researcher employed two instruments, the Intercultural

Development Inventory (IDI), and Michigan English Language Institute College English Test

(MELICET). The results indicated that little correlation was found between the level of

intercultural sensitivity and linguistic competence. While a significant mean difference was

observed in linguistic competence between primary and secondary student teachers, in the level

of intercultural sensitivity, the mean difference was not significant. The findings of this study

advocated the theoretical claims that intercultural competence might not naturally grow with the

development of linguistic competence. Therefore, the researcher suggested that intercultural

competence should have been taught in an explicit manner, as we did in language education.

Research Question

The following questions will guide my research:

1. How do K-6 EL teachers in Korea perceive their culture and other cultures?

2. What are K-6 EL teachers in Korea understandings about intercultural competence?


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 15

3. How do K-6 EL teachers in Korea embody intercultural competence in effective

classroom interactions?

4. In what way have K-6 EL teachers in Korea made efforts so as to incorporate Commented [APS5]: You could also narrow to only this
question and use the other questions as interview
questions. Or the reverse.
instructional strategies to cultivate students’ intercultural competence into their teaching?

Proposed Methodology

This study will collect data by implementing qualitative research methodologies,

interviews, observations and examining the participants’ syllabi and teaching materials. The

qualitative data will be collected to be able to conduct a detailed contextual analysis to:

1) explore what the English language teachers know about teaching culture;

2) investigate how the English language teachers educate IC in their classrooms; and

3) examine how the English language teachers’ theories compare to their teaching performances

regarding IC. This study is designed to seek generic ideas about the connection between English Commented [APS6]: Interesting idea!

language teachers’ knowledge and application of their IC through exploring their past and

present stories, and to discover new issues for future research.

Participants

The research participants will be approximately 10 Korean EL teachers. They might

have English as their second or foreign language and work for K-6 schools in Korea. They will

be in different ages, genders and they will have different levels of teaching experiences. To find Commented [APS7]: Why?

participants, I will employ the convenience and snowball sampling by using personal

connections; asking my friend who is a teacher at a school for introductions to their friends who

are Korean EL teachers. Also, I will invite participants by dint of sending recruitment e-mails Commented [APS8]: ?

(see Appendix A) to schools.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 16

Data Sources

The data sources for this research will be classroom observations and field memos,

documents, and one-on-one interviews. Before the first individual interview, each participant will

complete questionnaire (see Appendix C). Through the questionnaire, I will collect demographic

data and catch a glimpse at participants’ cultural awareness.

Class observations and field memos. The data collected through class observations will

be saved in the form of memos and audio recordings. The classroom observation will take 45

minutes on average for each class; it will be one time for each participant. While observing, I

will record the conversations that will occur between the teachers and the students. I want to see

teachers’ attitudes and skills of IC that permeated into the interactions between teacher and

students. The recordings will be transcribed, and analyzed.

While recording the classroom conversations, I will sit in the corner of the classrooms as

a passive observer, and create field memos that will be kept in a three-column grid. In the left

side column, I will record the time to match the audio-recording. In the middle column, I will

write down what will get the attentions of me, but the participants will take for granted in the

way they will act, by using a low inference vocabulary. For example, when I might hear a

teacher raise her voice, I write down “↑volume of her voice” and then in the right side column, I

will write the interpretive element like “as if angry”. Commented [APS9]: Careful to assume. Just report facts.

Teachers’ curriculum and teaching materials. I will collect teachers’ syllabi, and

teaching materials; their lesson aims and detailed plans such as classroom activities, and extra

sources that teachers will prepare before classes. Through analyzing these data, I will understand

teachers’ capabilities and intentions to apply their knowledge regarding IC to their classroom

performance.
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 17

Interview and summary sheet. I will conduct three timed interviews for each participant;

one 30-minutes and two 10-minutes interviews. The first interview will be conducted at the first

stage of the data collection. The purpose of the interview will be to probe personal and

professional experiences concerning cultural sensitivity and the level of IC. The interview

questions in the interview protocol (see Appendix B) will be designed to collect data and will be

made up of three categories: participants’ schema on culture, their location on the DMIS

continuum, and intercultural competence including knowledge, attitude, and skills. The other

two interviews will follow after observing classrooms and exploring documents respectively.

Investigating the participants’ syllabi and classroom materials will be followed by a final

interview. In the interview, I will explore the extent of applicability of IC theories that the

participants have. Right after classroom observations, I would like to listen to the teachers’ self-

reflections about the classroom conversations for 10 minutes. All interview data will be gathered

by means of an audio recorder and in the form of memos. Following each interview, there will

be also the possibility to ask additional questions via phone or e-mail to clarify the meaning of

their answers.

Immediately after each interview, a summary sheet will be completed, including an

overview of the main points of the interview, initial thoughts, and follow-up questions that will

arise during the interviews.

Analytical memos. So as to integrate raw data such as interview and observations, I will

complete analytical memos. Through writing analytical memos, I will summarize my major

findings and reflect and interpret them on particular aspects. I expect that by means of creating

analytic memos, I can construct an extra level of data analysis; it could be between the raw data

from participants and refined one from a researcher, myself.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 18

Proposed Preliminary Data Analysis

Coding. Carspecken (1996) introduced the most fundamental analytic techniques and

suggested that the analytic procedure that researchers made speculations regarding the meanings

of interaction recorded and repeated during an entire qualitative study. As Carspecken’s (1996)

procedure of data analysis, I will read through those several times to be familiar with them,

trying to understand the holistic meanings and getting an impression of the field. Then, taking

context into consideration, in some cases there will seem to be mixed messages. I will conduct

meaning fields by virtue of articulating the range of meanings from the view of the first person.

In order to perform validity reconstructions, I will analyze the phenomena horizontally by dint of

placing validity claims with in the three categories, possible subjective claims, possible objective

claims, and possible normative-evaluation claims, and vertically by noting the level of

foregrounding or backgrounding of a particular claim. Sometimes I will construct hermeneutic Commented [APS10]: Participant claims?

inferences by putting words describing on meaning of participants’ tones, hesitations, body

postures and the length of pauses. Furthermore, I will use typologies to analyze my

observational data. Through the typologies which constitute a tertiary layer of analysis, I can

locate meaning related to power. I will adapt Max Weber’s (1978) typology of interactive power

which consists of coercion, traditional, and charisma.

After coding, I will divide the data into meaningful analytic units. Identifying

meaningful segments from transcriptions, I will conduct the process of marking segmented data

with theme names. All participants’ responses will be compared to find similarities and

differences.
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 19

Trustworthiness. In order to avoid a researcher’s bias which is a potential threat to the

validity of data and uncertainty, there are important and effective strategies that can help

researchers establish high qualitative research trustworthiness. Koro-Ljungberg (2010)

addressed how validity can be established with researchers’ responsibility and in the process of

decision-making, saying ““responsible” researchers could strive for ongoing and disruptive

dialogues with study participants and collaborative communities thus opening spaces for

themselves and others to challenge the authorities of oppressors, to allow margins to speak and to

dislocate decolonizing privilege (p. 608).” Therefore, among many approaches to construct Commented [APS11]: You seem to be taking a critical
approach. Does your lit review reflect that and your RQ?
that is, is teaching English in a non US country have
trustworthiness, I will allow the interpretations of two groups of people, my peers and the implications related to power and agency or are you not
exploring that? You don’t need to but your analysis should
participants. To examine if my theoretical interpretations fit the data and to check biases and align w/ your quest.

absences in reconstructions, I will employ the peer-debriefing technique by discussing the

interpretations with my two peers. Also, to investigate if the degree that I accurately portray the

meanings given by the participants, I will conduct member checks on reconstructions. My

participants will be invited to examine my reconstructions and if they disagree with my

reconstructions, I will include their views as alternative interpretations. The future readers will

decide for themselves, comparing the different perspectives. Triangulation will be sought by

using multiple sources of data; observations, interviews, and some documents such as syllabi and

teaching materials.

Proposed Limitations

Although I will try to prepare carefully, there will be some unavoidable limitations. This

research will be conducted with only a small size of population, under 9 participants and

furthermore, the samples will be all volunteers. Therefore, it is hard to expect for the
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 20

participants to represent English language teachers’ IC in Korea. This research will be

conducted in order to investigate Korean EL teachers’ IC, which means the all participants will

be Koreans who will have English as their foreign language. When I translate participants’

narratives in English, I might confront some challenges caused by the differences of not only

languages but also cultures. Furthermore, because I will transcribe all audio-recordings from one

classroom observation, three different interviews for each participant, it could be rigorous time-

consuming works so that it may be more difficult for me to maintain a consistent passion and

attitude. Finally, due to the power relationship between the researcher and participants which is

often unavoidable in qualitative research, the participants’ responses could be affected by my

presence during data gathering.

Ethical considerations

According to Punch (2000), social researchers should consider ethical issues, as this type

of research is closely connected to people. Therefore, firstly I will obtain the approval of IRB to

ensure that this study will adhere to ethical standards. Then, the informed consent form (see

Appendix D) will be provided. The participants will be informed that they will be free to

withdraw from the study whenever they want to without any penalty. Participants’

confidentiality and anonymity will be guaranteed by not revealing the identity for the

participants to anyone other than me and my committee members.

Potential significance

This study will be conducted to explore K-6 English language teachers’ understanding of

IC and practices of the theories of IC in their classrooms in Korea. This exploratory research
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 21

could be meaningful to teacher educators when they adapt or develop IC training programs for

teachers, to policy makers when they enact language education policy considering the aspects of

IC, and to developers of curriculum and teaching materials when they incorporate a cultural

framework in the curriculum and provide cultural content and instructional pedagogies. The

findings of this study will show some aspects of the current situation of in-service teachers’ IC

development by means of investigating the stakeholders’ real stories deeply.


Running head: K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Reference

Bennet, J. M. (2009). Cultivating Intercultural Competence. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The SAGE

handbook of intercultural competence (pp. 121-140). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

Publications.

Bennett, M. J. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural

sensitivity. In R. M. Piage (Ed.), Education for the intercultural experience (pp. 21-71).

Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Bennett, M. J. (1998). Intercultural communication: A current perspective. Basic concepts of

intercultural communication: Selected readings, 1-34.

Bennett, M. J., Bennett, M. J., & Allen, W. (2003). Developing intercultural competence in the

language classroom. In D. L. Lang & R. M. Paige (Eds.), Culture as the core:

Perspectives on culture in second language learning (pp. 237-270). Greenwich,

CT:Information Age Publishing.

Brody, J. (2003). A linguistic anthropological perspective on language and culture in the second

language curriculum. In D.L. Lange & R. M. Paige (Eds.), Culture as the core:

Perspectives on culture in second language learning (pp. 37-51). Greenwich, CT:

Information Age Publishing.

Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural competence. Clevedon, UK:

Multilingual Matters.

Byram, M. & Fleming, M. (1998). Language learning in intercultural perspective: Approaches

through drama and ethnography. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Carspecken, P. F. (1996). Critical ethnography in educational research: A theoretical and

practical guide. New York: Routledge.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 23

Chen, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (1997). A review of the concept of intercultural sensitivity.

Human Communication, 1, 1-16.

Crystal, D. (1997). English as a global language. Cambridge: Cambridge University.

Cushner, K. (2015). Development and assessment of intercultural competence. In Hayden, M.,

Levy, J., & Thompson, J. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Research in International

Education (pp. 200-216). London: SAGE.

Deardoff, D. K. (2006). Assessing intercultural competence in study abroad students, In M.

Byram and A. Feng (Eds.) Living and studying abroad: Research and practice (pp. 232-

256). Clevendon: Multilingual Matter.

Hall, E. (1989). Beyond culture. New York: Anchor Books.

Hill, I. (2006). Student types, scholl types and their combined influence on the development of

intercultural understanding. Journal of Research in Intercultural Education, 5(1), 5-33.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online readings

in psychology and culture, 2(1), 8.

Koro-Ljungberg, M. (2010). Validity, Responsibility, and Apora. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(8),

603-610.

Kramsch, C. (2004). The language teacher as go-between. UTBILDNING & DEMOKRATI,

13(3), 37-60.

Levy, J. & Fox, R. (2015). Pre-service teacher preparation for international settings. In Hayden,

M., Levy, J., & Thompson, J. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Research in International

Education (pp. 200-216). London: SAGE.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 24

Lusting, M. W. and Koester, J. (2006). Intercultural competence: interpersonal communication

across cultures. Boston, MA: Pearson.

McArthur, T. (2003). Oxford guide to world English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Park, M. (2006). A relational study of intercultural sensitivity with linguistic competence in

English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) pre-service teachers in Korea (Doctoral

dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No.

3246039)

Pennycook, A. (1994). The cultural politics of English as an international language. London:

Longman.

Perry, L. B., & Southwell, L. (2011). Developing intercultural understanding

and skills: Models and approaches. Intercultural Education, 22(6), 453-466. doi:

10.1080/14675986.2011.644948

Paige, R. M. (2005). Culture learning dimensions. In J. Bennett & R. M. Paige (Eds.), Workshop

manual: Training design for international and multicultural programs. Portland, OR:

Intercultural Communication Institute.

Piage, R. M. (2006). Dimensions of intercultural learning. In R. M. Paige, A. D. Cohen, B.

Kappler, J. C. Chi, & J. P. Lassegard (Eds.) Maximizing study abroad: A students’ guide

to strategies for language and culture learning and use (2nd ed., pp. 40-41).

Minneapolis: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University in

Minnesota.

Paige, R. M., Jorstad, H., Siaya, L., Klein, F., & Colby, J. (2000). Culture Learning in Language

Education: A Review of the Literature.

Popkewitz, T. S., Rizvi, F. (2009). Globalization and the study of education. Chicago: NSSE.
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 25

Punch, K. (2000) Developing Effective Research Proposals. London, California, New Delhi:

Sage.

Pusch, M. D. (2004). Intercultural training in historical perspective. In Landis, D., Bennett, J. M.,

& Bennett, M. J. (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural training (pp. 13-36). Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage.

Satyanath, S. (2006). Globalization, politics and financial turmoil: Asia’s banking crisis.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Seelye, H. (1993). Teaching culture: Strategies for intercultural communication (3rd ed.).

Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company.

Sercu, L. (2006). The foreign language and intercultural competence teacher: the acquisition of a

new professional identity. Intercultural Education, 17, 55-71.

Suarez-Orozco, M. M., & Qin-Hilliard, D. (2004). Globalization: culture and education in the

new Millennium. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Tam, K. (2004). English(es) in global and local perspectives. In K. Tam, & T. Weiss (Ed.),

English and globalization: Perspectives from Hong Kong and China (pp. 1-22). Hong

Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Tian, J. (2013). Beliefs and practices regarding intercultural competence among Chinese

teachers of English at a Chinese University. (Doctoral Dissertation). Available from

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3589650)

Van Hook, C. W. (2000). Preparing Teachers for the Diverse Classroom: A Developmental

Model of Intercultural Sensitivity.


K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 26

Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology (Vol. 1).

University of California Press.

Young, T. J., & Sachdev, I. (2011). Intercultural communicative competence: exploring English

language teachers’ beliefs and practices. Language Awareness, 20(2), 81-98.

Zhao, Y. (2010). Preparing globally competent teachers: A new imperative for teacher education.

Journal of Teacher Education, 61, 422-431.


Running head: K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Appendix A
Recruitment E-mail

Dear XXX,

My name is XXX and I am a PhD student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia,
USA, where I am studying Teaching and Teacher Education.

I am conducting a study for my dissertation on English language (EL) teachers’ intercultural


competence. In particular, I’m interested in interviewing and observing classrooms of EL
teachers and learning about their definition and development of intercultural competence and
how their knowledge of IC is related to their practices in class.

Given your position at XXX elementary school, would you be willing to participate in my study?
Your participant would be voluntary and your responses would be kept confidential.

 Time commitment/responsibilities: I anticipate the time commitment will be roughly 1


hours. This includes: completing a short pre-interview questionnaire and informed
consent form (10 minutes); participating in a 30-minute interview and two 10-minute
interviews; 45-minute classroom observation; reviewing the interview transcript in case
you would like to clarify any of your statements/intents (10 minutes).

 Dates: I can be flexible on the time and date depending on your availability.

 Location: As I will be recording the interview and observation, it may work best to meet
in your office and classroom, but if you prefer another location for the interview, just let
me know.

If you are willing and available to participate in this study, please respond to this email by
returning a completed pre-interview questionnaire and informed consent form (both attached).
I’ve also included a copy of the 30-minute interview protocol so you can see the interview
procedures and interview questions. Two 10-minute interviews will be open-ended structured
about your teaching practice, and syllabus and materials.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at this email, XXX@gmu.edu, or
by phone, XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration and I look
forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
XXX

Appendix B
Interview Protocol

Interviewer:
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 28

Interviewee:
Date:
Location:
Time of Interview:

Leadoff question: Tell me about your first day of teaching in a culturally diverse class. How did Commented [APS12]: Will you ask about teaching EFL?
you approach to students?

Articulation of covert categories of interest:


1) Teacher’s conception of culture
2) Teacher’s conception of one’s own culture
3) Teacher’s conception of different cultures
4) Teacher’s position on the continuum of intercultural sensitivity
5) Teacher’s knowledge of intercultural competence in class
6) Teacher’s attitudes concerning intercultural competence in class
7) Teacher’s skills in intercultural competence in class

Possible questions:
1) What do you believe intercultural competence is?
1-1) How do you strive for it in your classes?

2) Have you ever traveled or lived in different countries? Tell me about your first experience
when you visited another country and met the local people
2-1) Describe cultural differences of which you were aware.
2-2) If you did both, could you explain the differences between them?

3) Tell me about a memorable moment when you taught students who came from different
cultures.

4) Tell me about a time when you felt like a student struggled with cultural differences in your
class?
4-1) Describe the situation and the way that you dealt with it.
4-2) How did the students react to your management?

5) Have you ever encountered an uncomfortable situation caused by cultural differences between
your and others
5-1) How did you handle the situation/emotion?

6) Tell me about the most interesting or challenging incident or event that occurred when you
were teaching about cultures in a language class.

7) Tell me about the most recent experience with other cultures?

8) What do you want your students to know regarding culture?


8-1) Tell me about the most recent cultural topic that you dealt with in class?
8-2) How did students react to different cultures?
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 29

8-3) When you found students relying on or referencing stereotypes, how did you deal with
them?

9) Tell me about a time when you felt that you have changed your style to teach students from
different backgrounds.

10) Tell me about your teaching materials on culture.


10-1) Describe the process of preparing recent teaching materials related to cultures.
10-2) What resources do you use in order to teach cultures? Why did you choose and how did
you use them? Where did you find them?

Appendix C
Pre-Interview Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Your responses will be kept
confidential and any references to your responses will be masked to protect your identity.

1. Name: 2. Gender: 3. Age:

4. Ethnicity: 5. Country(ies) of citizenship:

6. Native language(s):

7. Additional language(s) spoken:

8. Education and field of study:

Bachelors: Doctorate:
Masters:

9. Have you participated in:


_____ Study Abroad
_____ Peace Corps
_____ Worked in another culture
_____ Lived in another culture (for reasons not associated with the items listed above)

10. How many years have you been in the field of Language Education?

11. (a) How long have you been in your current position? (b) What are your responsibilities?
(Please provide an overview of key responsibilities or attach a job description.)
K-6 KOREAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 3

12. How do you define intercultural competence? (Note: this question is not to assess your
definition, but rather to give you a few minutes to reflect upon and provide your definition. Your
definition will be the context that is referred to in your one-on-one interview.

Appendix D
Informed Consent Form

Dear XXX,

Thank you for your interest in this pilot study. The following information is provided to
help you decide whether you wish to participate in this study. Your participation in this study is
completely voluntary and you are free to withdraw at any time without it affecting your
relationship with this department, individual, or the University.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the development and application of
intercultural competence in international educators. Data will be collected using a classroom
observation and three one-on-one interviews, with an estimated time burden of 2 hours (total).
Data will be collected in XXX, 20XX. Please do not hesitate to ask questions about the study
before participating or during the study. I would be happy to share the findings with you after the
research is completed.
Your personal information and responses are strictly confidential and will be used solely
for academic research purposes. Your identity will not be published with written responses
without written consent. Data from this research will only be reported in the aggregate, unless
otherwise specified. There are no known risks and/or discomforts associated with this study.
Please sign and date this consent form. You are signing it will full knowledge of the
nature and purpose of the procedures. A copy of this form will be given to you to keep. Thank
you.

____________________________________ ___________________________
Signature Date
THE EFFECT OF MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS ON PHYSICS TEACHERS’ SELF- 14
EFFICACY DURING THEIR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING
Jin, Formatted: Highlight

You have crafted an important and interesting study. You could narrow and collect less data to
make it more manageable and deeper if you like. It is heavy on culture and light about EFL
which can be ok but see my comments. You have included studies that will give you ideas for
design as well. You are in excellent shape to move forward with this and refine further. Solid
foundation to build from and I can see you have been reading a lot!

Your conference is an excellent fit for study and for networking.


Task 3 of Research Proposal: 30/30
Conference Submission Simulation: 5/5
Final Presentation: 5/5
Grade for course: A
After grades are posted, do I have your permission to post this on Bb as an exemplar for
future EDUC 851 students?

My very best wishes to you!


It has been a pleasure to teach you.
Dr. Anastasia Samaras

You might also like