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Paying Attention to Inter- in Intercultural Communication
... Cultural stereotyping also creates an environment of cultural otherness, wherein differences between the majority group's culture and the students' cultural backgrounds are accentuated, and students' identities are also thereby restricted to their geographical country of origin, which is constructed on racebased differences (Lee, 2015). There is also the concern that cultural stereotyping by teachers leads them to view their students as mere representatives of their culture, rather than as persons with their own individual identities (Kumaravadivelu, 2002). Another critical point is that cultural stereotyping and the viewing of students' identities as unchanging and even inferior by the teacher may cause students to feel 'othered' and disengaged from classroom processes (Lee, 2008). ...
... Considering that such cultural comparisons tend to accentuate cultural differences (Lee, 2015), this leads to questions about the aim of such discussions, the relevance of these comparisons to students' lives and exactly how these cultural comparisons apparently resolved cultural misunderstandings. It is important here to restate Kumaravadivelu's (2002) point that students thus become cultural representatives rather than individuals. I have also earlier referred to Atkinson's (1999) questions as to how students can be considered to be just members of cultural groups, while other inf luences can be put aside. ...
... As an example, Emma's perception of her Iranian origin students as being latecomers to class was not only generalised, but the very behaviour of some students coming late to class was noticed by her in terms of their country of origin, rather than as individuals. In attributing learner characteristics such as being passive or active in language learning to students' cultures and by linking classroom occurrences to students' cultures wherein students then become cultural symbols (Kumaravadivelu, 2002), the question is also posed as to where and to what extent the students' individuality was considered in the teachers' pedagogy. The eclipsing of students' identities by their country of origin, and the accompanying silencing of their identities is thus highlighted. ...
In a multicultural and settler society such as Australia, perceptions of the cultures and identities of students in the adult EAL classroom may have a significant impact on their language learning experiences. This paper reports on a study investigating how teachers of adult English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in Victoria, Australia, understand their students’ cultural identities, how they speak about their students’ language learning and how they perceive the challenges and opportunities that their students face in the learning process. Recent literature highlights the complexity of culture and identity in the adult EAL classroom, and has identified normalisation of stereotyped characteristics of language learners. Semi-structured interviews with three experienced EAL teachers were conducted, and a phenomenological framework was applied for the qualitative data analysis. The themes that emerged suggest that the teachers had a limited and even superficial understanding of their students’ cultural identities. Cultural stereotyping was evident when describing their students’ language learning experiences, and also when describing the challenges and opportunities that students have in their learning. The implications of these for the students’ additional language development are discussed.
... And the mere overlooking of the learners' own culture might easily be viewed as an assumption of "an implicitly superior 'target' culture." Hence, Kumaravadivelu (2002) argues that classroom instruction in intercultural communication must take into account the local and the foreign in order to provide a complete picture of cultural reality. ...
This article reports on the findings of a materials analysis of China-published English as a Foreign Language (EFL) coursebooks dedicated to instruction in Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). Starting from an acknowledgement of the reality that EFL teachers tend not to be specifically trained in the area of Intercultural Communication, the article argues that, due to this reality, coursebooks aimed at ICC instruction need to provide a great deal of guidance to classroom teachers. A framework for analyzing ICC-related coursebooks is provided. Afterwards, three readily available, China-published coursebooks are analyzed in terms of the learning tasks provided therein, with learning content, learning process, and participation dynamic being fo-cused upon. Strengths and weaknesses of each of the analyzed coursebooks are noted. Comparisons are made where applicable. Finally, recommendations for classroom teachers are shared.
... Simply put, a culture component serving to present pure "linguistic material" or to present facts that may never be used fails to lead students toward ICC. Kumaravadivelu (2002) points out a basic principle underlying the teaching of ICC: "Any cultural construct that is based on interpretations of only one side of the cultural spectrum will remain unprincipled and uninformed for the simple reason that one-sided interpretations can lead only to narrow versions of cultural reality" (p. 4; see also Pulverness & Tomlinson, 2013). ...
Although a large body of research points to the need of providing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners with intercultural communicative competence (ICC), questions remain as to exactly how ICC should be incorporated into the EFL curriculum. These questions arise in part due to issues of already-packed curricula which seem not to leave time for the teaching of ICC and in part due to issues of teacher preparedness. Additionally, questions arise concerning which culture should be taught. Taking into account materials used in the English Language Center (ELC) of Shantou University (Guangdong Province, China), this paper argues that a text-driven, task-based method of materials design allows for the inclusion of ICC across the EFL curriculum. It also argues that such a method lends itself to the teaching of ICC through a consideration of a variety of cultures.
... TESOL textbooks continue to use the English language as a cultural carrier. There are instances where academic papers presented at professional conferences propagate an ethnocentric view of culture learning and culture teaching (Kumaravadivelu, 2002). Even textbooks on intercultural communication, with very few exceptions, still treat Western cultural practices as the communicational norm for intercultural communication across the globe. ...
... As Scollon and Scollon (1995:125) succinctly describe it: 'Cultures do not talk to each other, individuals do.' Some authors (see for example Kumaravadivelu 2002) might even reject the term intercultural, as the prefix 'inter' appears to imply and demarcate some kind of space between two entities-'us' and 'them'-each with their own fixed boundaries and essential qualities. ...
The chapter presents a meta-analysis of approaches to intercultural communication and education. Three different frameworks developed in the field are discussed: a modernist and essentialist view, a first postmodern and also distinctly post-colonial perspective, and a second postmodern account that focuses on intercultural communication through English as a lingua franca. By comparing systematically these different standpoints the chapter shows how interpretation impacts upon the entire research process, from theoretical choices over the identification of social domains and contexts as relevant for the extrapolation of data, to the selection of methodological instruments, the analysis of the data, and the promotion of particular pedagogic interventions on the basis of the results obtained. The overall objective of this chapter is to demonstrate that differences between views on intercultural communication can be traced back to decisions on these five distinct but interrelated levels. The proposed matrix, it is argued, allows a systematic comparison between different perspectives and can guide researchers, educators and students to a systematic scrutiny of assumptions underlying academic and educational practices in this field.
... The issues of NS superiority have interplayed in EPI principles and have been strengthened by Western norms as well as discussed on a macro-societal and political level (Phillipson, 1992). Primary pedagogic conceptualization in EPI has been constrained by the binary categories of NS and NNS as well as by the predominant ideology of Western perspectives to the teaching of EP and culture (Kumaravadivelu, 2002). Phillipson (1992) claimed that these aspects permeate the beliefs and myths that NNS cannot be regarded as inherently equal to NS. Accordingly, he argued that the position of NS has been involved in critical educational aids from the micro level of EPI to the macro level of inequality. ...
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