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Article In: Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報): Online-First Articles

Exploring in-service Chinese as a second language teachers’ cognition and stated practices in teaching intercultural communicative competence

ORCiD logo with link | Macau University of Science and Technology
 | Curtin University
 | University of Edinburgh
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The cultivation of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become an increasingly important objective in language education. The rapid global expansion of Chinese as a second language (CSL) education has highlighted a gap in research on how in-service CSL teachers conceptualize and implement ICC teaching. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining an online survey of 108 CSL teachers from seven universities in Tianjin, China alongside semi-structured interviews with eight in-service CSL teachers to further examine their cognition and stated practices in teaching ICC. The findings indicate that while CSL teachers generally demonstrate a strong foundation in Chinese cultural knowledge and hold positive attitudes toward ICC teaching, their pedagogical skills for integrating ICC are less fully developed. A pronounced gap was detected between CSL teachers’ cognition and stated practices regarding ICC teaching, largely constrained by rigid curriculum structures, linguistically-driven teaching materials, and limited instructional time. This study provides context-sensitive empirical evidence from northern Chinese university settings. It also identifies a pattern that differs from prior research: CSL teachers’ ICC teaching is primarily knowledge- and attitude-oriented rather than skills-oriented.
摘要
在职汉语作为第二语言教师跨文化交际能力教学认知与实践研究
跨文化交际能力（ICC）的培养已成为语言教育中日益重要的目标。随着汉语作为第二语言（CSL）教育在全球范围内的迅速扩展，针对在职CSL教师如何认识与实施ICC教学的研究空白逐渐凸显。本研究采用混合研究方法，对天津市七所高校的108名CSL教师进行了在线问卷调查，并对其中8名在职教师开展了半结构化访谈，以考察其在ICC教学方面的认知与自陈实践。结果表明，尽管CSL教师普遍具备较扎实的中国文化知识基础，并对ICC教学持积极态度，但其整合ICC所需的教学技能发展相对不足。CSL教师的认知与自陈实践之间存在显著差距，这主要受限于僵化的课程结构、以语言为导向的教材以及有限的课时安排。本研究提供了来自中国北方高校情境下的实证证据，并揭示了一种与以往研究不同的模式：CSL教师的ICC教学主要表现为知识与态度导向，而非技能导向。
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Process-based conceptualizations of intercultural communicative competence
    • 2.2Content-based conceptualizations of intercultural communicative competence
    • 2.3Language teachers’ cognition and stated practices in teaching intercultural communicative competence
    • 2.4CSL teachers’ cognition and stated practices in teaching intercultural communicative competence
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research design
    • 3.2Questionnaire development and adaptation
    • 3.3Participants
      • 3.3.1Questionnaire survey participants
      • 3.3.2Interview participants
    • 3.4Data collection
    • 3.5Data analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1CSL teachers’ knowledge of ICC and Chinese cultural content for ICC teaching
    • 4.2CSL teachers’ attitudes in teaching intercultural communicative competence
    • 4.3CSL teachers’ skills in teaching intercultural communicative competence
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1CSL teachers’ knowledge of ICC and Chinese cultural content for ICC teaching
    • 5.2CSL teachers’ attitudes in teaching intercultural communicative competence
    • 5.3CSL teachers’ skills in teaching intercultural communicative competence
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • References
References (50)
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