THE ROLE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ENHANCING STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Year 2020, Volume: 3, 22 - 36, 19.01.2020

Kifah Amara

Abstract

This study emphasizes the critical role of foreign language teaching in enhancing students‟
intercultural competence, as a means of expanding their future opportunities in an increasingly
multicultural and diverse world. Foreign language classes may provide unique opportunities for
delivering a plurilingual, multicultural setting utilizing the cultural elements in the course content and
course materials as well as the personal experiences of the teacher in the classroom. To that end, more
attention is needed to foreign language teacher preparation and training. As multiculturalism is a
significant feature of European communities, this study sought to investigate and analyze the related
policies, strategies and practices in Europe, since Paris declaration 2015, in order to determine actions
have been taken to address those needs. This qualitative study is based on document analysis of the
European Educational Policy documents released mainly by the European Commission and the
Council of Europe. The results of the analysis showed that foreign language education has presented
along with intercultural education in the vast majority of European educational policies as a dominant
component within the context of integration and promote social cohesion, as well as increase
competitiveness and employability. The study has implied a number of implications highlighted some
potential gaps that may be diminish the effectiveness of these policies, pushing towards more
empirical research on the influence of EU policies on national level actions.

Keywords

Foreign language Teaching, Intercultural competence

References

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