A Study On Junior Middle School English Teachers’ Cross-cultural Literacy

With the continuous reform of basic education,cultivating high quality foreign language talents has become the ultimate goal of English teaching.As the transmitter of knowledge,English teachers play a crucial role in promoting English teaching and learning,and their cross-cultural literacy inevitably affects the cross-cultural literacy of students.In addition,cross-cultural literacy is the core content of contemporary English teachers’ professionalism,and the cultivation of teachers’ cross-cultural literacy is a requirement for the internationalization of education in China,a reflection of teachers’ professionalism,and an inherent need for teachers’ development.This paper investigates the current situation of junior high school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy in three dimensions: language literacy,cross-cultural knowledge literacy and cross-cultural communicative competence literacy.The purpose of this study is to understand the current situation of teachers’ cross-cultural literacy in the region,so as to provide rational suggestions for strengthening middle school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy development.This study was conducted with 177 junior high school English teachers in Xincheng District,Xi’an.By distributing questionnaires to the teachers,the study investigated the cross-cultural literacy of middle school English teachers and aimed to answer the following questions:（1）What is the current situation of cross-cultural literacy of Junior Middle School English teachers?（2）Whether does middle school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy vary in demographic variables?（3）What are the factors that influence junior high school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy?The results showed that:（1）the overall level of English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy in the target regions was high,but there is still some room for improvement;the teachers’ cross-cultural communicative literacy was the highest,cross-cultural knowledge literacy was at an intermediate level,and language literacy was relatively low in the three dimensions.（2）There were no significant differences in the middle school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy levels in terms of gender,academic qualification,and overseas experience,but there were significant differences in terms of age and years of teaching.（3）The main factors affecting middle school English teachers’ cross-cultural literacy are as followed.Teachers’ insufficient self-awareness,inadequate motivation,and different adaptability of cross-cultural literacy levels by age,in addition to the importance of school and society,the provision of learning resources and training methods,and teaching pressure.Base on the previous research,some suggestions are made from the perspectives of teachers,school and society.Teachers should establish correct cross-cultural concepts,cultivate communication strategies,continuously improve their cross-cultural communication skills,and broaden the access to cross-cultural information;schools should improve the teacher training system,provide a multicultural environment for teachers,and pay attention to the cultivation of teachers’ cross-cultural literacy;education departments should strengthen education management,increase education investment,and pay attention to the integration of cross-cultural resources.From all angles,we will jointly promote the cultivation of teachers’ cross-cultural literacy and improve the quality and effectiveness of cultural education in China.