Impacts Of Intercultural Learning On English Teachers' Intercultural Awareness

Intercultural awareness is an important element of intercultural competence,and it can be developed through intercultural learning,a process in which participants deepen their understanding of different cultures by learning with and from others from different cultural backgrounds.With the development of globalization,cultivation of intercultural competence has been paid more and more attention,and the role of intercultural learning in promoting intercultural competence development has become increasingly prominent.As a result,an increasing number of universities offer overseas programs for pre-service teachers to carry out intercultural learning,in which language teachers get more opportunities to improve their language skills and intercultural competence.According to previous studies,the impacts of intercultural learning on language teachers‘ professional development,especially which related to their intercultural competence drew researchers‘ widespread attention,but studies more specifically on impacts of intercultural learning on English teachers‘ intercultural awareness development still need to be continued in depth.This study is based on the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program(RLP)which provides Chinese pre-service teachers with opportunities to carry out intercultural learning by experiencing Canadian cultures.The subjects of this study,two English teachers,are the participants of this program,and the researcher of this study is a graduate assistant in this program.Therefore,the researcher is able to conduct a case study based on this program by using qualitative research method to explore the impacts of intercultural learning on two English teachers‘ intercultural awareness development.Two research questions are investigated in this study: 1)Which aspects of the English teachers‘ intercultural awareness have been developed in intercultural learning? 2)In what ways does the English teachers‘ intercultural awareness develop in intercultural learning? To answer the first question,the two participants‘ reflective journals,portfolios,teaching behaviors and interviews are analyzed by adopting Baker‘s model of intercultural awareness(ICA)which includes fifteen components and three levels of intercultural awareness,and it provides a specific and operational framework for analyzing aspects and levels of participants‘ intercultural awareness.To answer the second question,their reflective journals,portfolios and interviews are analyzed by referring to Kolb‘s experiential learning theory,for it provides a framework to analyze learners‘ learning process,and the process of intercultural learning itself is also a process of experiential learning,in which the participants got opportunities to experience the Canadian cultures.The major findings are: 1)Six themes emerge regarding the two English teachers‘ intercultural awareness development,and they are acquiring cultural knowledge,comparing cultures,reflecting on ?my? culture,holding proper attitudes to cultures,transmitting cultures,and behaving in ?their? ways.Aspects of the two English teachers‘ intercultural awareness development overall cover the features of all three levels of Baker‘s ICA model—basic cultural awareness(level 1),advanced cultural awareness(level 2),and intercultural awareness(level 3).The participants show awareness of their own culture(level 1),other cultures and the complexity of cultures(level 2),and more importantly,cultures in intercultural communication(level 3).The development of intercultural awareness at lower levels is the foundation for that at higher levels,but the development doesn‘t follow a linear way from level 1 to level 3.Instead,the development is based on the concrete practices that the participants are engaged in.2)In intercultural leaning,the participants‘ intercultural awareness is developed mainly in four ways: attending education courses in the University of Windsor(UW),observing Canadian schools,participating in cultural events and field trips,and writing reflective journals.Referring to Kolb‘s experiential learning theory,the first three ways help two English teachers engage in new experiences concerning Canadian culture,which lays foundation for their observation and reflection.Writing reflective journals help them note down their reflections and assimilate them into abstract theories.Besides,the first three ways also provide new experiences where the two English teachers actively test their theories and use them to guide behaviors.Therefore,these four ways facilitate different stages of the two English teachers‘ experiential learning.Some implications are proposed in the end.First,English teachers who want to carry out intercultural learning by participating in overseas programs should realize that reflections on their experiences are of vital importance for the development of their intercultural awareness.Second,teacher educators should recognize the role of experiences in teachers‘ professional development,and pay attention to combining experiences with courses to educate teachers.Third,program designers should recognize the role of experiences and reflections in teachers‘ learning and professional development,and thus pay attention to providing more experiential opportunities for participants and encourage them to carry out reflections on experiences.