Enhancement of Academic Performance through Developing Cross-Cultural Communicative Competence: A Case Study of Students Majoring in Economics
Abstract
Background. The article questions the possibility to increase the level of foreign language command through developing cross-cultural communicative competence (CCC) in students of non-linguistic universities. Despite extensive literature on intercultural communication, there are obviously gaps in investigating the way it can and should be built and the potential impact it may have towards students’ academic performance in general.
Purpose. The paper aims to find out the possible correlation between the level of CCC formation and a command of a foreign language in general. To pursue the goal, an in-depth research into the CCC structure was carried out and the idea to simultaneously develop all its components was proposed.
Method. The paper reports on the results of the mixed-method research aimed at gathering the data and evaluating them both qualitatively and quantitatively. Senior students of the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia, were selected and divided into the control and experimental groups with the subsequent training on the pre-designed curricula, with a primary focus on developing all the components of the CCC in the latter. To assess their performance, the method of experimental verification, self- and peer evaluation, educational observation, questioning method were employed. In-depth data analysis and verification provided post-active phase of the experiment conducted.
Results. The results of the carried-out experiments, first, proved the hypothetical assumptions on the efficiency of developing all the four CCC simultaneously and, second, showed that the targeted CCC development contributes to improving foreign language acquisition in general, which is supported by the increase in 5 out of 6 didactic units of the final testing where the experimental group participants surpassed the students in the control group.
Conclusion. The study provides evidence for the impact CCC development has on the linguistic communicative competence. The devised methodology can be borrowed and customized for teaching foreign languages to university students and, in particular for developing intrinsic motivation through CCC. Further, future research should address particular components of the CCC.
Downloads
References
Allen, B. J. (2010). Difference matters: Communicating social identity. Waveland Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420410529898
Andreyeva, О. А., Tuleubayeva, Sh. K., Ganyukova, A. A., & Tentekbayeva, Zh. M. (2015). Cross-cultural communication as a way of achievement of cross-cultural communicative competence. European Researcher, 92(3), 208-213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13187/er.2015.92.208
Arasaratnam, L. A., & Banerjee, S. C. (2011) Sensation seeking and intercultural communication competence: A model test.International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 226-233.
Arasaratnam, L. A., & Doerfel, M. L. (2005) Intercultural communication competence: Identifying key components from multicultural perspectives.International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29, 137-163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2004.04.001
Aririguzoh, S. (2022).Communication competencies, culture and SDGs: Effective processes to cross-cultural communication. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(96). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01109-4
Bagiyan, A., Shiryaeva, T., Tikhonova, E., & Mekeko, N. (2021). The real value of words: How target language linguistic modelling of foreign language teaching content shapes students' professional identity. Heliyon, 7(3), e06581. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06581
Barzykowski, K., Majda, A., Przyłęcki, P., & Szkupl, M. (2019). The cross-cultural competence inventory: Validity and psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation. PLOS ONE 14(3), e0212730. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212730
Bennett, M. J. (2009). Defining measuring and facilitating intercultural learning: A conceptual introduction to the intercultural education double supplement.Intercultural Education, 20(1), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980903370763
Bickley, C., Rossiter, M. J., & Abbott, M. L. (2014).Intercultural communicative competence: Beliefs and practices of adult English as a second language instructors. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 60(1), 135-160. https://doi/org. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20414/edulangue.v4i1.3044
Bleszynska, K. M. (2008). Constructing intercultural education.Intercultural Education, 19(6), 537-545. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980802568335
Brown, D. H., & Terrell, T. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. Pearson Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/414380
Byram, M., Nichols, A., & Stevens, D. (2001). developing intercultural competence in practice. Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education (pp. 282-284). Multilingual Matters. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853595356-021
Byram, M., & Zarate, G. (1996). Defining and assessing intercultural competence: Some principles and proposals for the European context. Language Teaching, 29(4), 239-243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800008557
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Multilingual Matters.
Cattell, R. B., Cattell H. E. P. (1995) Personality structure and the new fifth edition of the 16 PF. Educational and Psycological Measurement, 55(6), 926-937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164495055006002
Chernova, N. I. (2018). Cross-cultural communicative competence of specialists at the innovative university cluster in the logic of their language training quality improvement. Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 47. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference Far East Con ISCFEC 2018. Atlantis Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/iscfec-18.2019.97
Collier, M. J. (2015).Intercultural communication competence: Continuing challenges and critical directions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 9-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.003
Danilova, M.V., Rykman, L.V. (2018) Psychoemotional well-being and features of self-development of teenagers with different family status. Psycological Science and Education, 23(5), 40-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2018230505
Deardorff, D. K. (2006a). Policy paper on intercultural competence.Intercultural competence - The key competence in the 21st century? Theses by the Bertelsmann Stiftung based on the models of intercultural competence by Dr. Darla Deardorff (pp. 12-30). Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Deardorff, D. K. (2006b). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241-266. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002
East, M., Tolosa, C., Howard J., Biebricher, C., & Scott, A. (2022). Journeys towards intercultural capability in language classrooms. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0991-7
Gay, G. (2001). Curriculum theory and multicultural education. In J. A. Banks & C. A. McGee Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp. 25-43). Jossey-Bass Publishers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412958806.n316
Gierke, L., Binder, N., Heckmann, M, Odağ, O., Leiser, A., & Kedzior, K. K. (2018). Definition of intercultural competence. Undergraduate students at a private university in the USA: A mixed-methods study. PLoS ONE, 13(4), e0196531. 10.1371/journal. pone.0196531. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196531
Hoff, H. E. (2014) A critical discussion of Byram's model of intercultural communicative competence in the light of bildung theories.Intercultural Education, 25(6), 508-517. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2014.992112
Hovanov, N., Yudaeva, M., & Hovanov, K. (2009). Multicriteria estimation of probabilities on basis of expert non-numeric, non-exact and non-complete knowledge. European Journal of Operational Research, 195(3), 857-863. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2007.11.018
Johnson, J., Lenartowicz, T. & Apud, S. (2006). Cross-cultural competence in international business: toward a definition and a model. Journal of International Business Studies, 37, 525-543. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400205
Kramsch, C. (2008). Culture in foreign language teaching. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 1(1), 57-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv62hgw3.4
Liao, Y., Thomas, D.C. (2020). Cross-Cultural competence. In S. A. Houghton & M. Porto (Eds.), Cultural intelligence in the world of work. springer series in emerging cultural perspectives in work, organizational, and personnel studies. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18171-0_1
Lussier, D., Ivanus, D., Chavdarova-Kostova, S., Golubina, K., Skopinskaja, L., Wiesinger, S., & de la Maa Retamar, G. (2007). Guidelines for the Assessment of Intercultural Communicative Competence. In I Lazar, M. Hubert-Kriegler, D. Lussier, G. Matei, & C. Peck (Eds.), Developing and assessing intercultural communicative competence: A guide for language teachers and teacher educators (pp. 23-39). European Centre for Modern Languages and Council of Europe Publishing.
Mallia, J. (2015). Embedding grammar while developing communicative competence in English: Relevant cultural contexts and teaching approaches. Arab World English Journal, 6(1), 50-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol6no1.4
Martin, J. N., Nakayama, T. K. (2015) Reconsidering intercultural (communication) competence in the workplace: A dialectical approach. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15(1), 13-28,. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.985303
Marxsen, P. (2007).Intercultural student teaching: A bridge to global competence. Education and Culture (pp. 80-81). Rowman & Littleton Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/eac.0.0005
Merrifield, M., Lo, J., Sum, P., & Kasai, M. (2008). Worldmindedness: Taking off the blinders. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 2(1), 6-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3776/joci.2008.v2n1p6-20
Munezane, Y. (2021). A new model of intercultural communicative competence: Bridging language classrooms and intercultural communicative contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 46(2), 1-18. https://. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1698537
O'Brien, Т. (2019). Bringing cross-cultural communication analysis into foreign language classrooms. Intercultural Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Contexts (pp. 71-97). Carleton University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8128-4.ch004
Peart, T. (2019). Cross-cultural communication differences in online learning. In J. Keengwe & K. Kungu (Eds.), Handbook of research on cross-cultural online learning in higher education (pp. 159-171). Louisiana State University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8286-1.ch009
Piasecka, L. (2011). Sensitizing foreign language learners to cultural diversity through developing intercultural communicative competence. In J. Arabski & D. Wojtaszek (Eds.), Aspects of culture in second language acquisition and foreign language learning (pp. 21-33). Yonkers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20201-8_3
Rasmussen, L.J., Sieck, W.R. (2015). Culture-general competence: Evidence from a cognitive field study of professionals who work in many cultures.International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 14(3), 75-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.014
Schaetti, B. F., Ramsey, Sh. J., & Watanabe, G. C. (2009). From intercultural knowledge to intercultural competence: Developing an intercultural practice. In M. A. Moodian (Ed.), Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence (pp. 125-138). Sage Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452274942.n10
Sehlaoui, А. S. (2001). Developing cross-cultural communicative competence in pre-service ESL/EFL teachers: A critical perspective. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 14(1), 42-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07908310108666611
Skopinskaja, L. (2009). Assessing intercultural communicative competence. Synergies Pays Riverains de la Baltique, (6), 135-144.
Spitzberg B. H., (2009). Changnon G. Conceptualizing intercultural competence. In D. Deardorff (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of intercultural competence (p. 2-52). SAGE.
Starkey, H. (2007) Language Education, identities and citizenship: Developing cosmopolitan perspectives. Language and Intercultural Communication, 7(1), 56-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2167/laic197.0
Tazheva, Z., Sycheva, I., & Artyukhova, N. (2021). Formation of cross-cultural communicative competence among foreign students during pre-university training, Propósitos y Representaciones, 9(SPE2), e1024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2021.v9nSPE2.1024
Tran, T. Q., & Duong, T. M. (2018). The effectiveness of the intercultural language communicative teaching model for EFL learners. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 3(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-018-0048-0
Tikhonova, E. V., Kosycheva, M. A., & Efremova, G. I. (2021). Primary professionalization of foreign students: Barriers, stigmatization, adaptation.Integratsiya obrazovaniya = Integration of Education, 25(4), 608-628. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.105.025.202104.608-628
Zamroni, Dwiningrum, S. I. A., Hope, J., Kartowagiran, B., Sudartinah, T., Siteine, A., & Yao, Z. (2021). Cross-Cultural competence in multicultural education in Indonesian and New Zealand high schools.International Journal of Instruction, 14(3), 597-612. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14335a
Copyright (c) 2023 National Research University Higher School of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the Copyright Notice.
