This article reports on the findings of a materials analysis of China-published English as a Foreign Language (EFL) coursebooks dedicated to instruction in Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). Starting from an acknowledgement of the reality that EFL teachers tend not to be specifically trained in the area of Intercultural Communication, the article argues that, due to this reality, coursebooks aimed at ICC instruction need to provide a great deal of guidance to classroom teachers. A framework for analyzing ICC-related coursebooks is provided. Afterwards, three readily available, China-published coursebooks are analyzed in terms of the learning tasks provided therein, with learning content, learning process, and participation dynamic being focused upon. Strengths and weaknesses of each of the analyzed coursebooks are noted. Comparisons are made where applicable. Finally, recommendations for classroom teachers are shared.
KeywordsEnglish as a Foreign LanguageIntercultural CommunicationIntercultural Communicative CompetenceLearning TasksMaterials Analysis
Allen, C. (2015). Marriages of Convenience? Teachers and Coursebooks in the Digital Age. ELT Journal, 69, 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccv005
Baker, W. (2012). From Cultural Awareness to Intercultural Awareness: Culture in ELT. ELT Journal, 66, 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccr017
Byram, K., & Kramsch, C. (2008). Why Is It So Difficult to Teach Language as Culture? The German Quarterly, 81, 20-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1183.2008.00005.x
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Byram, M., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Intercultural Competence. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Applied Linguistics and Materials Development (pp. 143-162). London: Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0554
Byram, M., & Wagner, M. (2018). Making a Difference: Language Teaching for Intercultural and International Dialogue. Foreign Language Annals, 51, 140-151. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12319
Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the Intercultural Dimension in Language Teaching: A Practical Introduction for Teachers [Electronic Version]. https://core.ac.uk/display/111018814
Canagarajah, A. S. (2006). The Place of World Englishes in Composition: Pluralization Continued. College English Composition and Communication, 57, 586-619.
Chinese Ministry of Education (2007). College English Curriculum Requirements. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press.
Coperías Aguilar, M. J. (2007). Dealing with Intercultural Communicative Competence in the Foreign Language Classroom. In E. Alcón Soler, & M. P. Safont Jordà (Eds.), In tercultural Language Use and Language Learning (pp. 59-78). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5639-0_4
Cortazzi, M., & Jin, L. (1999). Cultural Mirrors: Materials and Methods in the EFL Class room. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning (pp. 196-219). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486999
Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667343
Dörnyei, Z., & Kubanyiova, M. (2014). Motivating Learners, Motivating Teachers: Building Vision in the Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guerrettaz, A. M., & Johnston, B. (2013). Materials in the Classroom Ecology. The Modern Language Journal, 97, 779-796. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12027.x
Han, X., & Song, L. (2011). Teacher Cognition of Intercultural Communicative Competence in the Chinese ELT Context. Intercultural Communication Studies, 20, 175-192.
Harper, J. (2019). A Text-Driven, Task-Based Approach to the Design of Materials for Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 4, 47-66. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v4i1.187
Hu, C., & Herd, B. J. (2006). Intercultural Communication: A Practical Coursebook. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hutchinson, T., & Torres, E. (1994). The Textbook as Agent of Change. ELT Journal, 48, 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/48.4.315
Kearney, E. (2010). Cultural Immersion in the Foreign Language Classroom: Some Narrative Possibilities. The Modern Language Journal, 94, 332-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2010.01028.x
Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2002). Paying Attention to Inter—In Intercultural Communication. TESOL Journal, 11, 3-4.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Problematizing Cultural Stereotypes in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 37, 709-719. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588219
Li, Y. (2016). Intercultural Awareness in Foreign Language Teaching: A Chinese Perspective. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7, 768-772. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0704.18
Littlejohn, A. (2011). The Analysis of Language Teaching Materials: Inside the Trojan Horse. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2nd ed., pp. 179-211). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McGrath, I. (2002). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
McGrath, I. (2013). Teaching Materials and the Role of EFL/ESL Teachers: Practice and Theory. London: Bloomsbury.
McKay, S. L. (2000). Teaching English as an International Language: Implications for Cultural Materials in the Classroom. TESOL Journal, 9, 7-11.
Menard-Warwick, J. (2009). Co-Constructing Representations of Culture in ESL and EFL Classrooms: Discursive Faultlines in Chile and California. The Modern Language Journal, 93, 30-45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00826.x
Moeller, A. J., & Faltin Osborn, S. R. (2014). A Pragmatist Perspective on Building Inter cultural Communicative Competency: From Theory to Classroom Practice. Foreign Language Annals, 47, 669-673. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12115
Nunan, D. (1988). The Learner-Centred Curriculum. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524506
Pennycook, A. (2016). Critical Approaches to Language Teaching. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Perry, L. B., & Southwell, L. (2011). Developing Intercultural Understanding and Skills: Models and Approaches. Intercultural Education, 22, 453-466. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2011.644948
Prabhu, N. S. (1987). Second Language Pedagogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pulverness, A., & Tomlinson, B. (2013). Materials for Cultural Awareness. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching (2nd ed., pp. 443-459). London: Bloomsbury.
Richards, J. C. (1998). Beyond Training. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Snow, D. (2006). More Than a Native Speaker: An Introduction to Teaching English Abroad (revised edition). Alexandria, VA: TESOL Press.
Snow, D. (2014). Encounters with Westerners: Improving Skills in English and Intercultural Communication. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Snow, D. (2015). English Teaching, Intercultural Competence, and Critical Incident Exercises. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15, 285-299. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.980746
Snow, D. (2016). Affective Factors and Interpretive Judgments in Intercultural Encounters. Intercultural Communication Studies, 25, 19-32.
Spencer-Oatey, H. (2008). Introduction. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed.), Culturally Speaking: Culture, Communication and Politeness Theory (2nd ed., pp. 1-8). London: Continuum.
Spencer-Oatey, H., & Franklin, P. (2009). Intercultural Interaction: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Intercultural Communication. London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230244511
Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2018). The Complete Guide to the Theory and Practice of Materials Development for Language Teaching. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.
Weninger, C., & Kiss, T. (2013). Culture in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Text-Books: A Semiotic Approach. TESOL Quarterly, 47, 694-716. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.87
Widdowson, H. G. (1994). The Ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 28, 377-389. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587438
Zhang, A.-L. (2011). Bridge between Minds: Intercultural Communication. Chongqing: Chongqing University Press.