This paper reports on a mixed methods study which explored whether English medium instruction (EMI) fosters the development of intercultural competence (IC) in students (n = 91) in eight courses taught by seven professors in two Colombian universities. Voluntary participants, through surveys, focus groups, and interviews, perceived that students…

Discourses surrounding digital technologies have often foregrounded their capacity to connect people however, in reality, online communication can also result in fragmentation, polarization and modes of exclusion. To address these issues, this paper highlights the need for learners to develop a critical digital literacy (CDL) that contributes to a…

Although the notion of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has been widely promoted in language classrooms, few empirical studies report how social media, such as Instagram, could be used as a virtual learning platform to engage students in learning how to communicate interculturally. Framed within the global Englishes (GE) concept as the…

This paper reports the use of critical incidents in three rounds of purpose-designed training events for 87 staff in three Chinese universities. To develop intercultural communicative competence (ICC), we present a possible framework of six intercultural approaches, combinations of which yield relevant principles as a rationale for ways of…

To facilitate intercultural communicative competence, language learners are invited into the triadic capacity of Thirdness, where the social and critical interpretations of intercultural dialogue are explored. Little is known of the specific pedagogical stages to create such a terrain for the development of students' sustainable intercultural…

Symbolic competence is integral to intercultural teaching and learning, but limited research and teaching guidance exist in foreign language classrooms. This paper explores the use of critical incidents in developing the symbolic competence of advanced-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at a Chinese university. Mixed methods…

Western-centric perceptions of knowledge, behaviors and communication are more dominant and often obscure underrepresented non-western communities. This renders the mission of intercultural communication education (ICE) necessarily encompassing the reconsideration of these hierarchies and differentialisms. This article argues that by…

The article examines the problems faced by a group of pre-service teacher students when they are asked to analyze an intercultural situation. We wondered whether the use of video could foster critical reflection which is so difficult to achieve when it comes to observing one's own value judgments. The following research question will be…

This article explores how a third space could be constructed in an outdoor setting. It uses at-sea sail-training to substantiate the construction of a third space. It uses Yin-Yang philosophy to enrich existing theories of third space and experiential learning. The finding reveals that the thirdness of the oceanic space has a positive impact on…

Intercultural teaching often emphasizes exposure to and understanding of cultural differences. Although it acknowledges the importance of cultural self-awareness, little research has been done to explore how such a goal is achieved. This article adopts collaborative autoethnography (CAE) to explore the creation, development, and use of variations…

Intercultural pedagogies are increasingly seen as affording opportunities for students to share perspectives, understandings and knowledge. In the shift towards such pedagogies, ways that language is conceptualised and the interrelationship between language, culture and knowing are often underexplored. This paper reports on an auto-ethnographic…

As the main technique of grammar-centred teaching, translation apparently has no use in communicative teaching. However, this contradicts the idea that both translation and language teaching share the common goal of communication. This article argues that the underpinnings of translation coincide with the mediation skills promoted by CEFR and…

This paper evaluates the potential of intercultural contacts portrayed in the content and tasks of a Tunisian EFL textbook for third-year secondary school students to develop the model of the intercultural speaker. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the elements of intercultural contacts reveal that this portrayal is imbalanced in terms…

This article presents a personal reflection on the potential for the techniques of the Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to help French as a Second Language (FSL) university students develop communicative and intercultural competence in Ontario, Canada. The literature review underlines the benefits of learning through drama and theatre and connects…

The term 'mediation' has become central to intercultural language education, a fact that is evident from the attention given to mediation activities and strategies in the revised descriptors of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (North et al. 2017). However, what is meant by 'mediation' is not always clear to…