College-level students’ development of intercultural communicative competence: a quantitative study in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

There has been limited empirical research probing English language learners’ perspectives towards Intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Specifically, it is mostly unknown how English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students respond to ICC emergence in some constituents and the degree to which they master each constituent in the socio-cultural learning context. This study evaluated the ICC perceptions of 310 EFL students in Vietnam. Findings demonstrated that ICC constructs were interconnected and diversely perceived by different genders, ages, and English proficiency levels. Implications are discussed regarding how the localized ICC construct can support policies, curriculum developments, and EFL instructional practices.

KEYWORDS:

• intercultural communication
• intercultural development
• English-as-a-foreign-language
• college students; Vietnamese higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ngoc Tung Vu

Ngoc Tung Vu is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at The University at Albany, SUNY. He is also currently employed as a Lecturer of English at VNU University of Languages and International Studies. His research interests lie in intercultural communication and pre-service teacher education in higher education.

Hanh Dinh

Hanh Dinh is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at the The University at Albany, SUNY. Her research interests are bilingualism, intercultural pragmatics, and curriculum design.