Songul Dogan Ger: Developing Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Classes
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9 The Students’ Views About the Development of their Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence – Data Source 5: Interviews with the Students
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9.3 Findings
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9.3.3 The Students’ Perceived Skills of Interpreting, Relating, Discovery, and Interaction

9.3.3 The Students’ Perceived Skills of Interpreting, Relating, Discovery, and Interaction

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Although the participating students’ skills of discovery and interaction were reflected throughout the interview, this section focuses specifically on their skills of interpreting and relating. The students described how they generally learned about their classmates’ cultures through direct communication—mainly by asking questions—and sometimes through independent online research. However, none of them reported having attended any dedicated classes or formal sessions about cultural understanding at the observed school. This aligns with the findings from the parents’ interview phase of the case study, in which the parents explained that their children had mostly gained intercultural knowledge through peers or online sources. This suggests that both groups viewed informal, experiential learning as the primary means of cultural discovery.

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When asked about the practice of comparing cultures, the participating students expressed mixed feelings. While some felt comparisons could be offensive or disrespectful, others indicated that comparisons, when framed positively, were helpful in understanding cultural differences. One student said, “No, we don’t compare cultures because we don’t want to be offensive, because it might sometimes come out a little bit offensive” (Jane). Another offered a more nuanced view: “If you compare your culture with other cultures, you should ensure that you don’t say anything rude or offensive. And you should know about their past and the history of their country. You can ask about how they celebrate certain holidays or how education is in their country” (Kate).

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These responses revealed that many of the participating students associated comparison with criticism or judgement, indicating a high degree of sensitivity towards their peers’ cultural identities. While they avoided making direct comparisons, their broader answers showed that they were indeed comparing cultural norms, albeit indirectly. One student acknowledged this openly: “I compare. I’m from Asia. I have some friends (at school) who have never gotten beaten in their life, which is quite surprising to me... Once I got punished very badly... and they have never got punished before” (Lukas). Another said, “I sometimes compare. Mainly the positive parts of cultures... it’s fun to see the many differences between writing and speaking different languages” (Maverick).

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Such examples suggest that the participating students engaged in interpreting and relating by evaluating their own cultural experiences in light of those of their peers. Even if the term comparison seemed too strong or inappropriate to some, their cognitive processing of cultural difference—whether framed through surprise, curiosity, or judgement—demonstrated developing intercultural skills. Their reflections echoed Barrett et al.’s (2014) definition of interculturally skilled individuals who can critically evaluate values, practices, and discourses across cultures.

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When invited to reflect on what they would present about their own cultures in a classroom setting, most students chose topics associated with big C culture—celebrations, food, religious practices, or national holidays. For instance, Tiana said, “I guess I will talk about holidays,” while Miguel added, “Food, national holidays, some cultural stuff like where we pray, etc.” Kate gave a more elaborate example: “I think I will talk about our traditions... I would talk about how we celebrate different holidays... I would also talk a bit about the history that supports the celebrations.”

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

This preference for more tangible or easily presentable aspects of culture contrasts with what the students were interested in learning about others, which often included values, communication patterns, and cultural taboos. Their choices may reflect their confidence in sharing topics for which there are accessible resources, or their developmental stage and comfort with concrete topics. Interestingly, the teachers in Data Source 1 exhibited similar tendencies—they were more likely to teach big C cultural content despite expressing interest in elements of little c culture. The students’ focus may therefore have been influenced by the types of content modelled in class.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

The responses revealed that the participating students developed interpreting and relating skills mainly through informal social interactions rather than structured instruction. While some hesitated to engage in cultural comparison, fearing it might be disrespectful, their broader narratives showed that they did reflect critically on cultural differences. Their understanding of their own and others’ cultures involved both descriptive and evaluative elements, shaped by lived experiences within a multicultural school environment. Although they tended to share surface-level cultural content when talking about their own backgrounds, their desire to explore deeper cultural meanings in others’ practices points to growing intercultural curiosity and criticality. Overall, these findings highlight the value of integrating deeper cultural learning in classroom practices to support the development of comprehensive intercultural competence.
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