Songul Dogan Ger: Developing Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Classes
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2 Theoretical and Empirical Background
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2.6 Empirical Studies on Teaching Culture, CDA, and ICC in Language Classes
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2.6.1 Studies on Language Teachers’Attitudes Towards Teaching Culture, CDA, and ICC

2.6.1 Studies on Language Teachers’Attitudes Towards Teaching Culture, CDA, and ICC

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Teachers play a pivotal role in language education and are increasingly expected to foster students’ ICC and CDA. Diamond and Moore (1995) categorise teachers as cultural organisers, mediators, and orchestrators of social context. Byram et al. (2002) view them as responsible for developing learners’ knowledge, skills, and cultural understanding. Barrett et al. (2014) describe teachers as facilitators of ICC. Yet, as Larzén-Östermark (2008) observes, little research explores how teachers themselves perceive and implement culture teaching.

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This section presents relevant empirical studies that examine teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices. Larzén-Östermark (2008) conducted a qualitative study with 13 Finland-Swedish EFL teachers. Findings revealed three conceptions of culture: factual knowledge (history, geography, traditions), skills (appropriate cultural behaviour), and a bi-directional perspective (awareness of both one’s own and the target culture). Teachers cited three main aims of culture teaching: providing background knowledge, preparing students for intercultural encounters, and promoting empathy. Their practices aligned with a pedagogy of information, preparation, and encounter—ranging from delivering factual content to fostering tolerance. However, many still viewed culture through a traditional, fact-based lens.

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Sercu (2002) surveyed Flemish teachers of English, French, and German. While teachers supported culture teaching and expressed willingness to develop ICC, their practices remained teacher-centred and focused on big C culture. Intercultural reflection and student involvement were limited.

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Lázár (2003) reports on Aleksandrowicz-Pędich et al.’s multi-country study involving English and French teachers across ten European nations. Teachers with international experience had more nuanced views of ICC and clearer strategies for integrating intercultural content. Others, with limited intercultural exposure, adopted an expository approach. Participants unanimously called for stronger pre- and in-service training on ICC.

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In Turkey, Eken (2015) interviewed five university EFL teachers. Participants recognised the importance of ICC and their guiding role but cited constraints such as rigid curricula and low student motivation. While supportive of ICC, they lacked practical strategies for implementation. Interestingly, non-native teachers saw their own cultural learning process as an asset in guiding learners.

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Collins (2009) surveyed 305 elementary teachers in Georgia on their cultural awareness. While most showed awareness of general culture, they lacked understanding in key domains such as cross-cultural communication, assessment, and multicultural classroom practices. No significant differences were found across demographic variables.

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Young and Sachdev (2011) examined EFL teachers’ beliefs in the UK, USA, and France. Although teachers valued ICC and used Byram’s (1997) model, many felt ill-equipped to apply it. Barriers included student disinterest, lack of training, unsuitable materials, and absence of assessment criteria for ICC.

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Jedynak (2011) studied seven Polish English teachers, finding that most viewed culture teaching as transmitting information about traditions and customs. Few integrated intercultural components or adopted reflective practices. While attitudes toward the target culture improved over time, the lack of ICC training limited their ability to translate awareness into pedagogical action.

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Collectively, these studies reveal that while teachers generally value ICC and CDA, many lack the training, resources, and institutional support needed to implement them effectively. Cultural teaching often remains traditional, fact-based, and teacher-led. A consistent theme across contexts is the need for teacher education programmes that embed intercultural theory and pedagogy to equip teachers with the tools to foster critical, reflective, and dialogic cultural learning in diverse classrooms.
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