Songul Dogan Ger: Developing Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Classes
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5 Teachers’ Perceived Attitudes and Practices Concerning the Development of Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in an International School in Budapest – Data Source 1: Interviews with the Schoolteachers
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5.3 Findings
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5.3.1 Teachers’ Attitudes Towards the Concept of Culture

5.3.1 Teachers’ Attitudes Towards the Concept of Culture

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When asked to define culture, most participating teachers described it as broad, intangible, and multifaceted. While a few acknowledged its abstract nature, the majority stressed that culture encompasses “everything” — including beliefs, behaviours, customs, and family traditions. Although big C elements such as history, geography, and art were occasionally referenced, the dominant emphasis was on little c or deep cultural elements like lifestyles, attitudes, and everyday practices.

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For instance, Ethan stated, “Culture is various. [It comprises the] beliefs, attitudes, and historical development of a group… their food, dress, relations with other countries, relations within the country.” Helen defined it as “how you live everyday life… how you approach situations… how you see the world.” Isabel noted, “Culture is everything that makes up one people… their language, their history, their traditions, laws, foods, music.”

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These perspectives reflect what Gómez Rodríguez (2015a) refers to as deep culture — the implicit, less visible norms, values, and communication styles that shape human interaction. The prominence of little c culture in the participants’ responses stands in contrast with earlier studies that found teachers tended to define culture through big C categories like literature and geography (Lázár et al., 2007; Sercu, 2002). This difference may be attributed to these teachers’ extended experience in multicultural classrooms and long-term exposure to diverse cultural environments.

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A recurring theme in their definitions was the connection between culture and lifestyle. Diana explained, “It’s how you act towards each other… how you think; it’s tradition, your norms.” Valeria described it simply as “the lifestyle… the way we live.” Hugo viewed culture as “the defining features of a group… how we express ourselves collectively.”

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Family background and intergenerational values also featured prominently. Teachers often linked cultural identity to home environments and upbringing. Nicole stated, “Culture is learning about each individual… the richness of family values going back generations.” Similarly, Lydia associated culture with “how you were raised, your background,” and Yana highlighted how culture “comes from your environment but also your home life.”

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While no direct questions were asked about the participants’ own cultures, several teachers implicitly expressed a strong sense of cultural identity. Kevin reflected, “Culture is something ingrained in me from growing up in Denmark… a set of values.” Layla similarly noted, “For me, it’s also your family’s point of view, how they teach you.”

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Overall, teachers demonstrated a nuanced understanding of culture, rooted in experience and intercultural awareness. They predominantly described culture through little c and deep elements — behaviours, norms, values, and interpersonal styles — while also showing awareness of big C aspects. Interestingly, although many of them teach literature, a core component of big C culture, none mentioned it explicitly in their responses.
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