Songul Dogan Ger: Developing Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Classes
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6 Teachers’ Perceived Attitudes and Practices and Students’ Responses to the Development of Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence – Data Source 2: Classroom Observation
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6.3 Findings
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6.3.4 Teachers’ Perceived Attitudes and Practices in Relation to the Development of CDA and ICC in Year Group 9&10

6.3.4 Teachers’ Perceived Attitudes and Practices in Relation to the Development of CDA and ICC in Year Group 9&10

Teacher-led Cultural Content and Missed Opportunities for Engagement

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During my observations in Year Groups 9 and 10 (YG9&10), I attended three English lessons: two taught by one teacher (120 minutes in total) and a third taught by a different teacher (60 minutes). The class included eleven students from a wide range of cultural backgrounds—China, Nigeria, Singapore, the USA, Qatar, Turkey, Iraq, and Georgia. The lessons covered a variety of topics, including advertising, attitudes toward animals, early American settlers, and disagreement strategies, with differing degrees of cultural relevance and student engagement.

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In the first lesson I observed, the teacher began with riddles as a warm-up, before moving on to literary genres and symbolism. She introduced the topic of “language and communication” and asked students to search for online advertisements, encouraging them to reflect on how brands communicate with consumers. The teacher shared an example of gender stereotyping from historical U.S. advertisements, specifically those targeting women in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a valuable opportunity to explore cultural values embedded in media, yet it remained at the surface level. The discussion that followed—on communication methods past and present—elicited engagement from students, especially when prompted with slogans like “Just do it!” which quickly drew the response “Nike” from the entire class. However, the opportunity to explore intercultural miscommunication, nonverbal codes, or cultural variation in advertising norms across students’ home countries was missed. Culture remained implicit, and no comparative or contrastive elements were introduced.
 
Teacher Bias and Cultural Shut-downs in Discussions of Animal Attitudes

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In the next lesson by the same teacher, students were invited to share their essays on attitudes toward animals. What followed was a striking illustration of how teacher attitudes can silence intercultural dialogue. A student from Qatar shared a culturally specific practice related to animal slaughter, while another mentioned that dogs were not commonly liked in their culture. The teacher responded dismissively, exclaiming “You kill the animals humanely? Oh, God!” and abruptly interrupted two Muslim students who were attempting to explain the significance of animal slaughter on holy days. A Chinese student tried to contribute with a cultural reference to dog consumption, but was cut off by the teacher’s judgmental comment: “You eat dogs. That’s another grim story!”

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At that point, student participation halted completely, and no one was willing to share their essays despite the teacher’s repeated requests. She eventually collected the essays to grade them later. In her interview, the teacher described herself as an animal rights advocate, which, based on her classroom behaviour, evidently affected her openness. This episode served as a vivid reminder of how challenging it can be for teachers to suspend their own judgments and maintain cultural sensitivity—especially when topics touch upon strongly held personal beliefs. I found this situation a textbook example of how CDA and ICC development can be hindered by unchecked biases, making teacher education on these issues all the more critical.
 
Cultural Content in Historical Texts and Superficial Treatment

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In the same session, the teacher shifted the focus to a story by Jane Adams about the first settlers in North America. The students received worksheets containing a passage about pilgrims and immigrants, with the teacher offering brief explanations and sketching their migration route on the board. Though she mentioned social problems linked to immigration, it was done in passing, with no open dialogue or follow-up activities. Again, big C culture (immigration history) and elements of deep culture were present but were not utilised to prompt discussion or explore students’ own migration stories or perspectives.

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The classroom atmosphere also reflected missed opportunities. Students were not only interrupted and criticised when attempting to explain cultural norms but also seemed increasingly hesitant to speak. Compare/contrast activities were absent, and students were not encouraged to reflect on differences or similarities across cultures. While the lesson did offer cultural input and aimed to develop knowledge—one ICC component—it fell short of fostering attitudes, skills, or action. What I observed was a clear demonstration of how teacher attitudes, particularly when judgmental, can restrict the space for open cultural exchange and limit student engagement in intercultural dialogue.
 
A Contrast in Approach: Encouraging Debate and Respectful Disagreement

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The third observed lesson, taught by another teacher, focused on the topic “How to disagree.” This class stood out for its more facilitative and inclusive environment. The teacher built on a previous discussion in which students had mentioned physical violence. When a Chinese student brought up the lack of free speech in China, the topic was briefly acknowledged but not explored further. The teacher proceeded to list different forms of disagreement on the board—such as “attack the speaker,” “respond to tone,” “contradict,” and “explain”—before introducing the concept of “refutation” as the most effective way to disagree.

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He used current political events to draw the students in, referring to a televised debate between Trump and Biden. The topic sparked visible enthusiasm, with many students engaging critically and even laughing as the teacher imitated Trump. The atmosphere was more relaxed, and the students appeared comfortable expressing opinions. They were then given hypothetical scenarios to develop arguments around—such as disagreeing with a parent about cleaning a room or responding to a PE teacher suggesting they repeat a year. Cultural perspectives naturally emerged. For example, students from China and Nigeria felt that starting school at 7 a.m. was not problematic, explaining that it was common in their countries. Despite the cultural input, however, the teacher didn’t seize the chance to initiate a broader intercultural comparison.
 
Cultural Dimensions and Students’ Reluctance to Argue

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Although this teacher was notably more supportive, I noticed that students remained reluctant to argue directly with him or with each other. Most of them were fluent in English and interacted comfortably throughout the session. I suspect that their hesitation was rooted more in cultural norms than in language barriers. Hofstede’s (1986) cultural dimensions—particularly power distance and collectivism—seem relevant here. Students from high power-distance or collectivist cultures may feel uncomfortable challenging authority figures or peers publicly. One troubling moment reinforced this dynamic: when a student commented that “Black people in the USA behaved violently when talking about politics,” a Black student remained silent and did not react. This pointed to the need for ground rules to be set for sensitive discussions, as recommended by Byram et al. (2002), to ensure respectful and inclusive dialogue.

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Despite the teacher’s encouragement and willingness to make the topic engaging, students may have benefited from being explicitly assured that disagreement was welcome and safe. Structured support, such as prompts to explain their cultural norms or discuss hypothetical consequences in different contexts, could have enriched the intercultural depth of the discussion.

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The classroom practices in YG9&10 varied widely depending on the teacher, the topic, and the approach taken. While both lessons included themes with high intercultural potential—communication, advertising, animal attitudes, migration, political disagreement—the extent to which CDA and ICC were fostered differed significantly. The first teacher, though well-organised and task-focused, failed to create a culturally safe space and inadvertently silenced students through judgmental attitudes. In contrast, the second teacher fostered participation and open discussion, though even his class would have benefited from more explicit intercultural scaffolding and ground rules. These observations confirmed for me that student participation is not only shaped by curriculum content but by the teacher’s intercultural mindset, pedagogical choices, and classroom environment. When students feel respected and unjudged, they are more likely to share, compare, and reflect—essential processes for developing CDA and ICC.
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