Songul Dogan Ger: Developing Students’ Cultural Diversity Awareness and Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Classes
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7 The Place of Culture in Teaching Materials Used in an International School in Budapest – Data Source 3: Teaching Materials Analysis
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7.3 Findings
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7.3.3 The Components of ICC
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7.3.3.3 Components of Intercultural Communication in the Year 7 Materials

7.3.3.3 Components of Intercultural Communication in the Year 7 Materials

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The teaching materials used in Year 7 displayed an evolving integration of ICC components, especially through their increasing inclusion of international cultural references and research-based tasks. While both fiction and nonfiction materials incorporated a range of ICC dimensions, the balance of emphasis shifted between the two. Fiction materials focused primarily on the target culture, especially British literary heritage, whereas the nonfiction materials provided more space for exploring international cultures, including Japan and Ancient Greece. This divergence also influenced the depth and diversity of CDA and ICC development across genres.

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Attitudes such as curiosity and empathy were present in both fiction and nonfiction, but they were more subtly embedded in the fiction materials. In fictional texts, empathy was cultivated through drama-based activities, where students acted out Shakespearean characters and reflected on how those roles made them feel. Curiosity was evoked through inquiry-based tasks such as researching creation myths from different cultures or responding to thought-provoking questions like “How many religions have their own creation myth?” Although some images (e.g., characters of diverse ethnicities) could have fostered CDA, their potential was underused due to the absence of explicit commentary or guided reflection.

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In contrast, attitudinal development in nonfiction materials was more deliberate. Students were asked to identify countries they would like to visit, foods to try, and cultural practices to explore, which promoted curiosity and cultural openness. Visual prompts, such as images depicting individuals from different ethnic backgrounds, implicitly supported CDA, although they too lacked targeted discussion prompts that would have deepened students’ critical engagement.

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Knowledge and understanding featured prominently across all Year 7 materials. Fictional texts provided cultural, social, and historical background knowledge, often linked to canonical works such as Frankenstein, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ozymandias. Contextual information about authors and their eras—such as the science and ideology behind Mary Shelley’s writing or the symbolism of dreams in Elizabethan culture—supported cultural interpretation. International culture was introduced through topics like Ancient Greek myths and Japanese history, albeit in more limited scope compared to British content.

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Nonfiction units provided a clearer emphasis on international cultural knowledge, particularly in the unit on Japan, where students explored traditional food, entertainment, customs, and geography. The materials also addressed language diversity by introducing Latin and Greek influences on English, thereby promoting metalinguistic awareness and highlighting the intercultural nature of language itself.

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Skills of discovery and interaction were consistently encouraged, especially through research-based homework and class presentations. In fiction, these tasks often involved investigating mythological or symbolic references in literature, while in nonfiction, they centred on exploring unfamiliar cultural contexts. Students were expected to gather information about countries of interest, interpret cultural practices, and share their findings, which cultivated ICC-related autonomy and engagement.

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Linguistic, sociolinguistic, and discourse skills were prioritised across all materials, particularly in fiction units. Students analysed literary devices (e.g., metaphor, alliteration, sibilance), translated archaic language into modern English, and explored tone and symbolism. Activities focused on authorial intention, lexical choices, and stylistic effect—especially in poetry and drama—helped to build students’ discourse-level awareness. These linguistic activities remained largely anchored in British literary traditions, but they provided the foundational communicative competence necessary for deeper intercultural inquiry.

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Skills of interpreting and relating were less frequently addressed. Some potential existed within fiction units, particularly where students compared cultural beliefs about dreams or interpreted symbolic meanings in creation myths. However, these activities were not consistently expanded to include the learners’ own cultural backgrounds. Likewise, the nonfiction materials did not encourage students to explicitly relate new cultural knowledge to their lived experiences or home cultures, missing an opportunity to reinforce deeper intercultural reflection.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Action, as an ICC component, was minimally represented but not entirely absent. In both fiction and nonfiction, students were encouraged to explore different cultural perspectives through creation myths and dream symbolism. Some tasks hinted at promoting social inclusion by exposing students to diverse cultural practices, yet there were no structured opportunities to discuss societal challenges or inequalities, nor were there any explicit calls for civic engagement or social justice reflection.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Overall, the Year 7 materials reflect a transitional stage in ICC development. Fictional units maintained a strong focus on linguistic and discourse skills grounded in the British literary canon, with limited opportunities for cultural comparison or critical reflection. In contrast, nonfiction materials more explicitly addressed international cultures and incorporated tasks that supported intercultural discovery and engagement. Nonetheless, the overall approach remained cautious, with limited development of deeper cultural critique or sustained opportunities for students to examine intercultural issues from multiple perspectives.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

This partial integration of CDA and ICC suggests that, while the materials for Year 7 begin to incorporate international viewpoints and more varied ICC components, their implementation remains uneven and largely dependent on genre. The absence of explicit scaffolding for relating and interpreting, as well as limited support for action-oriented tasks, constrains the critical depth of students’ engagement. More explicit teacher guidance, intentional prompts for reflection, and stronger links to learners’ own cultural contexts would help to deepen CDA and ICC development in future curriculum design.
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