Teaching for intercultural awareness through language classroom practice and beyond

Globalisation is influencing foreign language education at universities worldwide, thus intercultural awareness has now become a vital part of foreign language learning. A study was conducted to focus on three areas: generalising participants‘ perceptions of the importance of intercultural awareness in general; examining their intercultural experiences, personally and professionally, especially in relation to language teaching and learning; and identifying the factors that influenced the way they teach and learn. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research approaches for data collection and analysis. There were two phases: questionnaire survey and subsequent interview. The results of this study indicated strong recognition of the key role that intercultural awareness plays in foreign language teaching and learning. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications and directions for further research were also considered. The findings suggested that language learners should cultivate intercultural awareness in the process of their language learning as it is considered the major goal of foreign language learning. Meanwhile, teachers‘ intercultural awareness could influence their language teaching methodology and course design. A paradigm shift from a traditional to an intercultural stance in language education poses a challenge for both language teachers and students if they wish to meet the goals of foreign language education for the global context.