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IRSTI 16.01.45
FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN TEACHING
A.K. Kapanova1, A.A. Mukhametzhanova2 'PhD student, instructor 2Senior Lecturer TAU, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, email: [email protected]
The article presents the main problems of intercultural competence in learning. In the era of globalization, one of the urgent problems of cross-cultural competence is their transformation in learning. In the class there are students with different cultural values and they can feel a sense of their inferiority, which leads to increased alienation, to the desire to create inter-ethnic tensions in the process of relations with others. Teachers must create a stabilization and approach the learning of cross-cultural competence correctly. Thus, intercultural communication is one of the constituent parts of cross-cultural competence in studying the problem of safe and conflict-free interaction of ethnic groups by instilling the skills of tolerant and conversational attitudes towards each other.
Key words: cross-cultural competence, intercultural competence, discourse style, intercultural communication,
EFL
Nowadays cross-cultural competence is practiced in any field including education. The main reason for this phenomenon is the evidence of globalization in society. When faculty member enters the classroom there are students from diverse cultures. In order to meet students' needs and be successful in educating teacher should cope with the difficulties which arose by background information of students. To deal successfully with representatives of other culture in modern world young generation should acquire sets of skills as global awareness and competence [1] which makes attempt to help in finding solutions for mutual understanding. Cross-cultural competence is when person becomes aware of other cultures [2; 11] and leads to successful work with other member of culture [3].
Characteristics and importance of cultural competence. As Diller and Moule defines: Cultural competence is the ability to successfully teach learners who come from other cultures. It brings on developing specific personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities, developing certain bodies of cultural knowledge, and mastering a set of skills that, taken together and essential results lie on effective cross-cultural teaching.
Deardoff [4] gives definition to intercultural competence as effective communication skill in intercultural situation and taking into account communicator's intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is believed that intercultural competence concerns about others and to understand his worldviews.
According to Osei-Bonsu [2], as an individual manager's level, cultural competence needs three very important concepts: cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cross-cultural skills. We can accept instructors as a manager of the classroom. So, to be culturally competent does not need only being aware of cultural diversities. There are deeper perspectives to feel in the achievement gap of the educator. Educator needs diverse teaching strategies for diverse learners. Marietta Saravia-Shore highlights to embrace diverse teaching by giving strategies for students who are culturally and ethnically diverse. Also, for students who are linguistically diverse.
Cazden shows that many teachers fail to communicate effectively with learners from diverse backgrounds [5]. Teachers may not understand actions of student or behavioral norms and attitudes in the classroom settings. Because most of the time educator can misinterpret behavior of learners and misunderstand the culture they come from. Cultural clash may occur and will be caused when teacher unable to recognize and violates or does not know student's language, nonverbal cues, gestures, physical movement, learning styles, even a worldview [5]. Also, teacher expectations play crucial role in teaching. They may have low expectations for learners of diverse backgrounds and fail to present engaging lessons. Robert W. Cole suggests that one of the reasons is to give clear instructions despite the student's racial, ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. Before entering the classroom both teacher and learner should believe in themselves that they will gain knowledge and achieve success. Moreover, teachers' attitudes to learners with affluent or poor family backgrounds should be equal. In many cases children's success depends on teacher's high and low expectations concerned to learner.
Dennice has studied teacher learning on cultural diversity, its values and concluded 12 key elements for effective teaching for diverse population [6]. 1) Teacher is aware of their own ethnic and cultural
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identities; 2) teacher believes that all students can succeed and sets high expectations for all learners; 3) teacher attitude is equal to all students and believes that he can make difference in students learning; 4) teacher is in a good relationship with their students and stops seeing their students as "the other". Tries to make students feel as if they are a big family; 5) schools proves appropriate curriculum and pays attention to the development of higher-level of cognitive skills; 6) the right instruction ensures student's awareness about their own learning; 7) teacher assists students to recognize tasks as purposeful; 8) curricula provide students with variety of content; 9) teacher provides students with the contribution and perspectives of the different ethnocultural groups that form the society; 10) teacher educates students to school culture and helps to feel students as a part of a society; 11) Parents are engaged in students learning and are given the right to make decisions in the school's life; 12) teachers are engaged in every aspect of a society [6].
Dennice Van Roekel gives parameters and gives reasons why there is a need for promoting educators' cultural competence in order to teach students effectively which hold different cultural background.
1) Students more diverse than ever.
2) Culture plays a critical role in learning.
3) Cultural competence leads to more effective teaching.
4) Culturally competent educators are better equipped to reach out student's families.
5) Cultural competence helps address student achievement gaps.
6) Cultural competence reinforces national ideals.
7) Cultural competence helps educators meet accountability requirements [6].
This is the one of the main reasons why cross-cultural competence is used and promoted widely. Moreover, it is held by many researchers to be more effective than the conscious study of the subject programme. In particular, cross-cultural competence has been shown to be highly successful way of understanding, conforming and deepening knowledge of worldview of every individual.
When teacher candidate or any member of education field is culturally competent can make fair judgments about someone's cultural assumptions, prejudices, values, and beliefs. Osei-Bonsu states that when person is able to view the world through another person's eyes or understand that other people may perceive the world through different perspectives. Culturally competent professional veers away from ethnocentric attitude, shows increased flexibility and openness, and exercises non-judgmental viewpoints. For sure it helps to block occurrence of cultural conflict and ensure friendly environment where it is practiced and necessary. Furthermore, would help remove barriers and current one-size-fits-all approach.
Aydogan and Akbarov conceptualize the development of intercultural sensitivity and awareness by using English language as the medium of instruction that claims to the globalized world. Furthermore, authors make stress on the vitality of becoming more sensitive to the endless variety of separate cultural thinking forms around us. Rapidly changing world can take you to the place where you are competent enough to show your skill [3].
The earliest research was conducted by Hammer, Gudykunst and Wiseman [7] in their work of "intercultural effectiveness". They asked travelers to name range of competencies which are needed to live successfully overseas. They gathered 24 skills, for instance, there were communication problems, hurdles which is caused by culture and custom differences and others. These abilities were analyzed and researchers developed three groups to compile them which is called three-factor model of intercultural effectiveness: a) the ability to cope with psychological stress, b) effective communication ability, c) to be able to build interpersonal connection.
Later work of Chen and Starosta [9] put forward that intercultural competence incorporates three related dimensions: sensitivity, awareness and skills. Sensitivity refers to a person's capacity to understand and appreciate cultural differences. Awareness is described the ability to understand how culture affects thinking, behavior, and interactions. Skills are related to effective dialog and intercultural communications.
The next stage is to measure cross-cultural competence. There are still debates about how to measure and effective ways of measuring cultural competence.
If university wants to stay competitive in the higher education and labor market it has to attract foreign students to their programmes. University may engage learners and faculty members in exchange, scholarship, foundation or internship programmes. The most important thing in these programmes is the number of enrolled students to the course which carry the name of "international" and the list of many international courses. But they do not worry about what kind of knowledge and skills students need to develop to be interculturally competent in the faculty. Moreover, higher education needs to develop ability of being aware of cultural diversity and give solutions to the cross-cultural issues which arose in the academic area.
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Cross-cultural competence problems. Cultural differences arose in day to day interaction discourse. Sileo and Prater have found that African American students were highly engaged in discussions and giving comments participating in lectures. American teachers who are not aware of this occurrence may find this very interrupting. Sileo and Pratter also added that Pacific Islanders may regard students as passive and lazy or even not ready to the class.
The most researches were conducted in Japan, the USA, the South Korea, and in Europe (Dong Chui, Dong Cuj, Duan W, Ho SMY, Sui, Bowie, P.Y., Li Tingtihg, Zhang Yohghong, He Ying, Zhang Yalin, Yang Haiyan, Chen Hui, Che Hongsheng, Shan Chunyan, Wei M., Heppner P., Mallen M., Reichard R.J., Serrano S.A., Condren M., Wilder N., Dollwet M., Wang W. and ohers ), but there is not enough work on cross-cultural adaptation of foreign students in Kazakhstan. According to Chen S. that the social adaptation of culturally diverse students influence on social-psychological peculiarity of students tolerance, real life situation judgments, condition of life, practicality and narrow circle of interests and friends in another country [8].
Culturally diverse discourse style issues. In globalised world more often we find ourselves in front of people from different language backgrounds, with people who have different discourse style. In Kazakstan during Soviet period, English language was taught only by accents and voices of the native speakers. Nowadays the trend is that we have to be able to comprehend and communicate with culturally diverse holders of second language. In interaction between people of different cultures and different speech styles may perceived negatively rather than positively [12]. Negative reaction is the result of the interaction in particular ways that speaker have to follow. During the communication person is tend to find differences between speeches than similarities. The communication will be successful and effective when participants of interaction have developed multiple interaction skills, including respect and tolerance to the next person. Robinson [12] believes that multicultural understanding takes place when individuals become multicultural to some degree.
Diversity in speech not only demands interaction with verbal speech factors but also through such language elements including speech pitch, intonation, stress, speed of speech, at the same time important is body language, like posture, facial expression and gestures.
Language issues itself: Non-native teacher speaker. Sometimes learners think that non-native English speaking teachers do not know much. Some students may have had native English speaking teachers in their learning experience. Student may not accept the teaching of non-native teachers. Rampton [13] assumes that it is desirable to students the teacher's ability and skill to do the job, it is not who you are, but what can you offer. Non-native speaker teachers can be as good as native speaker teachers in teaching methodology.
Content of knowledge problems. Sometimes the content of knowledge can be problem for the students. It may lead for some frustration: Guest [10] mentioned that comparing and contrasting cultures arise to oversimplification and stereotypes of cultural items. As a result, it may lead to positive and negative assumptions from students.
Moreover, confusion takes place when students cannot find the common things which are accepted in their own culture. For instance, there can be differences in rituals, traditions, customs and norms that are found in the content of the textbook, learners with different cultural background feel stress, anxiety. Moreover, living with different cultural values is also an issue. They are religion, moral behavior, justice, ethnic and racial equality, gender equality, work ethic and privacy. Students have to deal with anxiety, cultural trauma, strong and great surprise.
Kunanbaeva proposed elements of cultural knowledge based on multicultural education:
a) Cultural materials such as basic type settlements, housing, basic household items, clothing (national costume), jewelry, national food, crafts, tools, labor.
b) Spiritual culture of national customs, rituals, holidays; language, folklore (tales, proverbs and sayings, children's games, music), art (songs, dances, work of art and decorative art, literature).
c) Regulatory culture: universal moral quality; rules of communication between people inside and outside the ethnic group. Basics of the reported knowledge about customs, cultural values, norms of behavior stereotypes of other nations should be based on a complete mastery of ethnic features of their culture - man deeply respects and understands the identity of its people will be able to understand and accept the specificity of cultural values of other ethnic groups [14].
Cross-cultural competence is the main recourse for successful and effective communication and international relationship. This is not "one size fits to all" approach though many models include similar dimensions and they include tolerance, open-minded relation and concern, relevant intercultural knowledge and skills that lead to successful academic achievements and behavior as a result. Moreover a Western
teacher accepts Southern Asian students' responses like smiling shockingly. They may accept smiling as disrespect, however, it does not mean so.
Educators must be aware of different worldview, peculiarities of the local culture and target culture [15]. Even it is difficult to observe and understand of your own culture. It is not as easy and effortless to know every detail of what other person think and act in such way. Educators need training in getting input on each student's background.
References
1. Osei-Bonsu. Discourse Analysis of Cross-Cultural Competencies in International Business Management // European Scientific Journal, 2006.vol.12, No.22.
2. Sileo, T., Prater, M. Creating classroom environments that address the linguistic and cultural background of students with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education. 26, 1998. Pp. 149-159.
3. Aydogan H, Akbarov A Attitudes and Intercultural Sensitivity towards English Language Teaching, 2014. p.2, https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/261710775
4. Chen and Starosta the Development and validation of the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale // Human Communication. 2000. p.3
5. Cazden, C.B. Classroom Discourse: the Language of Teaching and Learning. Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann . 1988.
6. Dennice Van-Roekel. National Education Association, NEA Resolutions 2007-2008. In National Education Association: Handbook. Washington, DC. 2008.
7. Ladson-Billing,G. Teaching and cultural competence. What does it take to be a successful teacher in a diverse classroom? Rethinking Schools Online, 2001. 15(4), p.2, www.rethinkingchools.org/archive/15_04/Glb154.shtml.
8. Dong Cui. Intercultural adaptation. Social Sciences Journal. 2005: 191-193.
9. Chen Hui, Che Hongsheng. A review of the research on the influence factors of cross-cultural adaptation. Progress in Psychology Sciences. 2003; 11(6): 704-780.
10. Guest A. A critical checkbook for culture teaching and learning // ELT Journal 56/2 155. 2002.
11. Rampton, M.B.H. Displacing the native speaker: expertise, affiliation, and inheritance // EL.T. Journal, 1990. 44/2: 97
12. Robinson, G.L.N. Crosscultural Understanding: Processes and Approaches for FL, ESL, and Bilingual Educators // Englewood Cliffs. N.J. 1985.
13. Sultana Sh. Teaching English in a Crosscultural Context: challenges and directions // Journal of NELTA vol.16 No. 1-2, 2011. Pp. 114-122.
14. Kunanbaeva S.S. Theory and practice of modern foreign language teaching. Almaty. 2010.
15. Ashirimbetova M. Culture in the FLT Classroom: to teach or not to teach? // Journal of Teaching and Education, CD-ROM. ISSN: 2165-6266 :: 04(01):79-84 (2015)
ОСОБЕННОСТИ И ПРОБЛЕМЫ КРОССКУЛЬТУРНОЙ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТИ В ОБУЧЕНИИ
А.К. Капанова1, А.А. Мухаметжанова2 1 PhD докторант, преподаватель 2 ст. преподаватель, 1,2 Университет Туран-Астана, г. Нур-Султан, Казахстан, email: [email protected]
В статье представлены основные проблемы межкультурной компетентности в обучении. В эпоху глобализации одной из актуальных проблем кросс-культурной компетентности является их трансформация в обучении. В классе находятся ученики с разными культурными ценностями и они могут ощущать чувство своей неполноценности, ущербности, что ведет к росту отчужденности, к стремлению создать межэтническую напряженность в процессе отношений с другими. Учителя должны создать стабилизацию и правильно подойти к обучению кросскультурной компетенции. Таким образом, межкультурная коммуникация является одной из составляющих частей кросскультурной компетенции в изучении проблемы безопасного и бесконфликтного взаимодействия этносов путем привития навыков терпимого и диалогового отношения друг к другу.
Ключевые слова: кросс-культурная компетентность, межкультурная компетентность, дискурсивный стиль, межкультурная коммуникация, EFL
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А.К. Капанова1, А.А.Мухаметжанова2 1 PhD докторанты, окытушы 2 ага окытушы, 1,2 «Туран-Астана» университетi, Нур-Сулган, Казахстан, email: [email protected]
Макалада окытудагы мэдениетаралык кузырлылыктын негiзгi мэселелерi карастырылган. ЖаИандану дэуiрiнде мэдениетаралык кузырлылыктын езекп мэселелерiнiн 6ipi оларды окытуда трансформациялау болып табылады. Сыныпта эртYрлi мэдени кундылыктарга ие окушылар бар жэне олар ездершщ баска адамдармен карым-катынастарында этносаралык шиеленiстi тудыруга деген умтылыстарга, олардын иелiк етуiн арттыруга экелш соктыратын кемшiлiк, кемсiтушiлiк сезiмiн сезiнуi мумк1н. МуFалiмдер турактылыкты калыптастырып, мэдениетаралык кузырлылыкты дурыс менгеру керек. Осылайша, мэдениетаралык карым-катынас - бiр-бiрiне тезiмдiлiк пен сейлесу карым-катынас дагдыларын калыптастыру аркылы этникалык топтардын кауiпсiз жэне жанжалсыз езара эрекеттесу мэселесiн зерттеудеп мэдениетаралык кузыреттшк курамдас белiктерiнiн бiрi.
Туйт свздер: кросс-мэдени цузыреттшк, мэдениетаралыц цузыретттж, дискурс стил1, мэдениетаралыц царым-цатынас, EFL
