ISSN 0798 1015
ISSN 0798 1015
Vol. 38 (Nº 25) Year 2017. Page 27
Perizat Assanbayevna KUDABAYEVA 1; Gulnur Bolatbekovna ISSABEKOVA 2; Botagoz Talgatovna KERIMBAYEVA 1; Gulnur Abdykassymovna ALIMKHANOVA 2; Akbota Tazhibayevna BEKBOLATOVA 1
Received: 09/03/2017 • Approved: 15/04/2017
ABSTRACT: This article is dedicated to diagnostics of formation of future English language teachers’ intercultural communicative competence as a significant line in the development of a competitive individual. Definitions of such notions as “culture”, “intercultural communication”, “competence”, “intercultural competence” developed by acknowledged foreign and Russian scientists and experts are given, and studies and models of intercultural competence suggested by foreign and Russian scientists are also considered. The topic is urgent due to the definition of the issues of study and formation of future English language teachers’ intercultural communicative competence in order to train competitive, professional, and competent specialists able to preserve national values and heritage. Due to intercultural communication being in demand, it is necessary to form intercultural communicative competence of future specialists, and this means not only acquiring linguocultural knowledge but also developing motivational readiness to intercultural dialogue. The intercultural dialogue cannot be studied without a developed set of certain competences, especially intercultural communicative competence, which is a part of professional competencies of specialists and is defined by many researchers as a set of knowledge, skills, methods, and experience of constructing and understanding expressions in communicative situations. |
RESUMEN: Este artículo se dedica al diagnóstico de la formación de la competencia intercultural de los futuros profesores de lengua inglesa como una línea significativa en el desarrollo de un individuo competitivo. Se dan definiciones de nociones tales como "cultura", "comunicación intercultural", "competencia", "competencia intercultural" desarrolladas por científicos y expertos extranjeros y rusos reconocidos y también se consideran los estudios y modelos de competencia intercultural sugeridos por científicos extranjeros y rusos . El tema es urgente debido a la definición de los temas de estudio y formación de la competencia comunicativa intercultural de los futuros profesores de inglés para capacitar a profesionales competitivos, profesionales y competentes capaces de preservar valores y patrimonio nacional. Debido a la exigencia de la comunicación intercultural, es necesario formar una competencia comunicativa intercultural de futuros especialistas, lo que significa no sólo adquirir conocimientos lingüoculturales sino también desarrollar una preparación motivacional para el diálogo intercultural. El diálogo intercultural no puede ser estudiado sin un conjunto desarrollado de ciertas competencias, especialmente la competencia comunicativa intercultural, que forma parte de las competencias profesionales de los especialistas y es definida por muchos investigadores como un conjunto de conocimientos, habilidades, métodos y experiencia de construcción y comprensión Expresiones en situaciones comunicativas. |
The president of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev noted in his lecture “To economics of knowledge through innovation and education”: “Having set a strategic task – to become one of the 50 most competitive countries in the world within the following 10 years, we must closely follow global development trends in science and technology as well as development of education. We must look towards approaching the level of 50 most competitive countries in the view of life quality and standards. High-quality mobile human capital should become Kazakhstan’s key advantage on the world market together with constant introduction of innovations. The principal goal of entering the list of 50 most competitive countries is preparation of high-quality competitive specialists who can successfully manage scientific technology, practically use the acquired knowledge, and make effective decisions (N.A.NAZARBAEV and EURASIANISM: collected articles and speeches of the Head of the state, 2012).
Today’s globalisation leads to greater interaction between different countries, nations and their cultures. They influence each other through cultural exchange and direct contacts between state institutions, social groups, social movements, scientific cooperation, trade, tourism, etc.
Communication with foreigners becomes a reality, and meeting representatives of other cultures is part of our daily life. Educational institutions organise exchange of students and schoolchildren more and more often, teachers conduct joint projects and go abroad for internships, thus participating in intercultural communication and cultural dialogue.
The study of intercultural communication issues includes introduction to the following phenomena and notions: communication principles, main functions of culture, influence of culture on perception and communication in its various fields and types, parameters for description of cultural influence on human activity and development of the society (Sviridon 2005).
Analysis of educational and methodical literature allows to conclude that the problems in the field of intercultural education and formation of intercultural communication of students of different specialisation were studied and covered in different works of V.G. Apalkov, N.D. Galskova, T.G. Grushevitskaya, G.V. Elizarova, A.V. Kiryakova, O. Leontovich, M.V. Plekhanova, S.V. Maslovskaya, S.G. Ter-Minasova, etc.
The issues of intercultural communication and cultural and linguistic practice were studied in the works of V.A. Slastenin, P.V. Sysoev, I.L. Bim, etc.
Methods of communicative construction of interpersonal space of interaction and communication were reflected in the works of E.O. Omar and N. Anarbek.
In recent decades a number of research works on the theory of communicative approach in the teaching of subjects directly or indirectly concerning the issues of intercultural communication were published. For instance, V.A. Slastenin, A.B. Nurlybekova, O.N. Frankovskaya, E.I. Passov, R.P. Milrud, E.D. Bozhovich study the development of communicativeness as a professional quality (Kudabayeva and Berkimbayev 2015).
Comprehensive analysis of scientific literature on the selected topic of research and observation of the practice of teaching foreign languages in higher school revealed insufficient theoretical and practical study of the issue of formation of intercultural competence of students within an integrated educational process of a higher educational institution.
The development of intercultural competence is undoubtedly based on the study of culture. According to many authors (Belik 1998; Bibler 1991; Bueva 1997), the interpretations of the term “culture” are so diverse due to the complexity of this multi-sided phenomenon reflecting all the sides of human reality.
As T.G. Grushevitskaya notes (2002), “observing the differences in behaviour, we begin to understand that they are based on cultural differences, and that is where the study of culture starts. In this sense culture is just an abstract notion which helps us understand why we do what we do and explain the differences in behaviour of the representatives of various cultures”. The author identifies three meanings of the term “culture” in the context of cultural anthropology:
1.A separate area of social life existing in the form of a system of institutions and organisations producing and distributing spiritual values;
2.A set of values and norms characteristic of a big social group, community, nation or people;
3.Expression of high-level human achievements in some kind of activity.
A.B. Nurlybekova states that “the culture being formed is partly national and partly universal. It includes not only knowledge but also the culture of thought and activity” (Nurlybekova 2006).
On the basis of the above-mentioned it can be concluded that culture is rather abstract notion, as it exists only in the form of a great number of diverse cultures of different countries and nations. In this context the words of T.N. Persikova seem really interesting: “In contemporary world, when one cannot do without intercultural communication at different levels – from interpersonal to interethnic, anyone involved in intercultural communication and interested in its efficiency can get an idea of cultural diversity of the world reflecting most distinctive and typical features of any culture” (Persikova 2007).
However, despite a great number of scientific studies on the topic of intercultural communication, there is still no single definition of this term in modern pedagogics of higher school and methodology of teaching foreign languages. Scientists approach the term of “intercultural communication” differently. Let us consider the description of this term in the works of Russian researchers.
The term “intercultural communication” to a certain degree relates to the notion of “the dialogue of cultures”. The definition of intercultural communication is clear from the term itself: it is communication between people representing different cultures.
V.V. Safonova stresses in her works the significance of foreign languages in intercultural communication and suggests the following definition of this term: “Intercultural communication is functionally related communicative interaction between people who act as representatives of different cultural communities realising their belonging to different geopolitical, continental, regional, religious, national and ethnic groups as well as social subcultures” (Safonova 1992).
T.N. Persikova understands “intercultural communication” as culturally related process all components of which are closely connected with cultural (national) identity of participants of the communication process (Persikova 2007).
According to many scientists, intercultural competence helps to gain understanding in the process of intercultural communication. As for the definition of this term, Russian, Kazakh and foreign researchers cannot reach common ground in their scientific works. Despite the disagreement in the definition of “intercultural competence”, all scientists note its educational value.
Pedagogical science often uses the definition from the textbook by A.P Sadokhin: “Intercultural competence is a set of knowledge and skills allowing an individual in the process of intercultural communication to adequately evaluate communicative situation, effectively use verbal and non-verbal means, put communicative intentions into practice, and check the results of communication using feedback” (Sadokhin 2009).
Scientists also suggested a number of intercultural competence models. Many models consist of three main components: knowledge, skills and attitude. The first model of intercultural competence was suggested in 1962.
Spitzberg and Changnon identified several types of models:
Thus, intercultural communicative competence is an important component of modern theory and methodology of teaching foreign languages which demands to search for new psychoeducational and methodical solutions aimed at providing students with a possibility to take part in intercultural communication.
We chose the following methods of diagnostics: questionnaire survey, testing, ranging, conversation, observation, expert evaluation, self-diagnostics, performing practical tasks, studying the products of activity of future English language teachers. The methods of diagnostics were chosen depending on the evaluated criterion and characterising features.
Therefore, we selected questionnaire survey and conversation aimed at identifying the reasons for choosing the profession of English language teacher, understanding the significance of high-level knowledge of English language as well as satisfaction of English education quality in professional university training and their professional intentions for mastering intercultural communication.
The goal of our research is to identify the level of development of the components of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers, develop the methodology of formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers based on the use of information communicative technologies in the process of intercultural communication study and test its effectiveness.
Research work on the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers was conducted on the basis of 5В011900 specialisation - Foreign language: two foreign languages – in Taraz State Pedagogical Institute.
38 future English language teachers took part in the experiment: one experimental group (20 students) and one control group (18 students). Research work was conducted during 3 years, exactly in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years, and in 2016-2017 academic year the developed system and methodology of formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers in the process of studying intercultural communication using information communicative technologies was corrected and specified.
The results of the research of formation of motivational component of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers are presented in table 1.
Table 1. Results of studying the level of formation of motivational component
of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
No. |
Levels |
Final year students (%) |
1 |
Low |
37,2 |
2 |
Medium |
54,3 |
3 |
High |
8,5 |
To identify the level of formation of informative component of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers in the process of studying intercultural communication using information communicative technologies, we used questionnaire survey, conversation, practical tasks, testing, solution of problematic situations, essay and project work writing, etc. The results received during the experiment show the level of intercultural communicative knowledge and skills of the interviewed students in the conditions of professional activity. Some of the results are presented further. The questionnaire included the following question: “What do you understand as the object of study of intercultural communication for professional activity on the basis of using information communicative technologies?”. 36% said it was the text, 38% named a foreign partner through an online system, 17% of the interviewed did not answer at all, and only 9% said it was the process of intercultural communication.
The need for the high level of knowledge of the English language by future teachers of this subject in their professional activity as an intercultural communication was not duly reflected in the questionnaires. As a result, the level of the informative component of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers is rather low, which is demonstrated in table 2.
Table 2 – Results of studying the level of formation of informative component
of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
in the process of studying the English language
No. |
Levels |
Percentage (%) |
1 |
Low |
39,8 |
2 |
Medium |
51,9 |
3 |
High |
8,3 |
Analysis of the results of studying the level of formation of informative component of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers shows low level of knowledge in the field of intercultural communication for professional activity as a communicative process aimed at providing interlingual, intercultural and interpersonal communication between multilingual partners and, as a result, insufficient notion of the types of communication (monological and dialogical, verbal and non-verbal, business and personal) and requirements to their implementation.
Thus, the results of ascertaining experiment showed rather low level of formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers as the key competence of their professional activity, which brings into focus the organisation and conduct of research work on the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers in the process of studying intercultural communication in order to check the effectiveness of the suggested system and methodology as well as test the detected educational conditions in an integrated educational process of a higher educational institution.
Organisation and conduct of forming experiment took part during the natural educational process of teaching intercultural communication using the possibilities of information communicative technologies, intercultural communication study guides (in English) and introduction of an elective course “Information communicative technologies in the formation of intercultural communicative competence”.
At the end of the first stage of forming research work future English language teachers had to take part in a conversation, questionnaire survey, testing, and expert evaluation for the level of formation of intercultural communicative competence in experimental and control groups to be detected. The results are presented in table 3 and figure 1.
Table 3. Results of the first stage of forming research work on the formation
of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
in the process of teaching intercultural communication
No. |
Levels |
Control group (%) |
Experimental group (%) |
1 |
Low |
32,4 |
34,1 |
2 |
Medium |
56,6 |
57,8 |
3 |
High |
8,7 |
8,1 |
Figure 1. Results of the first stage of research work on the formation of intercultural communicative
competence of future English language teachers in the process of teaching intercultural communication
The data of the table and the diagram demonstrate that the number of students with medium level of the formation of intercultural communicative competence in the experimental group significantly increased (57,8%) and thus the number of students with low level decreased (34,1%). At the same time, there are still not enough future specialists with high level of intercultural communicative competence, which, in our opinion, can be explained by insufficient study of intercultural communication for professional activity.
As the goal of the second stage was the formation of intercultural communicative knowledge, development of communicative skills and abilities forming the basis of intercultural communicative competence, we used comprehensive possibilities of information communicative technologies in the process of teaching intercultural communication and integration of basic and profile subjects of general education.
After the second stage was completed, we conducted the second intermediate test in order to identify the level of formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers in the process of teaching intercultural communication (table 4 and figure 2).
Table 4. Results of the second stage of research work on the formation of
intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
No. |
Levels |
Control group (%) |
Experimental group (%) |
1 |
Low |
31,6 |
24,1 |
2 |
Medium |
59,4 |
60,1 |
3 |
High |
9 |
15,8 |
Figure 2. Results of the second stage of research work on the formation
of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
The above-mentioned results demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of information communicative technologies, integration of a number of subjects and planned introduction of educational conditions into the process of the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers, which showed off in the dynamics of the levels of formation of this integrative quality in the experimental group. However, a small number of high level students (15,8%) can be, in our opinion, explained by the fact that the acquired linguistic knowledge is not yet presented in an integrated system, which does not allow them to develop practical and communicative skills and abilities.
In this respect, during the third stage the elective course “Information communicative technologies in the formation of intercultural communicative competence” was presented to the experimental group. This elective course is important for the formation of intercultural communicative competence, as it helps students to acquire fundamental concepts of communication from the professional point of view, several of which, according to credit technology, are not presented at this stage in the curriculum of the institute. Students have highly appreciated the significance of this course since it allowed them to systemise the fragmentary knowledge they had acquired from the above-mentioned subjects, to identify their professional significance and main lines of improvement for their intercultural communicative competence. At the end of this course students presented their reports, presentations and projects on one of the suggested topics and also answered test questions and outlined the topics and plans of their term and diploma papers according to their specialisation in the English language.
At the third stage of the forming experiment future English language teachers, in accordance with the informative component, studied intercultural communication for professional activity based on the use of information communicative technologies, study guides, etc. Intercultural communication for professional activity was taught according to the professional activity and significance of the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers.
The acquired results demonstrated the effectiveness of the suggested system and methodology of the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers (table 5 and figure 3).
Table 5. Results of the third stage of research work on the formation of
intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers (%)
No. |
Levels |
Control group (%) |
Experimental group (%) |
1 |
Low |
30,7 |
15,7 |
2 |
Medium |
60,1 |
63,1 |
3 |
High |
9,2 |
21,2 |
Figure 3. Results of the third stage of research work on the formation
of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers
Analysis of the questionnaires, results of the conversations, and expert evaluations showed that students were willing to master not only a foreign language but also the skills of intercultural communication for professional activity in all its complexity and multidimensionality. Future specialists clearly understood the main specifics and significance of studying intercultural communication for their professional activity, the need for fundamental training and development of key competences, especially intercultural communicative competence for professional activity.
At the second stage of our research work we used comprehensive possibilities of information communicative technologies in the process of teaching intercultural communication. It should also be noted that the use of information communicative technologies in the process of teaching intercultural communication together with the integration of subjects allowed the students to form theoretical and methodological fundamentals and professionally significant and specific features of communicative activity for future speciality. In addition to that, we set a high value on the study of intercultural communication for professional activity during which we stressed the formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers based on the use of information communicative technologies (Podcast technology, case study), recognition, correct understanding and adequate reaction to linguistic and cultural differences in communication of partners speaking different languages.
Analysis of the results of the intermediate test of the last stage in the experimental group shows significant increase at the medium (63,1%) and high levels (21,2%) and decrease of the number of low level students (15,7%), which means that the suggested elective course and professionally oriented study of intercultural communication were effective. The changes were noticed in the levels of intercultural communicative competence and in control groups: the number of low level students decreased and there appeared a small number of high level students (9,2%).
In conclusion it should be said that the developed system of formation of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers consists of the interconnected stages allowing to attract the interest to the study of intercultural communication for professional activity, to form positive attitude to partners in intercultural communication, to develop and systemise the acquired knowledge on intercultural communication to be used in professional activity, to practice communicative skills at different levels, that is, to universalize communicative knowledge, skills and abilities of intercultural communication in the English language in professional activity.
The results of the research work allow to identify the increase in the level of intercultural communicative competence of future English language teachers, which proves the effectiveness of the developed system and methodology and justifies the suggested hypothesis on which our study is based.
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1. H.A. Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkistan, Republic of Kazakhstan, 161200. Email: perizat_2003@mail.ru
2. Taraz State Pedagogical Institute, Taraz, Republic of Kazakhstan, 080000 Tole bi street, 7.