Intercultural Teacher Education through Cultural Synergy: Understanding Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Developing Intercultural Competence

• Other Authors: Yazdanpanah, Ramin (authoraut), Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala (professor directing dissertation), Leeser, Michael J. (university representative), Easton, Peter B. (committee member), Papi, Mostafa (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg)
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Education; Teachers > Training of; Cultural property > Protection; Spitzberg
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2017SP_Yazdanpanah_fsu_0071E_13736; http://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A507749/datastream/TN/view/Intercultural%20Teacher%20Education%20through%20Cultural%20Synergy.jpg

The present study examined the developing intercultural competence of pre-service English language teachers (ELTs). The nine (9) participants in this study were students within a short-term teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) certification course who engaged in IC exchanges with culturally diverse English language learners (ELLs) within an intensive English program (IEP). The IC exchanges were held once a week over the course of a six-week period. The foci of the IC exchanges were on concepts of cross-cultural understanding in general, and culturally diverse practices within teaching and learning specifically. The purpose of the study was to research how the participant pre-service teachers conceptualized their developing IC competence across the features of attitude, knowledge, and skills (Spitzberg and Chagnon, 2009), as well as their understanding of how to self-direct their IC competence independently. Data were collected through qualitative phenomenographic interview methods before, during, and after the IC exchanges. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, analyzed and categorized under IC features as expressed by the participants. Excerpts of the interviews are presented along with analyses that connect findings to literature of IC competence within educational contexts and second and foreign language teaching, as well as interpretations and discussion by the researcher. The study applied social-cultural theoretical concept of mediation, seeing all human action as subject to multiple interpretations (Eun and Lim, 2009), as well as zone of proximal development (ZPD) that advances the position of learning through interaction and collective engagement between the learner and more capable peers as essential to the learning process (Lantolf and Poehner, 2014). Through analysis of the interviews, the participants expressed benefits of the IC exchanges to their awareness and understanding of diverse cultural practices, specifically within teaching and learning. Participants also expressed a greater self-reflective and ethnorelative stance of their C1, as well as a more developed ability to articulate C1 practices. Additionally, participants discussed a greater understanding of how to foster an environment of cooperative engagement with ELLs within the second/foreign language classroom concerning cultural practices and perspectives. Lastly, analysis revealed the participants' initial understandings and challenges of how to continue developing their IC competence independently. The current study points to the importance of guiding pre-service teachers to develop deeper and more complex understandings of culture. A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Spring Semester 2017. April 10, 2017. cultural synergy, culture, foreign and second language, Intercultural competence, teacher education, TESOL Includes bibliographical references. Jeffrey Milligan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Leeser, University Representative; Peter Easton, Committee Member; Mostafa Papi, Committee Member.