Cross-cultural Awareness and Cross-cultural Communicative Competence of University Students: Myanmar Context

บทคัดย่อ

This research expresses some challenges faced by EFL teachers while teaching
culture and reinforces importance of collaborating culture in teaching English as Foreign
Language. The present study suggests how teachers should teach language and culture
and which components of culture. In this study, the researchers provided a questionnaire
concerned with the two main areas of, (1) the teaching learning situation and (2) aspects
of foreign culture. The study covered a sample of 127 university teachers who are
currently teaching English as foreign language in Myanmar. The collected data were
analyzed using the percentage and standard deviation. In accordance with features of two
aspects of teaching and learning, the researchers suggest different strategies for educating
the students’ cross-cultural awareness, namely at curricular and extracurricular time. Thus,
the findings show that students cannot easily network with people from diverse cultures in
the practical use of English language. To conclude, the current situation of English teaching
is rather dissatisfying not only from the system itself but also from the initiative of English
curriculum reform. Considering the problems facing in the current English teaching and
English Curriculum Standards’ objective and needs, the cultivation of cross-cultural awareness
needs to become obviously an essential part in foreign language teaching.