Research Information System
ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, vol.30, no.1, pp.1-18, 2020 (ESCI)
Understanding pre-service teachers' perceptions on intercultural communication could be considered as a substantial step in syllabus design and curriculum development in the field of English language teaching. To this end, the current study is aimed at identifying the intercultural sensitivities of pre-service English language teachers. The participants were 90 pre-service teachers in the Department of English Language Teaching at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey in the 2017-2018 academic year. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to collect, analyse and interpret both quantitative and qualitative data. The research dataset was obtained from the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and two open-ended interview questions. Results showed that pre-service teachers voiced different codes for the concept of cultural sensitivity. This study also sought to find out whether differences in the pre-service teachers' perspectives could be associated with various factors. Voluntary work by pre-service teachers in any non-governmental organisation emerged as a factor increasing their sensitivity. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings that informs foreign language teaching for intercultural competence and communication.