CRITICAL INCIDENTS AS A MEANS OF DEVELOPING AND ASSESSING EFL MAJORS’ INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND COMPETENCE

Abstract

Knowing and understanding the cultural values of one’s native and target cultures enable individuals to establish and maintain successful intercultural communication. The aim of the paper is to identify the EFL university students’ opinions and attitudes towards potentially controversial intercultural situations. For this purpose, a qualitative critical incident technique was used to explore whether (and to what extent) pre-service EFL student teachers possess intercultural sensitivity and competence to resolve controversial intercultural situations presented through so-called critical incidents. The survey was carried out among third and fourth-year students of English at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. The research findings indicate that the respondents demonstrated a fair degree of intercultural perspective, intercultural sensitivity and competence. The findings offer practical support in favour of critical incidents as one of the many useful pedagogical tools for the development and assessment of intercultural sensitivity and competence of L2 learners. The pedagogical implications of this research point towards the necessity of introducing intercultural elements not only into L2 instruction but into general education as well.