Itesh Sachdev

Intercultural Communicative Competence: Exploring English Language Teachers' Beliefs and Practices.

This paper reports on an investigation into the beliefs and practices of experienced teachers in the USA, UK and France relating to the application of a model of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) to English language programmes. Broadly, ‘intercultural’ approaches to language learning and teaching are strongly advocated in both the recent theoretical applied linguistics literature and in curricular guidance in frameworks such as the Council of Europes Common European framework of reference for languages. However, little prior empirical research has addressed the extent to which such approaches are actually operationalised. The investigation was multimethodological, combining diaries, focus groups, and questionnaires. Byrams language-pedagogical model of ICC was the specific focus. Findings indicated a general consensus across locations, with an apparent disparity between teachers’ attitudes to and beliefs about ICC and their current classroom priorities. Most reported beliefs that supported the relevance of interculturality to their work and stressed that ‘good’ learners and teachers tended to exhibit high intercultural competence. However, they also suggested that ICC was given relatively little emphasis in syllabi which were negotiated with learners. Participants also identified and discussed a lack of support, in testing, in textbooks, and in institutional syllabi, for effective and appropriate approaches to ‘culture learning’ and interculturality.

Teaching and learning culture on English language programmes: a critical review of the recent empirical literature

Abstract A new exploration of the teaching and learning of culture in English language teaching and learning is overdue, given the particular importance of approaches to culture and intercultural communication in the teaching and learning of the ‘global language’. The review undertaken here finds a growing body of literature exploring culture as a context for and background influence on English language teaching and learning. However, comparatively little research literature explores the actual ‘learning of and about culture’ on English language programmes worldwide. There is some empirical evidence, detailed and discussed here, that culture is not approached in the classroom in a principled, active and engaged manner, and that this lack of engagement may have a detrimental effect on learning. Where it is approached actively, there are indications that a nonessentialised, critical, mediating, ‘intercultural’ approach may have a positive effect on learning. Although this approach informs much of the curricular underpinning for language teaching in Europe, its application to classroom practice here and elsewhere is found to have been the subject of little empirical research, especially in the case of English language teaching and learning. A research agenda to investigate this applicability is therefore outlined.

Diversity in adoption of linguistic features of London English by Chinese and Bangladeshi adolescents

This comparative study, conducted in multicultural London, investigates the occurrence in interviews with a researcher and in constructed same-sex peer conversations of five linguistic features characteristic of London English in the speech of two groups of British-born adolescents: ethnic Bangladeshis and ethnic Chinese of Cantonese heritage. The features are glottal stop in place of medial /t/, high rising tone in declaratives, invariant tag innit, quotative be like, and negative concord. Based on relative frequency of occurrence, the two groups have comparable performance on two of these features, showing no instances of medial glottal stop and similarly moderate incidence of innit. On the other three features, the performance of the two groups contrasts. For the Bangladeshi group, the highest frequency item is negative concord, and the other two (high rising tone and quotative be like) have low occurrence. For the Chinese group, the highest frequency item is high rising tone, the frequency of be like is similar to that of innit, and negative concord has minimal occurrence. These patterns of usage may be indicative of differential adoption of linguistic forms by these adolescent ethnic groups conveying a partially similar and partially different identification vis-à-vis the wider speech community, both in London and the wider world.

Learning Styles in Multicultural Classrooms

The construct of learning style is at the very centre of current pedagogical thought, with over 300 studies using ‘learning style’ in lists of keywords in the period 2000–06 (Thompson Scientific 2006). Learning style indexes and inventories represent attempts to construct tools for getting to grips with learners’ sensory characteristics and their psychosocial and cognitive involvement in their studies (De Vita 2001). Much of the pedagogical literature describing teacher — learner interaction in recent years has put increased emphasis on learner autonomy, learner independence and on the role of teacher as facilitator. An understanding of learning styles is seen as an important element in attempts to centre learning around the learner, moving away from a largely methodological focus. Taxonomies of learning styles also frequently serve an important role in curricular innovation, guiding innovation into areas where it is most likely to be compatible with learners’ style preferences.

Bilingual behaviour, attitudes, identity and vitality: some data from Japanese speakers in London, UK

Abstract Although the Japanese community in London is relatively small, its composition is stable and reflects several aspects of Japans relationship with the international community. Yet there appears to have been no systematic research exploring patterns of bilingual behaviour in relation to social psychological processes amongst Japanese nationals in London. The 95 participants in this study were all Japanese nationals, who came from three major groups in this community, namely company employees, students and pupils at a Japanese school. They completed a quantitative questionnaire about language use, attitudes to use, proficiency, identity, contact and perceived vitalities in both London and Japan. Although the findings confirmed the dominance of Japanese in proficiency and identity, they also suggested some systematic variance in use and attitudes according to context. Furthermore, while multivariate analyses supported the predictive value of English proficiency for the use of each language, the prediction of English use and attitudes was significantly enhanced by incorporating three factors related to identities and vitalities. Finally, Japanese use and attitudes were also associated with social contact. These findings are discussed with reference to ethnolinguistic identity theory, intergroup and intragroup factors, and the international status of English.

Languages of the wider world: valuing diversity

Introduction: Languages of the wider world: valuing diversity Itesh Sachdev 1. Reshaping pedagogies for a plurilingual agenda Jim Anderson 2. Promoting community language learning in the United Kingdom Sharon Handley 3. Provision, purpose and pedagogy in a Bengali supplementary school Sue Walters 4. Diversity in adoption of linguistic features of London English by Chinese and Bangladeshi adolescents Martha C. Pennington, Lawrence Lau and Itesh Sachdev 5. English and socio-economic disadvantage: learner voices from rural Bangladesh M. Obaidul Hamid and Richard B. Baldauf Jr 6. Linguistics in language teaching: the case of Finnish and Hungarian Eszter Tarsoly and Riitta-Liisa Valijarvi 7. Future directions for the learning of languages in universities: challenges and opportunities Anne Pauwels