Teachers’ Perceptions about the Development of EFL Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence through Tandem Learning

Abstract

The development of Intercultural communicative competence can be a problematic endeavor. Therefore, there is a constant demand for effective methods and approaches that may facilitate it. Tandem learning has been around for many years already. It succeeded in enhancing the students’ proficiency level and developing their intercultural knowledge. This thesis investigates teachers’ perceptions about the role of the tandem approach in developing EFL learners’ intercultural communicative competence. Accordingly, three research questions are raised: 1(How does tandem learning enhance EFL learners’ awareness of cultural differences? 2(Do teachers welcome tandem learning as a teaching approach? 3(What are the teachers’ perceptions regarding the implementation of tandem learning to develop EFL learners’ intercultural communicative competence? For the purpose of achieving the study’s aims and answering the research questions, a qualitative descriptive and quantitative research designs are adopted. A questionnaire is administered to fourteen EFL teachers at Mila University Centre (MUC). The main research findings display that the majority of teachers possess positive attitudes toward the improvement of EFL students’ intercultural communicative competence through the application of the tandem learning approach. That points to their supportive stance on implementing this approach for intercultural development. The research ultimately provides a wealth of recommendations for pedagogy and future research to shed light on the effectiveness of tandem learning in fostering the students’ intercultural communicative competence.