Developing students’ intercultural competence through inquiry-based learning

Abstract

Developing students’ intercultural competence is an essential element for preparing them to live in a world where opportunities for success require the ability to cooperate within a global community. Intercultural competence entails the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to collaborate effectively with people from differing cultural backgrounds and is key to succeeding in a globalised society. Intercultural competence is a complex construct that does not lend itself to knowledge-focused transmissive approaches, but rather to more experiential approaches that engage students in critical reflection of their own culture and other cultures. Inquiry-based learning might provide a pedagogical solution. Many studies have explored the effectiveness of implementing inquiry-based learning in the fields of sciences and mathematics, with some studies investigating the use of inquiry-based learning in social studies. However, no known studies have explored the application of inquiry-based learning in developing intercultural competence among primary level second language learners. This study aims to integrate an intervention based on inquiry-based learning into a Chinese as a Second Language class at an international school in Hong Kong and to explore whether such an intervention enhances students’ intercultural competence. To that end, this research adopts Chen and Starosta’s (2000) Five Factors of intercultural sensitivity and Bennett’s (1986) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) of six stages on intercultural sensitivity (IS) to assess students’ potential intercultural competence development out of the intervention. An eight-week intervention comprising of a series of inquiry-based learning activities was developed and implemented at a primary school in a Chinese as a Foreign Language context. Multiple sources of data (e.g., pre- and post-intervention surveys of intercultural sensitivity factors, language test results, teaching journals, students’ portfolios) were collected from the Year Five (n=20) experimental group. Meanwhile, data were collected from pre- and post-intervention surveys of intercultural sensitivity factors and language tests results from a baseline group (n=17) to compare the differences between the two groups. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis were adopted to analyse whether the inquiry-based learning pedagogy increased the students’ intercultural sensitivity and how the participants perceived the inquiry-based learning in developing their intercultural sensitivity. Quantitative statistical results showed significantly greater development in the experimental group’s intercultural sensitivities and maintained language proficiency development after the intervention. These results demonstrate that inquiry-based learning can increase intercultural competence without sacrificing learners’ language development. Qualitative data findings reveal positive perceptions of inquiry-based learning methods among the students, and that their intercultural development was manifested in a spiralling rather than linear fashion. This study found that the development of intercultural sensitivity does not follow a liner path and it is a situation specific. The findings suggest that an inquiry-based learning intervention could be an effective pedagogy to help students develop their intercultural competence and language acquisition. There is, however, a need to consider the learner’s emotional state, language ability and age. Therefore, appropriate scaffoldings are critical when adopting inquiry-based learning for primary level second language learner’s intercultural development. Moreover, this research provides some practical guidelines for the design and implementation of inquiry-based learning intercultural competence training programs in primary school second language contexts.