EFL High School Teachers’ Beliefs about Intercultural Learning in Taiwan

Abstract

English language is being used as the medium of communication in a wide variety of international and intercultural settings. This implies that English language teaching should help students develop linguistic skills to communicate and enhance intercultural understanding, which has placed a new demand on teachers. The purposes of the study are to develop an understanding of Taiwanese English language teachers’ (1) beliefs about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and intercultural learning and (2) difficulties they face in incorporating intercultural learning into their teaching practices. Data were collected by teacher questionnaire surveys and interviews. Fifty EFL high school teachers in Tainan City participated in this study, 25 of which agreed to participate in interviews and be observed in their classrooms. Results found that these teachers are willing to achieve intercultural learning objectives. But in reality, they rely heavily on textbooks for their teaching and devote most of their time to language teaching rather than cultural teaching.