THE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (ICC) OF ENGLISH MAJOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The primary objectives of this survey research were to investigate intercultural communicative competence of undergraduate students and examine the students' level of interest in intercultural communicative competence learning. A survey was administered to a sample of 140 first-year undergraduate students majoring in English who were from five universities. The research instrument was the intercultural communicative competence questionnaire. The data collected were subjected to analysis using descriptive statistics, including measures such as mean, percentage, and standard deviation. The results of the study are as follows: In general, the participants in the study exhibit a high degree of intercultural communicative competence, with an average score of 2.88. This competence encompasses various aspects, including knowledge (mean 3.13), skills (mean 2.95), attitudes (mean 2.65), and critical cultural awareness (mean 2.09). According to the participants' critiques, a majority of 55.71 percent expressed a high level of interest in intercultural communicative competency learning, particularly emphasizing its practical applicability in daily life. Additionally, it is imperative to enhance all aspects of intercultural communicative competence, despite the majority of participants (37.14 percent) concurring that the attitude component holds the utmost significance. Furthermore, in order to enhance their intercultural communicative ability, individuals should engage in conversations with specialists or people from foreign countries who possess diverse cultural backgrounds.