Abstract:
The purpose of this research study is to find out the extent of English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ awareness towards Intercultural Communicative
Competence (ICC), to draw attention to the importance of culture teaching and
investigate opinions and culture related classroom practices of English Language
Preparatory Program instructors working in a foundation university in İstanbul.
Culture teaching has drawn considerable amount of attention over the past decades
since an important aspect of learning a foreign language is to learn its culture. In a
world where non-native speakers vastly outnumber native speakers, gaining an
intercultural perspective of the language is an indispensable part of language
learning. However, there seems to be a lack of culture integration in EFL classrooms.
Thus, this study aims to explore the extent of EFL teachers’ cultural awareness. The
study was carried out with 50 EFL instructors working at an English Language
preparatory program in a foundation university in İstanbul. The study employed
triangulation approach during the data collection process. The quantitative data were
obtained through two questionnaires while the qualitative data were gathered through
semi-structured interviews administered to 10 instructors. The findings of the study
reveal that instructors do not have a comprehensive understanding of ICC and its
components. Even though participants show positive attitudes towards culture
teaching, they are partly aware of ICC as a skill. Moreover, they cannot allocate
enough time for intercultural skills due to syllabus and curriculum constraints. This
research aims to illustrate the relationship between culture and language through the
researchers’ perspectives, along with the benefits of culture teaching in EFL
classrooms, also offers critical insights into language instruction, investigating
teacher views on culture teaching. Therefore, it makes a significant contribution to
the current research on ICC. Based on the findings, the study recommended fostering
culture teaching through incorporating a cultural variety in EFL classrooms
