150 likes | 346 Views
Assessing Intercultural Competence & Its Correlation In Language Proficiency Achievement through an Online Questionnaire. Ling Robben DLI-LTD Hawaii. What is ICC?.
E N D
Assessing Intercultural Competence & Its Correlation In Language Proficiency Achievement through an Online Questionnaire Ling Robben DLI-LTD Hawaii
What is ICC? Intercultural competence is able “to see relationships between different cultures-both internal and external to a society-and is able to mediate, that is interpret each in terms of the other, either for themselves or for other people.” –Micheal Byram
What is ICC?-cont. “The general ability to transcend ethnocentrism, appreciate other cultures, and generate appropriate behavior in one or more different cultures” Bennett, Bennett, and Allen, 2003
“The Third Place” Dr. C. Kramsch: the educators should provide students with opportunities to help them define and design for themselves their “the third place” or “the third culture”, a sphere of interculturality that enables language students to take an insider’s view as well as an outside’s view on both their first and second cultures. It is this ability to find/establish /adopt this third place that is at the very core of intercultural competence.
What is GPP? “General Professional Proficiency” ILR: 3 At HLC: Chinese & Korean 6-8 students from different military services as well as NSA civilians are selected to engage in an immersion language instruction program up to 24 weeks at the HLC. Goal: reach DLPT 3, 3 in reading and listening.
Selection Procedure Nominated by teachers or/and units based on most recent DLPT scores: 2+, 3 (3, 2+) Two years left in HI on the contract DA An essays about target language country in English, viewed by educated English speakers A face to face OPI A full review by the HLC administration
Components of GPP The program consists of four iterations of 6 weeks in additional to a course at the UH: 1. PBI (post basic instructions) developed by CD 2. A combination of NCS courses: proficiency & performance oriented 3. Directed studies
A Hypothesis students’ intercultural competence developments affect their language proficiency progressions
Assessing ICC in GPP Byram’s Model: European Language Portfolio Passport Language Biography The Dossier The Questionnaire 1.Before 2. After
Assessing ICC in GPP, cont. How do we decide there is a correlation between ICC and language proficiency? 1. Micheal Byram’s Model 2. A questionaire
The questionnaire The questionnaire is design for students in GPP to assess their own intercultural competence. It also enable the teachers to collect data to establish a correlation between this intercultural competence and language proficiency as the students progress through the program. The questions are designed following the FLO topics. Students access them through Blackboard/Discussion Board or/and Wordchamp.com. A sample of questions is included in the handouts.
Sample questions G2: Today’s Shanghai is said to be “the city on wings and wheels”. How do you understand this statement? C1: How do you understand the statement: “Buddhism is not a religion, but rather a way of life”? E 2: “China and America’s relationship in today’s economic globalization is like a marriage.” (BBC documentary: the People’s Republic of Capitalism”) What is your interpretation of such a statement? P 1: Throughout the Chinese history, Emperors built and added on to the Great Wall of China. Yet Tang Dynasty (618–907), “largely a period of progress and stability” (Wikipedia), one of the most prosperous dynasties did build the Great Wall!
Sample questions-cont. Instead it’s “Silk Road” opened the trade between China and the west. Chinese culture flourished and further matured (Wikipedia). Please comment the contrasted foreign policies. ST 1: It is said that a large number of scientists in America today are Chinese. If you were a scientist in China, would you have left China to come to America? If so, what would have been your reasons for leaving? M2: According to Sun Tzu (BC 554-496), “know the self, know the other, thus victory is guaranteed.” How do you understand this basic principle of “the Art of War”, and what do you think the implications of such a principle in today’s war of intelligence?