Dr. Grisel M.García Pérez Raising Intercultural Awareness: Bridging the gap between China and Kelowna, British Columbia Dr. Robert Campbell Dr. Grisel M.García Pérez Dr. Karen Ragoonaden UBC Okanagan

Outline Background Rationale Participants Research Design Materials Procedure Results Discussion and Implications Limitations

Background Growing number of international students at UBC Okanagan Problems adapting to university life; Kelowna and English pronunciation Relationship between language and culture Students believe in the value of pronunciation classes (Derwing 2003; Derwing and Rossiter, 2002) Debate about the value of teaching pronunciation Fossilization (Selinker, 1972, Acton, 1984) Critical Period (Lenneberg, 1967; Scovel, 2000)

Objective To assess the impact of a thirty hour language/culture based course on Chinese learners’ achievement of a comfortably comprehensible pronunciation To see if there is a causal relationship between cultural mindset and language learning.

Terminology Comprehensibility: The listener’s ability to understand the meaning of an utterance in its context (Jenkins, 2002). The measurement relies on the ratings of listeners who are native speakers. Intercultural Competence: the capability to accurately understand and adapt behaviour to cultural difference and commonality. IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory)

The IDI is a statistically reliable, cross-culturally valid measure of intercultural competence is a 50-item, theory-based instrument that can be taken either in paper and pencil form or online. is currently in twelve languages (Bahasa Indonesian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Korean, French, Japanese and Chinese).

The IDI individual profile provides valuable information about your own orientations toward cultural difference and commonality. can help you reflect on your experiences around cultural differences and similarities.

Orientations that range from more monocultural to more global mindsets

Monocultural Mindsets Makes sense of cultural differences and commonalities based on one’s own values and practices Uses broad stereotypes to identify cultural difference Supports less complex perceptions and experiences of cultural difference and commonality

Intercultural/Global Mindsets Makes sense of cultural differences and commonalities based on one’s own and other culture’s values and practices. Uses cultural generalizations to recognize cultural difference Supports more complex perceptions and experiences of cultural difference and commonality

Orientation Descriptions Denial: An orientation that likely recognizes more observable cultural differences (e.g., food) but may not notice deeper cultural difference (e.g., conflict resolution styles) and may avoid or withdraw from cultural differences. Polarization: A judgmental orientation that views cultural differences in terms of “us” and “them”

Orientation Descriptions (cont.) Minimization: An orientation that highlights cultural commonality and universal values and principles that may also mask deeper recognition and appreciation of cultural differences . Acceptance: An orientation that recognizes and appreciates patterns of cultural difference and commonalities in one’s own and other cultures.

Orientation Descriptions (cont.) Adaptation: An orientation that is capable of shifting cultural perspective and changing behaviour in culturally appropriate and authentic ways.

How to Interpret the IDI Profile Perceived Orientation (PO): Your Perceived Orientation (PO) reflects where you place yourself along the intercultural development continuum. Your Perceived Orientation can be Denial, Polarization, Minimization, Acceptance or Adaptation.

How to Interpret the IDI Profile Developmental Orientation (DO) indicates your primary orientation toward cultural differences and commonalities along the continuum as assessed by the IDI . The DO is the perspective you most likely use in those situations where cultural differences and commonalities need to be bridged. Your Developmental Orientation can be Denial, Polarization, Minimization, Acceptance or Adaptation.

How to Interpret the IDI Profile The Orientation Gap (OG) is the difference along the continuum between your Perceived Orientation and Developmental Orientation. If the gap is greater than 7 you have overestimated your intercultural competence.

Participants Subjects 8 (3 females, 5 males) Age: 19-31 (m=24.9) L1: Chinese AOL: 5-14 (m=10.3) Motivation: 2.75 Raters: 3 Canadian born ESL trained females ESL instructor

Experimental Design Within groups (Experimental and Control), pretest-posttest

Materials More than Words (Pamela M. Elder and Barbara Chen, 1997) Language Background Questionnaire Comprehensibility test IDI

Procedure IDI (before ESL class started) Comprehensibility test: Recorded answers to four questions (before and after) How long have you been learning English for? What do you know about life in Canada? What do you know about culture in Canada? Have you had the opportunity to interact with locals in Kelowna? And what cultural differences did you notice? Culture based ESL class. Feedback to pronunciation mistakes was given in the classroom.

IDI: Perceived Orientation: Experimental Group

IDI: Developmental Orientation: Experimental Group

IDI: Perceived Orientations: Control Group

IDI: Developmental Orientation: Control Group

Where do we want the students to be in the continuum?

Rater’s results on a Likert 5 point scale: Comprehensibility Test

Discussion and Implication Control Group: Intercultural Mindset more open to become ‘the other’, more motivated to improve pronunciation Experimental Group: Monocultural Mindset, more resistant to become ‘the other’. Less motivated to improve pronunciation. Rapid progress in recognizing commonalities and differences between the Canadian culture and the Chinese culture due to training. Minimal improvement in Comprensibility test results in both groups.

Implications Should foreign language learning be used to make cultural learning more effective? Will a more effective foreign language teaching improve intercultural awareness? Will increasing intercultural awareness facilitate language learning? Does intrinsic motivation have an impact in language learning and intercultural awareness?

Limitations Sample size (small number) Age difference (fossilization, critical period) Exposure to the language Longitudinal effect No intelligibility test No post IDI

grisel.garcia@ubc.ca karen.ragoonaden@ubc.ca robert.campbell@ubc.ca