Task-Based Language Teaching in Vietnam: Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs and Preparedness

Abstract

"Intercultural communication is an area that has attracted an extensive amount of attention in the current era of worldwide social integration. For English majors, developing intercultural communication competence can be considered a key to success in personal and professional development. It cannot be denied that having a good knowledge of cultural differences has a certain influence on each individual's communication effectiveness in intercultural contexts. This study attempts to investigate the perceptions of EFL students at Can Tho University about the role of culture-related factors in intercultural communication. The research also aims to explore the common problems that students encounter in intercultural communication and the strategies they often utilize to overcome obstacles due to culture-related factors. To achieve the research objectives, a quantitative approach was used with a questionnaire survey administered to 130 third- and fourth-year EFL students. The results of this study revealed that students had a high awareness of the role of culture-related factors. Specifically, they believed that understanding culture-related factors contributes to communication effectiveness in intercultural interactions. Besides, the findings suggested that, despite facing many challenges when communicating with people of diverse cultural backgrounds, EFL students were active in learning and applying various strategies to improve their intercultural communication competence"