College-level students’ development of intercultural communicative competence: a quantitative study in Vietnam

Abstract

There has been limited empirical research probing English language learners’ perspectives towards Intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Specifically, it is mostly unknown how English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students respond to ICC emergence in some constituents and the degree to which they master each constituent in the socio-cultural learning context. This study evaluated the ICC perceptions of 310 EFL students in Vietnam. Findings demonstrated that ICC constructs were interconnected and diversely perceived by different genders, ages, and English proficiency levels. Implications are discussed regarding how the localized ICC construct can support policies, curriculum developments, and EFL instructional practices.