An Assessment of Undergraduate EFL Students’ Intercultural Competence at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret

Abstract

Today’s education places a strong emphasis on helping students become interculturally competent. Given its significance, the current study aims to evaluate the development of intercultural competence of undergraduate EFL students at the Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret. Because there are not many studies assessing or how to assess university EFL students’ intercultural competence in Algeria, it is necessary to research how much intercultural competence is incorporated into the current university English education program. Thus, the main question addressed is whether Algerian undergraduate EFL students have intercultural competence. To address this question, 36 third-year English major students at the Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret were randomly chosen to participate in the study. The measurement tool was a questionnaire with inquiries regarding the following three intercultural competence dimensions: attitudes, knowledge and skills. The findings of this study showed that although the participants’ intercultural attitudes and knowledge are high, they lack the intercultural skills that are essential for attentive intercultural speakers to interpret and use appropriate expressions associated with the cultural environment. As a result, this study strongly recommends that it is crucial to incorporate all the elements of intercultural competence in the current English curriculum at Algerian universities.