The effect of speaking tasks on intercultural awareness: A case study in Turkey

Abstract

In the globalization era, intercultural awareness has become increasingly important alongside English language proficiency. This study investigates how an 8-week intervention, featuring online interaction-based speaking tasks, influenced students' intercultural awareness levels. The study conducted at a prep school within a state university in Turkey utilized the Intercultural Awareness Questionnaire, focus-group interviews, and observations with 11 students. Quantitative data analysis was done with paired samples t-test, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The pretest revealed a lack of fully developed practice-oriented intercultural awareness levels among participants, whereas post-test findings indicated development of more complex elements throughout the intervention. Moreover, the outcomes of the paired samples t-test showed notable enhancement in Intercultural Knowledge, Skills, Sensitivity, and Interaction dimensions in the post-intervention. However, no significant change was noted in Intercultural Interest. Overall, the study underscores the efficacy of interaction-based speaking tasks in enriching intercultural awareness through exposure to diverse cultures.