Estudio de la competencia intercultural en estudiantes universitarios de Magisterio lengua extranjera (inglés). Propuestas didácticas para el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural

Abstract

A STUDY OF MAGISTERIO LENGUA EXTRANJERA (INGLÉS) STUDENTS' INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE. PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE. Abstract: The aim of this doctoral dissertation is, on the one hand, to expose the level of knowledge the students of Magisterio-Especialidad Lengua Extranjera (Inglés) have already acquired of the English culture and, on the other hand, to check whether that sociocultural knowledge is solid enough to serve as a sound starting point in the development of other skills which are essential for the fufilment of their teaching obligations in the future. The doctoral dissertation consists of a theoretical framework and an empirical study. In the first part, a number of documents which are specifically related to the key competences we have dealt with, namely, the Communicativa Competence, the Intercultural Competence and the Intercultural Competence, are described in detail. Our description will focus, firstly, on each one of the elements those are composed of. Then, on the levels of acquisition and development and on the agents involved in both processes. And last but not least, on the contexts in which they may take place. Finally, this section will conclude with an approach to the concept of culture and other closely related concepts such as Intercultural Education, intercultural communicative encounter, cultural shock or acculturation. In the second part of our doctoral dissertation, the empirical study, the hypothesis and the objectives will be revisited and all the research data collected from a representative sample of one hundred students at different stages of their degree studies, will be analysed in order to establish whether they have a good command of the key competences, and whether or not they are capable of showing aceptable reading and gramatical skills. It is also our intention to check and prove the existence of any direct link between these skills and the key competences previously mentioned. The conclusions we reach at the end may justify the need for the proposals we submit which are aimed at improving the current teacher training programs and developing the students's Intercultural Communicative Competence. Both types of innovation proposals are intended to enhance the cognitive and personal growth of our student teachers.