Cultural elements and their potentials to develop students’ intercultural competence: a survey on english textbooks used in classes of language skills at university of foreign languages, Hue university

T p chí Khoa h c Ngôn ng  và Văn hóaạ ọ ữ ISSN 2525­2674 T p 3, S  1, 2019ậ ố
CULTURAL ELEMENTS AND THEIR POTENTIALS TO
DEVELOP STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE: 
A SURVEY ON ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS USED IN CLASSES 
OF LANGUAGE SKILLS AT UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN
LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY
Cao Le Thanh Hai*, Truong Thi Ai Nhi
University of Foreign Languages, Hue University
Received: 01/08/2018; Revised: 12/09/2018; Accepted: 22/04/2019
Abstract: Intercultural competence is one of the most fundamental components that should
be developed among language users and can be attained in many different ways. Several
studies have suggested that cultural elements incorporated in English textbooks can be of
great significance in helping learners acquired intercultural competence. This paper
presents the results of a survey on English textbooks used for teaching language skills at the
Department of English and the Department of International Studies, Hue University of
Foreign Languages. The findings reveal an inclusion of several usable cultural elements
from both the inner circle and outer circle cultures in such textbooks; however, most of
them reflect surface cultural values rather than deep cultural ones. Besides, although deep
culture elements are incorporated, these are addressed at a pretty shallow level. It is
suggested that in order to enhance students’ intercultural competence, teachers and students
need further effort to take full advantage of the available cultural elements. This paper also
gives recommendation on effective use of such elements. 
Key words: Deep cultural values, intercultural competence, surface cultural values
1. Introduction
The last few decades have witnessed one of the most fundamental changes in language
learning and teaching - the recognition of the cultural dimension as a vital component. This
change has largely transformed the nature of teaching and learning languages. In other words,
the aim of language learning and teaching is no longer defined in terms of the acquisition and
the transmission of communicative competence in a foreign language, which refers to a person’s
ability to act in a foreign language in linguistically, socio-linguistically and pragmatically
appropriate ways (Council of Europe, 2001). Rather, it is defined in terms of interculturality,
which is “the ability of a person to behave adequately in a flexible manner when confronted
with actions, attitudes and expectations of representatives of foreign cultures” (Meyer, 1991, p.
138). Interculturality is seen here as a dynamic process by which people not only draw on and
use the resources and processes of cultures with which they are familiar but also those they may
not typically be associated with in their interactions with others (Young & Sercombe, 2010).
This definition, in fact, adds to the notion of communicative competence and enlarges it to
incorporate intercultural competence. Here, a competent language user is characterised as one
who is both plurilingual (i.e. whose experience of language in its cultural context expands from
the language of the home to that of the society at large and then to the languages of other
peoples) and in the process of developing interculturality. The linguistic and cultural
* Email: clthai@hueuni.edu.vn
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Journal of Inquiry into Languages and Cultures ISSN 2525­2674 Vol 3, No 1, 2019
competences in respect of each language used by the learner are modified by knowledge of the
other and contribute towards intercultural awareness, skills, and know-how. An important
motivation for the advocacy of interculturality are perceptions that intercultural contact and
interchange are greater than ever, necessitating approaches to understanding and brokering
difference through effective communication. From this position, language learning is the best
place within the educational field for the learning of and about culture, reflecting powerful
interrelationships between language and culture (Risager, 1998). 
At the Department of English and the Department of International Studies, Hue
University of Foreign Languages, in order to help students develop their intercultural
competence, courses in British and American culture have been added to the curriculum since
the very beginning. Despite intermittent changes in the textbooks used, these courses have
consistently covered a wide range of topics that were listed by CEF (2001) as seven categories
that are considered characteristic of a particular European society and its culture which include
everyday living, living condition, interpersonal relations, values, beliefs and attitudes, body
language, social conventions and ritual behaviours. While the use of culture as a way to enhance
students’ intercultural competence has been highly recognized and sought after by teachers and
curriculum designers from the department; the effort, in the researcher’s opinion, should be
more rigorous. In other words, c ... and Writing (3rd ed.) by Haugnes and Maher (2007)
Aspects Classification Origin
Surface
culture
Deep culture Universal
/Unclassified
Inner
circle
Outer
circle
Internet Facebook, 
friendship 
websites/social 
networks
Austra
lia
Grooming and 
presence
Ownership 
attitudes towards 
individuality
US
US
Arts graffiti US
Personalities local figures in
art field
US
Aesthetics how people enjoy the TV 
show about the antiques 
and collections and the 
meanings of the 
collectibles
US & 
Engla
nd
History Social movements against
juvenile delinquency
US
Attitudes 
towards 
economic 
globalization 
Multinational 
corporations versus
family-owned 
business
US, 
Austra
lia
Korea
Attitudes Attitudes towards traffic 
problems and solutions
US Thaila
nd 
Marriage giving birth and raising 
children
US, 
Canad
a
Personalities sports figures US
Findings from the analysis show that there is a combination between surface and deep
culture elements with surface ones being the dominant. At the same time, aspects reflecting
deep culture are not comprehensively discussed. 
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Values that reflect surface culture include arts, and personalities; and the majority of them
originate from countries of the inner circle (the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia) with just a
few coming from those of the outer circle (Korea and Thailand). These elements match the
description of surface culture as being congratulatory, neutral and homogeneous. For example,
when graffiti is mentioned (in Unit 3), it is addressed as an art form that is “for everyone”
without an explanation of its origin and its association with class struggle and social issues. In
reality, this form of art is utilized with different purposes by different groups of people in
transmitting their cultural messages. In this case, however, arts in general and graffiti in
particular are viewed from a very celebratory perspective. Likewise, other aspects such as sports
figures, attitudes towards traffic problems and solutions are mentioned in pretty neutral manner. 
Elements representing deep culture comprise of marriage, aesthetic, and grooming and
presence. However, it is noticeable that regardless of being incorporated in the textbook, deep
culture values are not rigorously elaborated, which may result in a scanty and shallow
interpretation of such elements from the learners. As an example, the concept of giving birth and
child rearing is presented alongside with the concept of multiple births (in Unit 10). This
presentation literally shifts the focus from a cultural practice namely birth giving and child
rearing to the phenomenon of multiple births, which ultimately leaves little room for further
interpretation of the supposedly critical and useful element in providing students with much
deeper insights into underlying cultural values of this cultural practice from a Western society
(the USA). 
It is also noticeable that several universal cultural aspects are included in the textbook,
and such are associated with the process of economic and cultural globalization. With social
networks (Facebook and friendship sites) and the competition between transnational corporation
and local business being the two dominant themes the universal components help reflect a
changing world in both positive and negative ways. 
4.2. Cultural elements in NorthStar 2 Reading and Writing (3rd ed.) by Haugnes and Maher
(2007)
Table 2: Cultural elements in NorthStar 2 Reading and Writing (3rd ed.) by Haugnes and Maher (2007)
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Data from Table 2 indicate that unlike the elements incorporated in NorthStar1 Reading
and Writing; those in NorthStar 2 Reading and Writing address a far wider range and a much
deeper level of people’s ways of life in different parts of the world with the majority of the
cultural elements reflecting either deep culture or universal cultural values. The components
include rewards and privilege, ethical values (honesty, attitudes towards counterfeiting, crime,
and restorative justice program), health and medicine. Universal culture components comprise
of attitudes towards politeness, computer games, healthy lifestyle, job satisfaction and
motivation, modernization, and subway etiquette. Moreover, such elements originate from
countries of both the inner and outer circles (Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, North West Africa, and
Mexico). As a whole, this set of cultural elements is supposed to provide learners with a more
diverse and pretty well-rounded understanding of the cultural practices around the world. In
other words, the topics in this textbook are meant to equip EFL learners with the basic skills to
become critical intercultural citizens of the world.
However, the in-depth analysis of these culture notes suggests that they are more
oriented to explaining the meaning of new vocabulary that appears in the readings than
actually teaching salient cultural facts. For instance, the concept of counterfeiting (unit 3) is
presented with reading passages and writing activities that mainly cover the ways in which
and how to identify if something (money, consumer products and software) is counterfeit. As
a result, the moral codes associated with this practice are overlooked. Another instance is
related to the justice system in the USA (unit 4). With this topic, a fact sheet about justice is
presented to the learners in the form of a reading addressing crimes and victims of crimes.
However, an explanation based on the economic and socio-cultural factors leading to the
reality is nowhere to be found in the text. As a result, the learners may end up having few, if
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Aspects Classification Origin
Surface
culture
Deep culture Universal
/Unclassified
Inner Outer
Rewards & 
Privileges 
job expectations 
and motivation
US
Modernization city or country life US, UK
Ethical 
Values 
attitude towards honesty
counterfeiting
attitude towards crime
attitude towards crime 
and restorative justice 
program
US
Gestures & 
Kinesics
Taboos 
attitudes towards 
politeness
sub-way etiquette 
US
US
Japan
Malays
ia
Attitudes Traffic
means of 
transport
computer games
protecting 
indigenous people
US
Ireland
New 
Zealand
N.West
Africa 
Mexic
o
Health and 
medicine
how a person reacts to 
medicine and various 
kinds of treatment
healthy lifestyle US Africa 
Vietna
m 
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any, clues about the roots of the problem which are race, class and gender discrimination and
the flaws in the US social structure. 
5. Conclusion and implications
The findings reveal an inclusion of several usable cultural elements from both the inner
circle and outer circle cultures in such textbooks; however, most of them reflect surface cultural
values rather than deep cultural ones. Besides, although deep culture elements are incorporated,
these are addressed at a pretty superficial level, which does not yield much interpretation of the
underlying economic, socio-cultural factors that form such elements. Furthermore, there is a
lack of even representativeness from different cultures/regions across the globe. As a result,
learners are not likely to be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the target cultures
and other cultures across the world, which definitely pose a lot of obstacles to students’
enhancement of their intercultural communication competence. Given the focus of these
textbooks is on honing and perfecting students’ language skills, the manner in which such
cultural elements are incorporated can partly be justified. 
Nevertheless, that does not necessarily mean that teachers and learners should stay
inactive in their usage of the textbooks in general and of the cultural aspects in particular. In
contrast, they need to make further efforts to take full advantage of the available cultural
elements. More specifically, cooperation from both teachers and learners before, during and
after each class should be sought after in order to tackle the available cultural elements from a
multi-faceted perspective, and thereby enhancing students’ intercultural communication
competence. 
In order to fully take advantage of the cultural elements incorporated in the textbooks,
recommendations to help teachers and students develop and enhance intercultural competence
through English-skill practice classes are suggested as followed:
- Teaching culture through language skills development can be both challenging and
interesting. It is challenging because this is not the main focus of the reading and writing
classes. However, it will be useful for teachers to integrate cultural teaching into their lessons so
that the reading and writing assignment can become more vivid and be completed in a more
effective way, which ultimately results in students’ improvement of their intercultural
communication competence. 
- For more effective classes, teachers can request students to prepare some aspects on
cultures around the world that are related to the relevant topic(s) of each lesson. Students can
then be required to present those cultural elements to the whole class as a warm-up activity. This
way, students can be more engaged in the classroom, and more importantly, they are well-
informed of both surface and deep culture. 
- Teachers of such classes should keep themselves constantly updated with newly added
cultural values to be able to facilitate learners in their intercultural communicative competence
(ICC) attainment process. 
- Teachers should also raise students’ awareness about the importance of accumulating
knowledge of different cultures as this is essential for students majoring in foreign languages. 
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- Students should be more aware of the correlation between language and culture and be
proactive in preparing their lessons at home by consulting different sources for knowledge of
other cultures. 
- Students should put into practice what they learn about the target culture more
frequently by engaging in any form/opportunity of communication, especially with foreigners,
in order to sharpen their communicative skills and thereby improve their intercultural
competence.
- Students should filter and diversify the ways they use to enhance their intercultural
competence outside the classroom. With the media, students should be more selective in
choosing the channels to enrich their knowledge about the target culture.
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Y U T  VĂN HÓA VÀ TI M NĂNG TRONG VI C PHÁT TRI NẾ Ố Ề Ệ Ể
NĂNG L C LIÊN VĂN HÓA CHO SINH VIÊN: KH O SÁT Ự Ả
GIÁO TRÌNH Đ C S  D NG TRONG CÁC L P TH C HÀNHƯỢ Ử Ụ Ớ Ự
TI NG T I TR NG Đ I H C NGO I NG , Đ I H C HUẾ Ạ ƯỜ Ạ Ọ Ạ Ữ Ạ Ọ Ế
Tóm tắt: Năng lực liên văn hóa là một trong những thành tố cần được phát triển ở người sử
dụng ngoại ngữ. Nhiều nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng các yếu tố văn hóa trong giáo trình tiếng Anh
có ý nghĩa quan trọng trong việc giúp người học lĩnh hội năng lực này. Bài báo trình bày
kết quả khảo sát giáo trình thực hành tiếng tại khoa Tiếng Anh, Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ,
Đại học Huế. Kết quả khảo sát cho thấy các giáo trình được sử dụng có nhiều yếu tố văn
hóa từ các nước sử dụng tiếng Anh như tiếng mẹ đẻ và những nước khác. Tuy nhiên, các
yếu tố này chủ yếu phản ánh văn hóa bề mặt (surface culture), và việc đề cập các yếu tố văn
hóa mang chiều sâu (deep culture) tương đối sơ sài. Vì vậy có thể kết luận rằng giáo viên và
sinh viên cần nỗ lực nhiều hơn nhằm khai thác được tiềm năng của các yếu tố văn hóa này.
Nghiên cứu cũng đưa ra những kiến nghị nhằm nâng cao hiệu quả việc sử dụng các giáo
trình trong việc nâng cao năng lực liên văn hóa của sinh viên. 
Từ khóa: Giá trị văn hóa chiều sâu, năng lực liên văn hóa, giá trị văn hóa bề mặt
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