Intercultural Communication in the Iraqi EFL Online Classes

Sura Muttlak Nasser and Raghad Fahmi Aajami

Abstract

Abstract A review of previous studies shows that intercultural communication competency (ICC) needs to be measured in culturally diverse groups of participants. This paper describes the development and preliminary testing of a new ICC instrument. Students are regularly confronted with the fact that they understand the laws of language to a large extent. However, they are not always able to use the language effectively as required because they lack sufficient knowledge of the target culture. This article aims to investigate intercultural communication competence in EFL classrooms. This study has been conducted in the Department of English at the College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad, to identify first-year EFL students’ incompetence in intercultural communication. This study highlights the development and initial empirical testing of a unique and new instrument of intercultural communication (ICC). The sample for this study was 30 female first-year students in the Department of English, College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad. The study was conducted during the academic year 2021–2022. The reliability of the instrument and concept validity were assessed using regression, factor, and correlation analyses. The initial results are quite satisfactory.

Presentation