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Intercultural Competences and Language Assessment - Reflections from Foreign Language Teachers

Kling, Joyce LU orcid and Dimova, Slobodanka (2026) In NJES: Nordic Journal of English Studies
Abstract
In recent years, intercultural competence (IC) has gained prominence in foreign language (FL) education, reflecting broader societal shifts toward global interconnectedness and the need for culturally responsive pedagogy. This article investigates how FL teachers in Denmark conceptualize, teach, and assess IC within the existing framework of national curricula that emphasize global citizenship and intercultural understanding. Based on analyses of the national FL curricula and data from the Teachers' Literacy in Language Testing and Assessment (LiSE) project (2020–2022), which included a nationwide survey and follow-up interviews with English, French, German, and Spanish teachers, the study explores the cognitive and practical dimensions of... (More)
In recent years, intercultural competence (IC) has gained prominence in foreign language (FL) education, reflecting broader societal shifts toward global interconnectedness and the need for culturally responsive pedagogy. This article investigates how FL teachers in Denmark conceptualize, teach, and assess IC within the existing framework of national curricula that emphasize global citizenship and intercultural understanding. Based on analyses of the national FL curricula and data from the Teachers' Literacy in Language Testing and Assessment (LiSE) project (2020–2022), which included a nationwide survey and follow-up interviews with English, French, German, and Spanish teachers, the study explores the cognitive and practical dimensions of teachers’ engagement with IC. Findings reveal a strong commitment among educators to fostering students’ intercultural awareness, yet highlight persistent challenges in aligning instructional practices with assessment strategies due to limited guidance and consensus on evaluating ICC. The article discusses these tensions and offers implications for enhancing language assessment literacy and supporting the integration of IC in FL education. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
intercultural competence, intercultural communicative competence, assessment, language and culture
in
NJES: Nordic Journal of English Studies
publisher
Göteborgs universitet, Nordic Association of English Studies
ISSN
1654-6970
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1bd6c5a6-ad00-41f9-a09c-358abcb4d823
date added to LUP
2026-01-26 22:02:06
date last changed
2026-01-29 16:53:17
@article{1bd6c5a6-ad00-41f9-a09c-358abcb4d823,
  abstract     = {{In recent years, intercultural competence (IC) has gained prominence in foreign language (FL) education, reflecting broader societal shifts toward global interconnectedness and the need for culturally responsive pedagogy. This article investigates how FL teachers in Denmark conceptualize, teach, and assess IC within the existing framework of national curricula that emphasize global citizenship and intercultural understanding. Based on analyses of the national FL curricula and data from the Teachers' Literacy in Language Testing and Assessment (LiSE) project (2020–2022), which included a nationwide survey and follow-up interviews with English, French, German, and Spanish teachers, the study explores the cognitive and practical dimensions of teachers’ engagement with IC. Findings reveal a strong commitment among educators to fostering students’ intercultural awareness, yet highlight persistent challenges in aligning instructional practices with assessment strategies due to limited guidance and consensus on evaluating ICC. The article discusses these tensions and offers implications for enhancing language assessment literacy and supporting the integration of IC in FL education.}},
  author       = {{Kling, Joyce and Dimova, Slobodanka}},
  issn         = {{1654-6970}},
  keywords     = {{intercultural competence; intercultural communicative competence; assessment; language and culture}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Göteborgs universitet, Nordic Association of English Studies}},
  series       = {{NJES: Nordic Journal of English Studies}},
  title        = {{Intercultural Competences and Language Assessment - Reflections from Foreign Language Teachers}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}