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Gizem Yilmazel-Unsal

Middle East Technical University, Türkiye

 

Abstract

This interview with Dr. Darla K. Deardorff, explores her contributions to the field of intercultural competence and its implications for language education. Dr. Deardorff reflects on the origins and evolution of her widely cited Process Model of Intercultural Competence, highlighting how definitions of intercultural learning have expanded beyond cultural differences to encompass diverse forms of human difference. She discusses the essential role of attitudes such as openness, respect, and curiosity in fostering effective and appropriate communication across differences, as well as the importance of modelling these in EFL/ESL classrooms. The conversation also addresses the challenges of assessing intercultural competence, emphasizing the need for multimeasure, formative, and co-created approaches that foreground evidence of change. In addition, Dr. Deardorff introduces the UNESCO Story Circles methodology as an accessible, impactful practice for cultivating intercultural competence worldwide, including language learning contexts. The interview concludes with practical strategies and global perspectives that enrich current understandings of intercultural competence and underscore its lifelong, dynamic nature.

 

Keywords

Intercultural competence, language education, assessment of intercultural competence, story circles (UNESCO), international education