IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i12p9209-d1165600.html

Construction of Input-Comparison-Output (ICO) Intercultural Mode for Sustainable Development in EFL Education

Author

Listed:
  • Wenyuan Liu

    (Foreign Languages Institute, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China)

  • Min Yang

    (Campus Security Office, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 201613, China)

Abstract

The cultivation of college students’ intercultural communication competence (ICC) for sustainable development is a hot research topic in English foreign language (EFL) education. What competencies are they required to have, and how to cultivate them in EFL education? The study is based on Byram’s model of ICC for cultivating students’ ICC for their sustainable development. To this end, an empirical study was conducted by constructing an intercultural comparative teaching mode called Input-Comparison-Output (ICO) in the research by integrating Chinese culture into EFL education for cultivating students’ ICC among Chinese college students. The study emphasizes the importance of the Chinese culture as the native culture by comparing similarities and differences with the targeted culture in EFL education. There are some existing research works on English and its culture, but few of them focus on the role and integration of Chinese culture in China’s EFL teaching. In order to seek some evidence of the function of the Chinese culture as the first culture in EFL education, the authors constructed the ICO intercultural mode, and 58 participants were recruited and divided into two groups randomly as the controlled group and experimental group in the empirical study. Some research methods were used in the study, such as questionnaires, term papers, statistical analyses and interviews. The data were collected through the Star of Questionnaire, the automatic assessing system of the I-write Platform, Excel and WeChat videos. Quantitative and qualitative statistics were adopted to assess the students’ changes of attitudes towards the integration of the Chinese culture into the course and academic development in the research. The ICO intercultural mode creates a novel teaching mode of cultural comparison between first culture and targeted culture, breaking down the traditional monocultural teaching one in the EFL teaching. The results of the research show that the integration of the Chinese culture into the EFL course is important, which can promote the students’ ICC thanks to the application of the ICO intercultural mode in the course. The initiative findings can be used as references for further intercultural teaching in EFL education.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenyuan Liu & Min Yang, 2023. "Construction of Input-Comparison-Output (ICO) Intercultural Mode for Sustainable Development in EFL Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-13, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9209-:d:1165600
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/12/9209/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/12/9209/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ronald Venn & Paquita Perez & Valerie Vandenbussche, 2022. "Competencies of Sustainability Professionals: An Empirical Study on Key Competencies for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-22, April.
    2. Miguel Leiva-Brondo & Natalia Lajara-Camilleri & Anna Vidal-Meló & Alejandro Atarés & Cristina Lull, 2022. "Spanish University Students’ Awareness and Perception of Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainability Literacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Sonia Lara & María Carmen González-Torres & Sara Ibarrola-García & Ana Zúñiga, 2021. "Fostering Communicative Competence and Motivation through ComunicARTE Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Viktoria Feucht & Paul Wilhelm Dierkes & Matthias Winfried Kleespies, 2025. "Ranking our future: University students' prioritization of Sustainable Development Goals and their connection to nature," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 3266-3282, June.
    2. Ana M. Osorio & Luisa F. Úsuga & Jaime A. Restrepo-Carmona & Isabel Rendón & Julián Sierra-Pérez & Rafael E. Vásquez, 2024. "Methodology for Stakeholder Prioritization in the Context of Digital Transformation and Society 5.0," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Riccardo Boiocchi & Marco Ragazzi & Vincenzo Torretta & Elena Cristina Rada, 2023. "Critical Analysis of the GreenMetric World University Ranking System: The Issue of Comparability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Gamze Sart, 2022. "Impact of Higher Education and Globalization on Sustainable Development in the New EU Member States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-13, September.
    5. Shatha Mustafa Abdallah Al Qudah & José Luis Fuentes Bargues & Pablo Ferrer Gisbert & Hani Na'el Al‐Abdallat, 2025. "AI‐Driven Risk Management to Promote SDGs? An Exploratory Study in Jordan Construction Sector," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(S1), pages 1107-1123, November.
    6. Walaa Al Husban, 2025. "The Impact of Integrating Sustainable Development Goals on Students’ Awareness and Pro-Environmental Behavior: A Case Study of Jordan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-24, March.
    7. Lorena Mulero & Dolors Grau & Jordi Cunill & Anna Fàbregas & Josep M. Rossell, 2024. "Promoting and Prioritizing the Sustainable Development Goals in Young People," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Yuefei Su & Shuai Zhong & Li An & Lei Shen & Ding Li, 2023. "An Information System for Comprehensive Evaluation of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services Value: Design and Case Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    9. Guorui Chen & Li Cheng & Foyuan Li, 2022. "Integrating Sustainability and Users’ Demands in the Retrofit of a University Campus in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Nirda de Jesús Colón-Flores & Maira Rafaela Vargas-Martínez & Joselina Caridad Tavarez-De Henríquez & Cándida María Domínguez-Valerio, 2023. "Environmental, Social and Economic Attitudes and Sustainable Knowledge on the Sustainable Behaviour of Engineering Students: An Analysis Based on Attitudes towards Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    11. Anabel Ramos-Pla & Isabel del Arco & Aleix Olondriz-Valverde & Laura Fornons Casol, 2025. "Education and Nursing in the 2030 Agenda: Challenges and Opportunities for University Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-18, March.
    12. Hacer Efe & Ünsal Umdu Topsakal, 2025. "Let’s Take the Pulse of the Classroom on Sustainability! An Exploratory Study on Student Views and Teacher Solution Suggestions Regarding Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-18, June.
    13. Chaiwichit Chianchana & Sageemas Na Wichian, 2025. "Development of key competencies for the transformation towards sustainability of vocational students: strategy development and short film creation," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    14. Karimi, Abdul Hakim, 2024. "Measuring Sustainability Literacy: Scale Development and Validation," MPRA Paper 122875, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Niematallah E. A. Elamin, 2025. "Assessing Knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals Among Diverse Students: A Case Study of Al Qasimia University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-18, April.
    16. Salvador Boned‐Gómez & José María Giménez‐Egido & Alberto Ferriz‐Valero & Salvador Baena‐Morales, 2025. "A Leap Toward Sustainable Consciousness: SCQ‐S Validation for Spanish Adolescents," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(5), pages 6475-6494, October.
    17. Nur Syazwani Izzati Samdi & Asiyah Kassim & Zoel Ng, 2024. "Youth Awareness on Sustainable Development: The Mediating Effect of Place Attachment in Selangor, Malaysia*," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 264-283, August.
    18. Paolo Basilico & Idiano D'Adamo & Manlio Del Giudice & Federica Di Santo & Massimo Gastaldi & Federico Passarelli & Antonio Felice Uricchio, 2026. "Sustainable Schools and Knowledge Management: Driving Urban and Social Transitions for Sustainable Development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(S1), pages 915-935, January.
    19. Mihai Burlacu & Răzvan Gabriel Boboc & Eugen Valentin Butilă, 2022. "Smart Cities and Transportation: Reviewing the Scientific Character of the Theories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, July.
    20. Camila Cabrera & Pablo Cuenca, 2024. "Pilot Assessment of Knowledge and Compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals as Drivers for Strengthening BioTrade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-18, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9209-:d:1165600. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.