Integrating the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in a Foreign Language Program: Faculty Considerations upon Leaving the Haven of Native Speakership

This action research study presents the perspectives of two language faculty who integrated the principles of the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) model in their teaching. The professors shared their understanding of intercultural communicative competence through a learning log. These reflections were mainly about the challenged notion of native speakership, particularly in foreign language teaching contexts. The faculty also developed a teaching sequence that integrated the ICC criteria. The study offers some of the faculty considerations on their integration of the ICC model together with their students’ perspectives. The research results show that students could get involved in language learning beyond the customary linguistic aspects of language teaching, and they could embark themselves upon the understanding of the intercultural aspects that permeate any classroom negotiation where two languages happen to meet and interact through the lived experiences and the identity of their speakers.