Exploring Turkish EFL teachers' perceptions and classroom practices regarding intercultural communicative competence

The ability to utilize a foreign language effectively in linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic circumstances is known as Communicative Competence (CC). By incorporating cultural awareness into communication, Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) builds upon CC. This study investigates the viewpoints and instructional strategies of English language instructors in Turkish public schools with relation to incorporating ICC into their curricula. The survey created by Sercu (2005) was used to gather information from 127 educators in the province of Niğde. Descriptive analysis, t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Mann-Whitney U tests were among the statistical techniques used. The results show that instructors generally have a positive view of the benefits of ICC, although classroom activities are still primarily conducted in an instructor-led environment. Experiences with Erasmus+ and eTwinning were found to have a considerable impact on ICC practices, but not beliefs. Teachers' views and practices were also greatly influenced by their desire to interact with people from other cultural backgrounds. The study's conclusion highlights the need for more research in this field and offers pedagogical implications for curriculum designers and language teachers.