This slides is prepared in the context of ESL teachers in Malaysia. It covered a few research done including ESL native and non-native speakers, international students, cross-cultural and multicultural.

1. INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION IN
EDUCATION/ CLASSROOM
Prepared by: Aini Syahira Jamaluddin

2. DEFINITION OF INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
• Samovar et al. (1998)
‘communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol
systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event’ (p. 48)
• Chen and Starosta (1998)
‘the communication between people from two different cultures’ (p. 28)
• There is a process where people more closely identify with each other,
through global branding, shared media, and the possibility of gaining
knowledge about one another (Rosengren, 2004).
• Two persons from diverse linguistic and cultural background make
negotiations and understanding of meaning in human experiences across
social systems and societies (Anuar, 2017)

3. WHY LEARN INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION?
Decreasing misunderstanding
(Chen and Starosta, 1998),
tolerating cultural diversity
(Gudykunst and Kim, 1984),
and developing adaptive
culture (Dodd, 1991).
A need for more effective
communication in institutions
(schools, hospitals, offices etc.)
Scientific approaches can help
us understand how cultural
diversity can affect the
efficiency of communication.

4. MALAYSIAN
(Department of Statistics Malaysia, updated in 2011)

5. RESEARCH DONE
• An Intercultural Study of Refusal Strategies in English between Jordanian EFL and Malay ESL
Postgraduate Student by Yasser, Marlyna and Subakir in 2012.
• English Language Learning Strategies of Malaysian Secondary School Students: Implication
for Inter-Cultural Communication by Zainab and Mallam in 2014.
• A Study on the Level of Intercultural Knowledge among Malaysian Secondary School
Students by Fatin and Manjet in 2016.
• Cultural Differences in Communication Between Native and Non-Native ESL Teachers by
Norhezrin in 2017.
• Intercultural communication in the Malaysian Vision Schools: Implications for the management
and leadership in a multicultural primary school by azam Othman, 2016
• Multiculturalism in Higher Education: A Case Study of Middle Eastern Students’ Perceptions and
Experiences in a Malaysian University by Ambigapathy in 2008.

6. 1) CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NATIVE AND NON-
NATIVE ESL TEACHERS BY NORHEZRIN ANUAR IN 2017
• Focus on American English native speakers and Malay non-native speakers who are
ESL teachers.
Ways Used to Solve
Misunderstanding:
Ting-Toomey’s (1999)
Constructive
Intercultural Conflict
Management Skills
framework
Collaborative Dialogue
-throwing candies incident
A: I'm not telling you not to do it. But it's not
something we would do.
B: If it's worth saying it to me, it's worth for
me listening.
Face-Management Skill
Jokes are one of the strategies
that could be used in saving
one’s ‘face’.
Mindful reframing
interpret each other based
from the other’s point of
view.
Communication Adaptability
adapt to
the needs of the particular
situation

7. 2) INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE MALAYSIAN VISION SCHOOLS: IMPLICATIONS
FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP IN A MULTICULTURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL BY
AZAM OTHMAN, 2016
Generally, students gave
rather negative feedback
on some aspects of the
Vision Schools. About 58
percent of the
respondents disagreed
that the Vision Schools
offer programs that
develop national
integration,
the children reported
that their perception
towards the other races
is very much influenced
by their social interaction
with them.
Young children in the
Vision Schools
that they understood
the meaning of
tolerance and unity,
and they reported
the relationships with
other races were
Their intercultural
experiences seemed
be positive in a
number of aspects
such as their
relationships with
other people, the
absence of racism in
school, and the lack of
negative experiences
involving harsh racist
But at the same time,
there are aspects of
intercultural experiences
that they think are
lacking, such as playing
sports with other races,
having meals with peers
from different races, and
learning the various
spoken languages in the
school compound.

8. 3) MULTICULTURALISM IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF MIDDLE EASTERN
STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN A MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY BY
AMBIGAPATHY PANDIAN, 2008
• It was shown that only certain circumstances involved
notions of perceived discrimination, prejudice, tolerance
and stereotyping but these encounters were infrequent.
• Peer-pairing programmes (after class activities)
• Inter-cultural cooperative learning strategies - inter-
cultural group work decreases stereotypes and
increases the motivation and willingness of students to
work with members of other groups.
• Residential programmes - integrate intercultural
activities across a range involving inter-cultural activities
in all aspects of student life

9. 4) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS ADJUSTMENT
FACTORS AND CROSS CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT: A SURVEY
AT THE NORTHERN UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA BY CHE SU
MUSTAFFA & MUNIRAH ILIAS, 2013
• The correlations between the cross-cultural adjustments with Academic
Factor, Socio-Cultural Factor, Personal-Emotion Factor, Environment Factor
and Intercultural Communication Apprehension Factor.
• Most of Master’s and PhD students easily adjust compared to the
undergraduate students. This might be because these students already
had prior experiences traveling abroad before they came to UUM.
students who had previously spent between three and twelve months
abroad felt they were better able to use facilities of communication and
were more aware of themselves and culture.
• Language proficiency influences the adjustment process among the
international students at UUM. the majority of the respondents are well
adjusted with their academic system, academic environment and
academic teaching style that are applied at UUM.