Manuscript.docx

In the era of fast-paced world, linguistic competence alone is insufficient because an individual must be aware of cultural appropriateness and differences. For that reason, the significance of intercultural competence in English instruction is increasingly and timely relevant. Teachers' awareness and perceptions of intercultural competence are critical in promoting students' learning of intercultural competence in English classes. This research aims to examine 10 Thai EFL teachers' perceptions of intercultural competence and how they apply intercultural competence to English classes. The conceptual framework was under the analysis of the Process Model of Intercultural competence (Deardorff, 2006) and Thailand Basic Education Core Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2008). Participants were chosen randomly from secondary schools around Thailand. A self-perception questionnaire, personal interviews, and a self-feedback report were employed to collect and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. The findings showed that most participants had an intermediate level of integration of intercultural teaching. Moreover, priority was given to teaching English intercultural ‘knowledge’, ‘skills’, ‘attitudes', and ‘assessment’ respectively. Conclusions suggest that integrating intercultural competence in English classes by covering all components of intercultural competence could facilitate students building relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds.