Incorporating intercultural communicative competence through short stories (a case study of an Armenian EFL classroom)

In the educational context, the linguistic aspect of language learning should be observed in parallel with intercultural communicative competence since this interwoven unity will facilitate students to enhance cultural understanding and develop critical reading skills, thus acquiring novel cultural frames of reference and a transformed world view. The aim of the article is to underpin the significance of short story inclusion in the EFL classroom as a powerful tool to foster ICC. The three socio-constructivist approaches suggested in the article are targeted at working on multicultural literary texts at cognitive and critical levels by focusing on the development of intercultural communicative competence. The article is a case study experience carried out in an intermediate EFL classroom at YSU in Armenia, in 2019. The qualitative analysis of the data provides us with valuable insights about the integration of literary texts in teaching language and constructing cultural knowledge through social interaction. The results can be further utilized by textbook writers and implemented in teacher training courses.