THE USE OF NEWSPAPER FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT OF EFL LEARNERS’

Abstract

The present article examines the influence of a newspaper, as the main source of cultural knowledge, on the development of intercultural communicative competence of ESL learners. A series of online questionnaires was carried out to elicit information about 1^st year students’ British culture knowledge. Among them the type of authentic material to be used and the knowledge assessment test on United Kingdom culture. As a result, the digital format of the newspaper “The Times” was chosen as authentic material for improving students’ reading skills. Test results reveal the level of understanding of UK culture which leads to the formation of the bank of tasks. Through the implementation of a comprehensive bank of reading tasks and articles centered around various aspects of UK culture, students were immersed in an enriching learning experience. Post-test results affirm the effectiveness of the intervention in deepening students' understanding of UK culture and traditions.