Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS)

Enhancing Intercultural Awareness Through Digital Multimodal Composing Technique Among Second Year Efl Students At Batna 2 University, Algeria

Auteurs : Saidouni Khawla .

Résumé

Although digital multimodal composing (DMC) has attracted growing interest in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), the teaching of culture in Algerian EFL classrooms has largely remained traditional. This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effect of a DMC approach on second-year EFL students’ intercultural awareness at Batna 2 University. Thirty students, drawn from two administratively formed classes, were allocated to an experimental group and a control group (n = 15 each) through a matched-pairs procedure based on pre-test scores. Data were collected through an intercultural awareness questionnaire (pre-test and post-test) and reflective journals during an eleven-session intervention. Controlling for pre-test scores, an analysis of covariance showed a statistically significant effect of group on post-test intercultural awareness, F(1, 27) = 13.66, p = .001, partial η² = .34 (post-test means: experimental = 3.07, control = 2.20). Thematic analysis of the journals indicated that students perceived the DMC approach as engaging and motivating. Taken together, the findings indicate that DMC can meaningfully develop EFL students’ intercultural awareness and suggest that intercultural teaching and learning in the Algerian context needs to be redefined and modernized to align with the expectations of twenty-first-century learners. The findings suggest that DMC may support the development of EFL students’ self-reported intercultural awareness, although the small sample and the reliance on self-report measures call for cautious interpretation.

Mots clés

digital multimodal composing; intercultural awareness; English language teaching; higher education; quasi-experimental study; Algeria