Investigating the Cognition Behind the Intercultural Interactions of Four Japanese Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

The quality of teachers Edaily social and intellectual interactions is influenced by effective communication and interpersonal skills. Moreover, when considering the relationships between Japanese and non-Japanese teachers who work together, the quality of their relationships may need to be assessed in terms of their willingness to communicate with persons from different cultures, and the ability to do so while respecting cultural differences. This paper examines these two issues in the cognition of four Japanese teachers at a senior high school in Japan. The principles for communicating with people from other cultures are first defined in terms of cultural fluency and the Willingness to Communicate (WTC), which two determinants of successful intercultural communication. Repertory grids were used to elicit teachers Eperceptions of effective intercultural communicators, and they used concept maps share their understanding of intercultural communication. Conversations with the four Japanese teachers revealed that they do not see cultural fluency as a special skill but as a combination of experience and insight gained from intercultural interactions. The consensus among the four teachers is that it is natural for them to use interpersonal skills in communicating with people from different cultures because they are interacting with other individuals. The conclusion to this investigation was that the four teachers realise that communication with non-Japanese colleagues requires a purpose beyond the practice of language skills. However, while they understand that intercultural communication requires effective interpersonal skills, they also believe that good language skills will give them the confidence to communicate in English.