The qualitative research reported in this article investigated whether and to what extent students’ intercultural competence is developed in the English language classroom at the secondary education level in Poland. In interviews teachers demonstrated their positive attitudes toward intercultural teaching and decent knowledge of the issue. However, the teachers’ narratives uncovered that they assigned the interculturality the secondary role, focusing on developing linguistic and sociolinguistic competences. The collected data revealed that students in class had very few opportunities to explore foreign cultures and compare/ contrast one culture with another. There was a lack of attention to teaching that promotes critical thinking skills among learners along with activities which foster them. However, there is insufficient evidence that teachers can currently do anything more, given the context in which they work, their constraints and lack of training and support. The findings of the current study have clear implications for curriculum designers, textbook writers and institutions in charge of teacher training - EFL syllabuses, teaching materials and teacher training should focus more on developing students’ intercultural and critical thinking skills.

中文翻译：

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英语课堂中的跨文化教学

本文报道的定性研究调查了波兰中学英语课堂中学生的跨文化能力是否以及在何种程度上得到发展。在采访中，教师们展示了他们对跨文化教学的积极态度和对该问题的体面知识。然而，教师们的叙述揭示了他们将跨文化性置于次要角色，专注于发展语言和社会语言能力。收集到的数据显示，课堂上的学生很少有机会探索外国文化以及将一种文化与另一种文化进行比较/对比。缺乏对促进学习者批判性思维能力的教学以及培养他们的活动的关注。然而，鉴于教师的工作环境、制约因素以及缺乏培训和支持，目前没有足够的证据表明教师可以做得更多。目前的研究结果对课程设计者、教科书编写者和负责教师培训的机构有明确的启示——英语教学大纲、教材和教师培训应该更多地关注培养学生的跨文化和批判性思维能力。