Browsing by Author "Ibrayeva A."
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Item Open Access An Investigation into the Development of Intercultural Competence in TEFL: A Study of Master’s Students’ Perspectives(SDU University, 2025) Ibrayeva A.The current study aims to investigate the perspective of master’s students on the development of intercultural competence (IC) in the Kazakhstani teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and to identify key challenges they face in practical application. The study involved ten working master’s students enrolled in TEFL programs at two Kazakhstani institutions through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used in a qualitative research design to acquire detailed information about the experiences and reflections of the participants. The research questions were addressed through thematic analysis of the data. The findings reveal the theoretical intercultural competence awareness of students, yet there is a lack of structured and practical inclusion of intercultural aspects in their academic curriculum. Participants reported that little experiential learning and intercultural engagement are incorporated into core teaching modules, and that intercultural competence development is frequently restricted to quick discussions in elective courses. The insufficient academic training, strict curriculum, and lack of support from the institution emerged as key barriers to intercultural competence integration in teaching. The students suggested the incorporation of practical tasks and intercultural competence integration mechanisms in the TEFL courses. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on IC development in the Kazakhstani TEFL context.