Date of Award
12-24-2025
Date Published
January 2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Advisor(s)
Amanda Brown
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence;EFL;intercultural communicative competence;politeness theory;pragmatics;speech acts
Subject Categories
Linguistics | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This study investigates the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and instructors in Turkey by examining both perceived and observed aspects of ICC, as well as the potential role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in supporting intercultural communicative competence education. Guided by Byram’s (1997) model and informed by Speech Act Theory (Searle, 1969) and Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987), the study adopted a mixed-methods design including 89 students and 46 instructors from nine state universities. Data were collected through a 25-item ICC questionnaire and a series of Discourse Completion Tasks (DCTs) completed under self-guided and AI-guided conditions. Analyses revealed statistically significant differences between students and instructors across perceived and observed measures. Both groups reported high self-perceived competence. While instructors demonstrated higher observed ICC performance, students tended to overestimate their intercultural readiness. Although participants generally viewed AI positively, it did not lead to noticeable improvement in observed ICC performance. While students mostly tended to copy and paste AI responses, instructors appeared to use AI more selectively and critically. Overall, the results highlight a continuing gap between perception and performance and suggest that while AI can be a useful supplementary tool, the development of ICC ultimately depends on human mediation.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Saka, Zeynep, "INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (ICC) AMONG EFL LEARNERS AND TEACHERS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR AI AS A GUIDE" (2025). Theses - ALL. 991.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/991
