A Survey on Teachers’ Perception and Practice of ICC Assessment of University English Learners in China

Despite the increasing attention paid to developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) of foreign language learners in recent years among linguistic scholars and practitioners, few studies could be found concerning ICC assessment, especially ways in which different dimensions of ICC should be assessed. The present study aims to explore the status quo of ICC assessment in English programs in China and feasible approaches to testing ICC. Data revealing university English teachers’ attitudes and methods they used in ICC assessment were collected through a nation-wide survey on university English teachers’ perception of ICC and their teaching practices in China. The findings showed that, despite a high awareness, among the subjects of the survey, of the importance of developing students’ ICC in English classes, few teachers have made any attempts to assess their students’ ICC due to the complex and intangible nature of its constructs. In addition, the minority who have made such an attempt often opted for objective assessments, which are mainly used to test students’ Savoirs (Savoir and Savoir Comprendre), and are less feasible to evaluate two other more important and difficult dimensions of ICC, savoir faire and savoir être. The present paper also explores the reason for the current situation of ICC assessment in China, with a hope to provide English teachers with necessary guidance on assessing their students’ ICC.