The Evaluation of Cultural Intelligence Enhancement Through Documentary Videos for L2 Acquisition

Abstract

Intercultural communication plays a crucial role in second language (L2) acquisition as it always happens in the context of another, usually very different culture. The present study sheds light on the benefits of using documentary videos in teaching intercultural communication to young students and how they can affect students’ development of their cultural competence. The study research sample consisted of two groups of fifth-grade primary school students, with thirty participants each. Their prescribed book of English consisted of various parts related to different countries and their local culture. Therefore, documentary videos could be considered as adequate supplementary material. Data collection method was based on ideas adapted from The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CIS) (2005). In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted to reveal students’ details and subjective feelings in addition to their attitudes and opinions. The t-test was used to reveal statistically significant the differences between the two groups. Results suggested that using documentary videos in teaching culture enhances students’ cultural intelligence. Moreover, they show that the students had a positive attitude towards using documentary videos in teaching culture, which can significantly stimulate their motivation. This paper can be a pilot study that will stimulate further research into the needed topic.