INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE OF THE SEA-TEACHER IN DEALING WITH INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES: A DIARY STUDY

Abstract

This study is aiming to explore the intercultural communication challenges of pre-service teacher and to investigate the intercultural competence that are implemented to deal with the intercultural communication challenges during an international teaching practicum program for pre-service teacher namely SEA-Teacher Project 2017 batch 4 in Thailand. The whole experiences were recorded in diaries which were written daily and posted in an open-source blog. It became a tool to study pre-service teacher’s reaction in dealing with challenges of intercultural communication. The design of this research is a qualitative research using diary study form in which it has only one participant. The diary portrays feelings, reflection and values of the writer in a better systematic way to understand about intercultural communication issue and English teaching. The finding revealed that language and cultural problem contribute as challenge for pre-service teacher. The skill, attitude, knowledge and value as intercultural communication competences become the strategy mastered by pre-service teacher to deal with those challenges.